, L i meritatt tercitl II Jr/nail 163A11568 ew Series, - Vol. No.. sj. g 3 oo By Mail. $3 50 By Carrier. t 50cts Additional after three Months. - 1 31itairititILIrt$bljttltj;44-,', .-,, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1867. THE RELATION OF THE SABBATH SCHOOL. TO THE CFIIRCIL • - Tile ideal of the Sabbath-schoOlis that it ,li a li become a feeder of the q14.4.' f t_ be supposed that one:of the foremost ,j ug: i implied in such a relation, is the of the scholars in church-going i, a biN. It is certainly reasonable tO look. t :end when this result:is not obtained when, undei a supposed .highs :Into of prosperity in the, "Sabhatik-sehooly :Nero actual dwindling of ph s t3 attend ;),, ;;i• children upon the regular services of th e Cli rcll,—th o coneluktion cannot hOV i olil• t .l that, there is some serious defect, in the I ,,,palar mode of conducting th.oseinstitu . . I:3 to uHis. We trust there yet remain mannchurchea which, in the conduct of their Sabbath -chools, take care to avoid the result men ,mid. and so arrange their work as to - secure , tilo rep lar attendance of the children in the :•anctuary. But from accounts which reach 11 11101 numerous quarters, we .arefOrCed to the apprehension that, in its relation to the public worship, our. .Pabliath-schnel,syS tem is drifting into - a dangerous course. This much is obvious: never,, within the rccolicction of the living s has the ehildpor lion of our worshippingnongregations been proportionably small aa Wire has it boon so rake' to See irca of the family ranged beside their 'pa rents in the pew. It is the_ very genins•of the pew system, not Improb ably" the very kica which brought it into, existence, 'that families should sit' together, childieii:iiclOf tie eye of their parents, preserving :,even the groat asionibly; union and home isolation. We see little' enough now to remind us of such usekrof this arrangement. 'The parents are there,. but where are the children, and why- are thcy not there? The answer in most oases would be, that the Sabbath-school-stands in ii way. If not so bluntly expressed,, this nevertheless unmistakably implied in the Name it,signed. It is plead in excuse for their akenck , , that they have two session& of the Sabbath-school to attend, and that to ask them more attendance upon public in, , truetien, is laying too heavy a tax upon their power of endurance. The coneltision li , J o expressed is certainly reasonable, if IV nothing wrong in the fact premised. It the eonlining of children from three to of the day in the Sabbath-school room b; a wholesome' arrangement, then the point mast be yielded that it is asking too mull of thorn, to require the additional cumilicinent of the church service. But such a case, the implication above stated remains—the Sabhath-sohool stands in, the , tr ay of their attendance 'upow the regular church worship. Whatever good of other kinds may come from it, it certainly-tends io the depletion of that: which Ought to be lac must interesting and hopeful part of all our congregations, and results in an early binned and therefore more hopeless habit "r regarding the appointed gospel ministra tions as of no account,--a habit which will nay is we fear now telling ,disastrous ly upon many of the Christian congrega uint, of the land. We believe the time has `'unis that there must be sonic, modification this state of things; or our Sabbath ,2llools, instead of feeding, will exhaust the Church, „ . It does not reconcile us to the case as it how qatitls, to be told that the instructions off' the Sabbath-school are so much better ilhipt vt i to the capacities of children than tlmNe a the pulpit are, that their spiritual Ilifi cation will be better attained under the former, even at the sacrifice of the privi 'Nies of the latter. The point assumed, that the capacity of the child for reli gious culture is best met in the Sabbath is true in part, but not to the extent 64i metl. The notion, that the preaching of - , °ur daY, as a general 'thing, is abstruse and 40 P. and o adapted to edify only well ma turvd arid highly cultivated. minds, is a great popular mistake. Th'eie are ; doubt i"s, iii.stances of such practical misconcep tion of the proper office of the Christian, Ptilpit, but there are not enough of them to ti larayterize the preaching of the day. Of the Sabbath scho,l we have seen John A.NY eir whOie ir elasses of children listening to an address, iu which simplicity was pushed - to the point of mere cbilclisbnesi3 of discourse,' whose minds- we knew to be.ripe for the bracing and - feftiarding "discipline 'of the pulpit, but Wh - .3 were allowed to avoids the latter, because they pnjoYed the fernier; and, that was thought.enough- . • But even 'granting to •Sit'bbath-school .in: struction its stipposed Superiority to that of the _pulpit, for teaching the 'gospel to L ebil dren, it, scarcely mitigates, the calamity of the destructiOn of the church-going_habit., While the parents are in tbeipplacein the sanctuary, the. child is at home .alone - , - or with company who will only encourage his disregard of • the proprieties of the. day. It is the very time: when,-above-all others, he"ought tutie with his !parents, and ander their Watchful Care. There is grtiwingitp in him no proper coneeptionbfthe . r:egii* worship of the Church as a . - Pivine ',ordi nance, and the highest, appointed institu-. tion for read - fling Men from sin And. training them for ‘beaVen.' StroidOce 'of the-sandt-' nary his :becomc a confirmed' habit; an when hid Sitbbuth-sebool days are, ot't,er 777 a time -which will not be long incOming-- 7 there comes no teeling that-the church of his Parente' is a family spiritual horn!). There, is no tie of habit to l bind him to it, and-away be goes, perhaps to,soma oter place of worship',•or .perhaps to some more questionable resort; but; be it where: it, may, with no higher purpose than to mix with society and fill up ,the hqur, If asked how we would have this growing evil remedied 'We reply :* 1. Not by giving up the.Satibath-s'chool. The blessings , which it has, brought to oar world can never be toldthis side.ef heaven. God brings forth Adeasures for the timcs. He has given this great "institution to-,our. Ettul-Alie a4iiifbbxiiiirtt Of it scattered abroad; they are on earth and in glory. Under the ordering of the Holy Spirit, it has beecime a necessity to the Church. We must cherish the Sabbath school. 2. Let the Sabbath -school be brought into harmony with the higher institution of the pulpit ministrations and appointed ser vices of the Church. This can never be done until the double session system gives way to more reasonable hours. Of this we have spoken and will not enlarge. The or gamic relation between the Church and the Sabbath-school is becoming very loose, and increasingly so. In moat cases, the authori ties of the Church have no official connec tion with it. It is hardly entitled to the name of the child of the Church, but is left to the Managbment of an outside associa tion, which only follows an almost inevitable law of ourcommon nature, when it practical- ly accounts it an all-sufficient means of grace for children. Let the Sabbath School make a feature '0 the duty of leading children too the sarictUary and keeping them there.' Let the Pastor become, in the minds of the ;scholars, their Pastor, and to this end; let his intercourse with the school be frequent and cordial; and while there, ho should - not be set before the children as simply a Tisi tor who will "makb a few remarks," but as the Chief Superintendent ---not ex-gratisbut ex-officio such, in virtue of the close organic i relation of the School to the Church, as an institution of its own, under its care as a part of its own established means of grace. This is the Pastor's place, and in -almost every church, it needs only to be claimed and it will be cheerfully granted. Indeed we are not without apprehension that the wrong of the now prevalent abnormal state of the relation of the School to the Church, would, upon close inquiry, be found lying at the door of the Church authorities, and that many of our churches are failing of their expected gatherings from the Sabbath school, by their own act in isolating it from their official sympathy and control. Many Pastors and some Sessions we know are now awake to this matter, doing their dyty and, in fair measure reaping the fruits.' But we cannot suppress our apprehension that, on the broad scale, there has been a sad misap prehension of the duties in the case, and that, as the result, the Sabbath-school has fallen off into the - kind of management which has left our pews so empty of chil dren. It would too much prolong this article to say other things which we have in mind pertaining to this subject. We may here afterrecur to it. PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1867. DEATH OF DR. JAMES HAMILTON. 2 1iONDON, Nov. 30th; 1867 Ci l i t ar y e e h s t e t: rd he a y fu a n t e t r e a n l d e s d p r v e t t e e ß o eg f en in t y Square and former-pastor, HAMILiON, D. D. The .name--familiar almost as a 'household' word with 4.merlicanti as well aedEnglieh-' men—and dear to all to whoin - it was familiar, is in. itielf a sufficient - o,iiason for devoting ,to it this letter. So ireat and, irreparable-a.loss could not possiblkiOceur to , any church; that 'which hag jast , fallen upon the Presbyterian Church ill 'England. We had no man so well knOW - ii-LU43'Man'isci eath4ic in hiseyrapathies and associations;—,-; no man Leo respected"in other , chnrches —no man whose words - Were - of equallsweigit. Just past his , fifth decade-41n what - in': . 4llo land we are_ accustomed consider the; prune, of life- r —he, has been claimml by the: angels and carried * to Abraham?* boisom. For nearly quarter ;of a -century he has, through fill'Vicissitudes of social change,, nf' deatb• and removal, sustained in be large church at Regent Square, an , interest 'that seemedinever.to pall or die out. .To him. on their arrival ^in London, went 'the - young Scotehinen froni the - North an(f.``in hini found a brother's ,kindness with ~a father's oversight. Not a few Englishmen; spite ..of. his northern pronunciation, wee to- be found sitting and working in his-shurch—' one eminently—a :,judge of the`: Queen's Bench I scarcely know hoW to:speak of, him iwithout extravagance, for ; gratitude and affection are often apt to be wild in ex pression. I re,niember, when I first came to Loncion a stranaer drawri to his chu - rch„bY his reputation, and sirktply com mended to his care by.an American minister who was a stranger' to him, with what instant and genial frankness - he treated me odueect eto his Worliiriicon446ok inato-his =home and showed me a4ainiing a picture of sweet, loving Christian happiness and simplicity as I ever saw. I remember the impressive grace, few-worded but hearty, the humor which• beamed in his face before it left 'his lip, the delicate and ingenious facility for discovering the • topics you could talk on, and bringing you out on them. One Sunday—the first of May—when he had taken me home to dine, as he began to carve the joint before him, I remember he said with a twinkling eye, "We have a sheep, with just fifty-two legs, and he gives • us one every Sunday for a year." He loved such fancies—he had gained •the inspiration of them from the "tall folios," which, when he was but a child, were, as he told me, the companions even of his bed. I have never come in contact with a gentler nature, which had all the advantage, also of being a social and not a diffident one. With all his love and tremendous application. to books, he liked, and was the charm of society. His wide knowledge was always at his command fOr entertain ng and in structing purposes, and •for every class of mind. The little child and the philosopher were equally pleased with the lightness of his fancy or the profundity of his learning. He had' not read the " tall folios" in vain. His accurate and retentive memory, held, its mastery over their contents, and adapted them to the exigencies of composition or conversation with wonderful facility. In his congregation and in society this faculty served him well. Be seemed always to re member the slightest event that had occurred of any interest to any one he knew. Those Who were intimate with the Church could recognize, sometimes in a few sentences, that he had collected together a dozen cases of difficulty that had happened during a week. In the "lost daughter," the " son upon the deep,"—the " erring child"--and other such references, thme was always some piece of comfort wrapped up for some one in the congregation. As it was imposible to visit all his people, he made it his business to know all about them. Great were the de mands upon - his time--numeroua the calls upon his patience. Unreasonable callers in the later week annoyed him most. "Just as I have sat down and got my feathered flock of thoughts about me there comes a ring at the bell and a man or woman rushes in, and hey, presto away flies my flock and I can't catch them again." Very few could know of his industry—of the immense cor iLnovnitdaotnio-nwsi—deaa4nddyweotrbldo-wwmidui7h rht world-wide— the s e P r e°ancallsdd cor respondence, had received from America, the, interesting nc lent him once abook which I ed l letters of Dr. J. W. Alexander, published by Dr.. Hall. They were along time in big possession, and'his apology was, "I hav'n't time to read - ttienistrainht through I just kept, them for, _the : , .waking moments at night after. I was iri-bed!'.- Qf his intellectual abilities, those who best kneiv and could best offer an opinion formeci the :higliest,l'estiniate,. HO was cap bleihad opportunity turned him that. way, of being the profound , Metaphyscian; the lucid and pietniesque 'historia'n, , the able theolo gian. give indieations of all and' was besides, the accurate aud,aCCOMplished natural, Philosopher, the: man of science, the cleirer , biograPlAr, ,master_.-in the • belles: lettres, a refined'' His published bookii I speak best for him, and no doubt_ there, are mines of zlitterina wealth yet lin- - eov_ered , to the:day, which may be exhumed and - published posthumously. This is: not the time 'or place foi- Criticism of his produc tions; `in ;fact he'alWayS diaarnied The most exquisite piece of humor I ever, heard ,Vas :his- deseription at a small -tea meeting, of the summee"treat'-' , to the. Sab bath' School Children. So &lie:ate—yet so funny 7 rwith such ingeniohs and ,telling yet kindly irony- 7 -- hcrw did he picture the gt-are, Metaphysical with his arms and legs occupied - by teeming children—and his coat tails desperately tugged and tested by a band' ofamateur sailors! HOW did be re count with Virgilian exactitude the details of that wonderful expedition, . and picture ' the out-going and incoming in tenderly mitural lines! until, weak from laughter and 811c:outings, he left us wishing'ho would never end. But all this—and much more, how much:.' more the world can never know—was last' Sunday, tAlenced and snatched away into un known dimness—beyond echo Dr whislier-- endthe casket of it was yesterday hidden in the tomb: -1 0 e service took piece 4t. Regent Square Church at - eleven o'clock irr the morning. The galleries had been draped in black, but it is imposible to make that church look uncheerful. The centre part was left for mourners and the clergy of London who attended in large numbers. The rest was occupied by the congregation and many other friends decently attired in black. On every face the deepest sorrow and solemnity were visible. The coffin was brought in covered by a pall upon which was laid a large wreath of evergreen and flowers—the flowers he loved so well—could name so readily, and descant upon with such beauty : •the evergreen that emblematized his own immortality. The service was con ducted by Professor Lorimer of the English Presbyterian College, Dr. Ktng,.the eminent United Presbyteria - n Minister, and Dr. William Chalmers, his quondam college mate. Thelatter's address was a model of simple good taste and sincere grief. In the course of the proceedings, the following• hymn was sung. Shortly. before he died, with his family around .him, he asked them to sing it, and endeavored with his feeble voice to join in expressing its triumphant hopes: The sands of time are sinking, The dawn of heaven breaks , The,summor morn I sighed for, The Tair sweet morn awakes; Dark; dark hath been the midnight, But dayspring,is at hand, And glory, glory dwelleth In Immanuel's land. Oh! Christ, he is the fountain, The deep, sweet well of love; The streams of earth I've tasted, More deep I'll drink above. There to an ocean fulness His mercy deth expand, And, glory, glory Awelleth In Immanuel's land- With mercy and with judgment, My web of time He wove, And aye the dews of sorrow Were Watered with His love. I'll bless the hand that guided, I'll bless the hetirt that planned, When throned where glory dwelleth In Itumanuel's land. Ohl I am my Beloved's . And my Beloved's mine, He brings a poor vile sinner Into His "house of wine," I stand upon His merit; I know no other stand, Not even where glory dwelleth, In Immanuel's land. I need say no more—the soul that found peace and pleOuro'm the dark valley from such sentiments as those speaks out its own immortality in the silverest and most thrill ling 1701 CO. LET HIM THAT HEARETH SAY COME No less than 2,350,000 portions of the New Testament, besides many thousand Psalms were distributed at the Paris Expo- GI-en.esee7 Evangelist, No. 1126. Ministers $2.50 H. Miss. $2.00. Address:-1334 Chestnut Street. In answer: to. the request of "J" and to strike. one more bloW for the cause, we beg lea,v'e - -onee more to appear.in print. Te prorioSe that each church of our com munion; in the 'Oity, shall annually elect a fired namber delegates, - 'who shall form an Association,baving a charter and the necessary officers to carry out the following objects I.'To'proMoie the' greater usefeness of the.l4aity.. 2..T0 carry _on Mission work in the City. 3. To promote a closer intimacy between Christians of.our , yarions churches. Reader.where'cleyon. stand on this sub ject f - 71 c; you go on play the Lord bless you ?" ordo_lyou say, let us go on and the Lord. will-bless us? If you are of the last; class i let me have your name, address, a clasp - of yl:flat hand, and we will call a meet ing of our fellow Laymen and enter into the Work. Address, B. in care of this pa per. A UNION THANKSGIVING SERVICE.—The Episcopalian: gives a, very interesting report ot• a =Union 'Thanksgiving Service, held on the evening of - Nov: 28th, in the 3d - Baptist Church; in pursuance of the following no tice - IJiDfir- TitANKsoivrivc &tarter. —The Congrega tion of the First Presbyterian Church, Southwark, that of the Gloria Dei (Old Swede's), and the Trin ity in Catharine street, will unite in the 'Phird Bap tist Church in Second above Catharine, this evening at 7i O'clock. Addresses will be made by Rev. Mr. Culver of the Presbyterian'Church, Rev. J. Sanders Reed, of Gloria "Dei, and Reir.'A. Myers of the Trin ity Church. All cordially invited. Our contemporary Bays: At the appointed hoar the services began, by singing and a prayer by Rev. J. S. Reed of the Gloria Dei, (Old Swede's) Church, in whiclr implored the out-pouring of the Holy GhoSt 'upon' the ministers and people, who had.joined to give thanks on this occasion i" " and• especially anoint the pastor of this ,Chureht„with the_..lll4aly,,Ahoskthat_ the words he may here utter, may be made elteetritil to the salvation of Mem" The rector, the Rev. Mr. Pe ters, in introducing the pastor of a neighboring Presbyterian Church, Rev. Mr. Culver, said, " meet you all as brethren, and present a brother who will address you." Mr. Culver took for his, subject "the goodness of God," and showed how that good ness has followed us in numerous ways, filling our hearts with foOd and gladness, and that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that the Saviour is the procuring cause of all the blessings' that we enjoy, while every good thought, and word and action in us is from the Spirit. . . Then Rev. Mr. Reed spoke of great mercies, little mercies, and bitter mercies; the great mercies some times acknowledged, the little ones overlooked, though numerous as the sands on the sea shore; and the bitter onee are not received as such, though so intended and sent. Christ was again set forth, and His Spirit the Comforter preached. Rev. Mr. Myers, who for some months has tem porarily filled the pulpit of Trinity (P. E.) Church, called all "brethren" and "friends," in the unity of the Holy Catholic. Church. He said it was plea sant thus to get, away fiom the narrow boundaries of our own Church. Many in imitation of an ancient custom in the Jewish "Church, had that day sent "portions" to friends and to the needy. He was succeeded by the pastor of the Church, who in a few words told that 'while preparing -in his study for this day, it occurred to him that a union of the churches in his neighborhood would be agree able, and calling upon the clergymen, they were not only apparently willing, but pleased to join. He told of the cordial - welconie he had received twelve years ago from the late Dr. Clay, then, pastor of Gloria Dei Church, and how he had often gone to.hear him preach; -the same from the Presbyte rian pastor near, how in his affliction, members of Trinity Episcopal Church bad been the first to en ter his door"with their love and sympathies. • This is an - item of riews r .of interest; no doubt to many who are watching thp.iproVess of those in our Church who wisll b tlfenisabilities of non-Episcopal intercourse removed. In this pleasing , instance pe culiar denominational tenets and claims were not brought forward. All united in worshipping the Triune God with great delight and full enjoyment. The house was filled by an attentive and much in terested congregation. The prospect is that in the matter of interdenominational fellowship, no law will be needed here, each one becoming a law unto himself, and in the city of Brotherly Love no notice but a God-speed will be taken of it by those who have authority. • A SAD BEREAVEMENT. — The Evangelist of last week thus announces an event of the saddest character, as befalling a brother just entering upon his ministerial career. May he, by gracious assistance, find it good to bear the yoke in his youth: ' "It is with very great sadness that we learn of the sudden death of the wife of Rev. Henry M. Booth, of Englewood, New Jersey. She was a daughter of Rev. Dr. Newell, of this city. It is but three or four months since she followed her mother to the grave, and but three weeks since she was united in marriage to the youthful pastor of Englewood. Beautiful in person, a's she was lovely in disposition and in manners, she seemed formed for happiness. Yet so soon is the light of that dwelling extin guished. To her young husband it is a terrible blow, while to her father, recently bowed with his own great loss and suffering from severe and it is feared dangerous ill ness, it must come with crushing effect. May the God of all consolation be with them in this dark hour!" M)ELPHOS ;LAYMAN'S CALL.
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