`AptEtitait ErsislOitian. THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1868 FIRST MONDAY OF THE YEAR. In accordance with appointment of the Gen eral Assembly, a Union meeting for Prayer for the conversion of the world, will be held in Piue St. Church, Monday morning, at 11 o'clock. Addresses will be made by Rev. Messrs. Allen, March and Mitchell. 01',1N,WFM 1 7:UM Y AMITT ' ` The two meetings held last Sabbath evening, in behalf of our Assembly's Committee on. Home Missions, at Clinton St. and North Broad St. Churches were successful beyond the most sanguine es.peetations the:projectors. The audiences were very large, the addvsses earnest and able, and the impressions made were: such as must prove instructive = _ and permanent. Bus iness men in the Church especially, mnst,have been aided to better conceptions of theproblem which they are helping to make more grave by their enterprise, and which they must help to solve 'by their money and their prayers WEEK,OF PRAYER. The Programme .already published, has . been approved by the Pastoral Askicintion, as fol:oivs. The hour of holding the Meetings during the week will, we suppose, as usual, be 4 o'clock, P.M. Sunday, January 4th, 1863, subject=" The Time for Repentance, for Prayer, &c.' Monday, at Clinton St. Presbytefian auk. h, subject— " Union Among Christians," ite.• Tuesday, at Broads and Arch St, Bayist church, subject-t " at trome and Abroad." Wednesday,: West• Spruce Preskyterian ,ql:infch, subject— " The Otit-ponrino: of the Italy Spirit." Thurs day, Spring Gard'en Methodist Episcopal church,. subject—" Thorough Christian Consecration." Friday, Dr. Wylie's, church, subject- , --" For Na, dons," &e. Satui:day, Church of the Epiphany, subject—" Families and: Childrdn i Schuo's," &c. sear All the Ministers and Elders within the bounds of the several Presbyteries. of Hunting dah, Northumberland, Carlisle, Harrisburg; and Big Spring are invited to meet in Convention in the First Presbyterian Church of Harrisburg, Pa., on Tuesday the 14th day of January, 1868, at seven o'clock, P. M., for the purpose of Con sultation and Prayer, in regard to the desirable ness of Presbyterian Union and the best means of piomoting it, and theiiiiigiving efficiency to the cause of Christ within our ,bounds., .; (Signed), THOMAS CREIGU, I. -N. HAYS, W. G. RiEll, C. P. WINO, JOHN B. HALL. The Ministers and EldetS of the two Presby, terian Churches in Harrisburg , extend a cordial invitation •t) the parties ab.ive designated, and ask theU:i to send in their names without delay, so that arrange:nents may be made for their en'' 7 '' tertainment. NEW YORK Cirv.—The collection on Sabbath in Dr. Adams' Church, for the Chureli.Erection fund, was $4 700, which with contributions to be made by absentees, will amount to over $5OOO. There had been $2OOO previously contributed toward the fund, making a total, thus far, of $7OOO contributed bythe Madison Square CAuleh. This is more by $2OOO than this Cliurch gave last year. There was to be a devotional Union meeting of New and 0. S. Presbyterians and the lateße formed Dut h, Tuesday evening,'-in Dr. Adam's _ Church. •". ' Dr. Duryea was installed last Thursday eve ning, pastor al the Classon4v: Church. ThVser mon was preached by the Rev. Thomas Hastings. of New York. Dr:Booth was to have preached the sermon, but was prevented by an ancident. The text was " the truth as it is in Jesus.". The charge to the pastor was given by Rev. Dr. Rob inson. He referred to the fact that this new Church had a pastor who had refused calls front Boston and San Francisco. Rev. Theodore L. Guy ... ler delivered the charge to the people, and among the practicalhints thrb . wn - cuewere the following: They ought to come rainy and stormy Sundays without fail. They should always tell their pus- tor when he preached a sermon which suited them. They should' never keep their pastor waiting in the parlor,when he called., lookino• over photograph:albums and consuming his pre cious time. And they shOuld n t send tq, everybody who had an axe to grind., REV G. L. FOSTER, formerly of Michigan, af ter a sojourn in Connecticut of two years, has returned to , l4ichigau,.and accepted a call to the Presbyterian church of 13owe11. Tic will be cordially 'Welcomed by both the Presbytery and the li,yned with,. whom 'he his been long connec ted. THE ,ANNTIA.L. CONTRIBUTION for Foreign Missions, has just been completed in Clinton St. Church, amounting to V 734 82. They also made their usual Christmas gift of $lOOO to their ex cellent pastor, Dr. March. • LOMBARD ST. CENTRAL CHURCH cleared over .by their recent Fair. REV. SAMUEL J. MoCintounti for more than twenty-five years the minister of the Presbyterian church of Tioga, Pa., was last week stricken down with paralysis, and died without returning consciousness. His funeral wits attended at Tiog.t on Sabbath, December 22nd, and sermon .preacht d by Rev. James F. Calkins, of. Wellorough. Pa. A Prince has fallen in Israel. • N. THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1868. REVIEW OP 1887. THE HEATHEN WORLD. Looking first at the work of evangelization among the heathen, the ratio of progress has been perhaps equal to that of this century of wonderful achieve ments. The marks by which such progress ia al ways to be graded are, the enlargement of the in terest and practical sympathy of Christians in the cause of human salvation at large, the opening .of new mission fields, the reinforcement of existing missions, the rise of mission churches to ths self supporting standard, the bringing of heathen into personal contact with the Bible, by means of new translations and more abundant issues of the,press, the development of the spirit of candid inquiry, na tive pastorates, spiritual conversions, aad last, but in these days not least, the preservation, on mission fields, of a spiritual' and soul-saying, Christianity from those substitutions of mere pompous ,formal ism, so attractive to those who ..vv.e.re ,bred,to,,the gorgeousness of idolatrous, worship, hut so emptyof the spirit anti life. In.eaeh of these particulars-we believe the year to have.been.oneof-progress, , —in some of them, it is true but limited, but in others very,decided. Ouryeadereceemot have failed.to,na-; dee in our weekly accounts, fqc.liblaFto„as:the fol lowing: ry Heathenism has exhi.bited ittosnalobdiliacy, but the points where it ivveving l away before the la bors of evangeljcal-missi"t tkage atatlierincreasedk both in nurribet antllnterest - e*.sylediely . , the abode of about•far hundred millions of people, the prospects of Christianity have advanced in a ratio exceedillgiallAPple.l,The rirreiiing,Of thither vest is far EIA force" for gath'eflng °Abe ground, and should matters progess,fit.it..444-#4 ( tbr,e;terrailiert'.timelt 4 O conboarulsOwinild scarce ly be set to the number of missionaries for whom urgent calls are : ristriAispjrom.tl4;Fielt*le them selves. A point in the province of Shantung, about one hundred' miles. Tientsin,-lias been , the scene of a wonderful revival, rising tipontarkeously in_ the midst` of pOptilation..'At angtherr Dr. Xeclay-anzeilinceeprOfesslona tcl4hesuilnittL4 twenty-eight in one.day,,,.,Tlle missions of tbe,Spotch, h i Churcn India arezrecetving-tle-hehefit or an •offr-- cial visit . - Dr.,N , grinin t *Lee& ly„ho; lejt,fpr, that purpose in'l4 - ovember. Dr: Diir of the Free Church, the veteran ofillniettibutta mission, has commenced his leetures in the chair of Evangelistic Theology with , special referenee,to ma - ring xoutig men'.-for •rnii3sicintirYlvorl4. - iri. the Crolle t ge \Of tint church. AsAnindian vma (oculiqytign*an ce, it may be stated 'tlitti ht a - late - Jnigernatit - grand festival, men could be-gatkei,e4„totstartibut one car of the god, and tbaebut L fa 'shcrittifiiitance. But few pesple mere collectekanci eqtAtisilismuslas next to nathing. The WesUyin missions in South Africa report met tliitii . .:fifelhoXikkildr6imverts at Cape Colony aqdginlOaff - rs.Lindlltiivlte London Societrs . Missinp in Madag e spar, there. .is, plmering increase on Binds: Phi iriativeVall6 makin9iin e:n - precedtect efforts.for the spread:of the Gospel,_ the Chief Secretary or Slate, among .the number. We `take it for granted_ that our readers perused.our-con. densation l of the-laet ;Repoct-of:otir American Enarfl, It sPitilteof`our on'thelieaflien Melds oecutiietf bY it, as in a- few : instances,,like-thatpf ilie•caboon Mission, disheartening, in certain cases, as in ,the Pacific, attended with Much interest,' and in 'the' main onward. There itviiso, gratifying improvement in the prospect Of ituipplijitt :for Ahe'great want of missionary force. l even of our lryeskerp eges i that at - Galesburg conetneilthis among theliumber, report twenty=fiveatildenta'aelfedeseciated to the work. The same is said of one-half of the . lait graduating class at Princetonthe Seminary we suppose. Oh this sUbje'et it iat noteworthy that, in this country, the contributions of the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches to Foreign Missions are alnioat amount' of those of 0,1,11 A 'Other NOItIINAL CIIRMT!AN WOSLD ,Contracting.the field for review to those parts of the world, outside of ,our - oWn conntry, which bear, thenanne of Christian lands, we are 'brought into' the 'presence of the forces now chief rn en Lavin hsin, to vital religion. -. .lttinianistn_has achieVed nothing ,in the way of aggression.* In the iffiiira , of, the. Papacy, tmorehere hasTbee than the lanai: stir . : indeed the year ,has been to the Romish.Church one: of 'there intense excitement than any former one 'Since the accession of tite r ptes . enVontiff. But the whale struggle has been One of aim f-Preserva ti on indeed, 'so &rift's affects those ,Papal .preroga-; , iives wh iCh have hitherto been its tower Plarengtb,l the all-absorbing strife has been to put off the doom.. of utter extinction. T this l point, 11.4 ,no ,further, It has beep Sne,cesaftiti butteileeestifuk_atlt what a price? The temporal power of the Papacy, brought by the events of the - feiv previous - years Within the last milestone 'on 'the road' to' annihilation, has, -through the recent ,Garibaidian invasion,. parted _with the last,shred of independence. There,will be no dispute, when :we speak of the so-called +saviour, of the Papal, throne , as the most unsernpulons,sov ereign in theci vi Hied world .; the Most unreliable for support,.most false to engagements, and most readylo turn every influence which he acquires into the channel of his own ambition. Pio Nino, in his extremity, Oared! thehaltee,around neck, and gave the end of it into the hand of this man t and ' , there it: is held.. The tern.pciral, poitOn ryas saved in name billy: through its Surrender in fact. The Garibaldian enterprise 'was a virtual failure only to this point, thatthe wholeness of the,ltalian kingdom - Was - riot achieved, Romanism as a religion's Systein; 'has suffered about the usual. amount of aggressive .influences: Perhaps, if the truth must be told, the moat active of these have.-not had their, source' in 'evangelical fThristianity, but consist of revolt from the Papacy_ as a political despotism. The radical element . of freed.ltaly dreads it as"the seed of a future back ward revolution, and, continues deal' upon it un sparing blows. In AustriaMmtirimit'of recent de feat and dismembership turns the attention of peo ple to the higher energy of PrOtestant civilization ; and whiletheß , eiclisrathomponraged , krthe-,Ring., and people,ignore's and annuls impertant proviiions of the outrageoua, concordat of. 1055, which:made the pope a virtual partner of the imperial throne. (see for example - the late , recognition of civil mar , riages), the faith of the people in the spiritual effi cacy of priestly _administration begins to wane. In Mexico, the • higheit Church influences had been successfully invoiced in behalf of foreign usurpation, and,.aa was natural, that, Cnurch is now stammer- . ing under the' bIOW Wmp hich' _brought the eire to the dust, find . Maximilian to an untimely end. But.. the evangelical missions have- taken uo fnean part in these encroachments upon the spiritual power of Rome. In Austria, it is true that little of systematic effort:has: beem performed. 'But the Bibles distributed to soldiers are there, and in stances of the saving power of the word have been recorded; In , Italy; the 'activity of Protestant Mis sionii and especially of the pre-existing Protestant -churches has, continued to save many From making the transition - from Romanism to:ntter godlessness. The American and Foreign Christian Union has strengthened its force of evangelists, col porteure, and Bible readers,. and fr m many points they have sent up reports of inquiry for truth, and revivals of reli gion frequently embarrassed • by. the violence of the priesthood but not often overborne. In some cases, as for example i u Verona and Guastalla, the intense ly Romish population has successfully created ' a, sufficient disturbance to require the intervention Of military foree. !Ate goVernment has generally inter posed efficientlyito protect Protestantteachers. The Waldensians, with their headquarters at the capital, have somewhat increased the number and member ship of their churches, and the school system, under evangelical auspices, has gained considerably in ex tent and public favor. The events of the year May be c onsidered as havinrcomirleted the accessibility of Mexico to evangelical effort., A sad loss has been experienced in the di'iath of one of its heroic Christian laborers, Mr. , but the place vaca ted was promptly filled. Miss Rankin's effort to secure a permanent footing fol". Biblical Christianity in Monterey ; as .ta Tadiatiow n point for the. Gulf States, has become a success. At important points in South America, the . prOgreas of. Christianity hoe been such as to thoroughly arouse the priesthood.: A Santiago date of September sth . , says: that within a month three zie*spapetshitfiebe'eliistablished tor the express purpose of opposing Protestantism. Rev. Pr. Trumbull has re-occupied Valparaiso. In Buenos.Ayres, a ~.second.pj. a ce of worshir for the Spanish inhabitants has been Opened, and Sunday Schools are becoming eitabliShedih all parts of the country. • The SuperintendentrofßubliOnstructicui lends influence .to-theeffiirt. .- • ]befOrecloing. our notice of, the Papacy, mention, should be mtide of the imposing i'sdemblage' Peter's Church la,strunwiner for the celebrtioncpf the eighteeh:ilitindredth fiOni4teitty,clflibe ipaity'r- Idom of'St.. Peter, which was made the occasion for the canonization of twenty-five Vitt* Tiefoich;. and Spanish .martyrs- km:Japan,. - Ablaut •four. hundred . Bishops from All parts of the.world dance, And the account Says thittlewhole Concourse, ilwithin` [and around?] the "elitirch - titin 4 . lberid:o 'hundred thousand- persons. A idinifidatit featiiie of, the affair was i the failuretotanattemptto concoct an episcopal address to the Supreme Pontiff on• the cenditiiirf tuirreciiiii:ements of Chris - tenc:int. The views ,of the tiltramOntahe and 'the ProgreSiiv n e , Bishops;were.:intatiableloPrecoriciliation,And - -fibt6 ' Ing could be agreed upon. Thus the uttignicetit demonetratiMi cane to this praCtiCAl result: that the vaunted•qtomish..unity,l-when :.brought • to• the tek, even, in the very n presence,,of. the tiara,,,tivasas tow in the !In behalfsoft_thurnhafdoinalbite, thiL`MiStnisli , there has been, in some quarters, more than. the 4.14 nal -I 'kin du fit 3 4 11 bleis i i s ig, '; attend ih I: eViiiigelizing; elbrts. In Greece th&.two nat'i've, but.; Atherit'an e nested missionaqes, ralßotha‘.aud v constan,„ line; ht(ve, tiAleth well mti.. anS4II3O-MlielhAen griitiswi by the Cretan refugees, to whom they . have admin istered: rucj i iiiff,ve,th'e inylitibif oft tiikicillititlitik Commission Turing the war; fiir bptiii)ody and soul: 'here servicee have increased` the respect of the,na lion for thetnelves personally and also their work, nud i rnayihecome the entering Wedge for eiran:4 gelization in the, slang whieltis,now,.„he „scene of strife. In tie:More strictly Greek work, the only special thing for record is the brinking . of the: - 'SillY= b.ith School system , into ttetiVitY; with the'prosicTect of its becoming one of the most important advances toward orradjaapxel iliousr,k4foknlitjont ;' . . i , ? ' 1 . i t.,, 4 ' i lif Among the Aimeduinetiri Mr - Anil - 1 Ainalarlifsdme other parts, of the Turli.isli_ domiAions„we believe the achievefneritsVochet'ieliiii =if ' vireqhaVrOo m , -1& spread them out, would be. fouryt -to cover every pVnt of progress named above, excepting. only the wrk of transl ation and that is' discontinued only becauSe.it is sufficiently complete for' nil :present purposes.. The:.-tiistern Turkey mission, .counting in the last business year , of the Atneriran Boni* 'ma been reitifbrced by A net increaseof aboutthirty: laborers, from this country. . It has organized-eleven new churches, settled: twenty-two - native pastors, swelled the force or its native laborers to nine hull-. dred and, twenty-eight and recejved to its churches upwards of fourteen lundred new members. This, we believe,constitutes-a b -a.re4 ter Per centage of-ad dition th an could be footed u_p by the whole Anieri --Can Chura. Five , jittll chlircheelpre,nientioned, whose aggreg teMehibershydoesloriotte fed fi ve hundred, w akitkeir upot tlferasfrflf . t s sup port of thei r h% ii.eligious and educate 1 nstitu- Lions, a b riti,in Sdilition the Asppgrt., of se v I zIA :men s in thVlieologicafgebiik3irryv . The_peop i ~ wh0m..142,—e acts, of self-consecration come, pay . pi the goy** m en t atid.theit llindlords itev en t wen ties of their income, and hare voluntarily pledged one tenth, of the remainder to, tkCcanee of Christ. Is not this also jm if,drawitu(M4.thev9ll*94j . kity ~ 61,1:eur 'ccittn tryk 7' iivi:- ' ' 4 l .- '. .4 l' • -' . ! :-:" ;';',', 7! . .4." . ::;.: - Weatbrn AMa - lonerertett large atkaliadisMO the Christian community, larger andiennen;whea+ tt he gospel, in,ione idsiance , eigh4etribundred attending a concert for prayilr,i§igtitradditiOns totltekliturches at one station, slid f6.4•at:•itnot•her.,...i. t ..The erection of the Bible House at Constantinople, though not a .comp'Pett4 prOjecf,.maY InAtever be regarded as one of - the fixed Nets : Oldie year. Its importance, not only lts a radiating point for light among the Armenian Christians, but for the vastly , wider-zbrculation: Of the Word of 'Life itilieb"the'KeV Arabic translation shallreolie froiii'''the press, can not be over,patiinated,„ .4 o.t.,is, v t t lierrtameieen issued from= Nihitantinople t 'dtiAng - the year, more than thirty thousand,copes,of thelloly Scriptures, the holy chiefly for reading by Armenians. In conneetionlew#lo4l iti part of the world, it is .worthy of 'doteWM - the international exchange of royal-visits,- which in Europe - formed the feature` of 'tote 1 ast.stun tiler, _was anade_the -occasion•ofsecuPing from the Sults+,4i,p,visitetil .Fcaneeltrui.aoglandc a pled , rair,d,rjtfiel4OftleAlifd.lirAlllignt tttf Sre MO Hants Of VI e "al e"ffti Co iN ea' r illigionild" - Fir'inelioli of. Protestant couxectrs ,trmttooxiiresiiop . ,), - ,te Greek 'and Armenian -ati th orities.` 'le t',l,rue"ft ras eon +ersationally.,givenn.kut,.alh!4circumstances of the case are In.talitidicipoittke dpbn him afcewArnpres sion of the solemn ity orbitareaty -en gaie gifpisraZad the expectation ofxs:Wern men ts that tlyei*ill Ite•Oli served. I :Theiiiioial fit/hi ihiti. 4 ipliimatic L circle V 1 the Br itish,-,representative r 71S ir He infaill w e tt, whose effditi for "the - ,enccircement of illetreityAwe ..... about egnivaFelit to th,o'sel of "Mpnroe tortt4.&4prtifec , lion of citizens, of NewOrleauS fm-urn rebel 'outrages. rand the substitution of-a•minister, who; tO'nsity. the least, is not.a.opsert-foeto,the work , of-svangeliza-r tion, is-no inconsiderable event in the proSiSedfs . Or . . religion wit ht it that domihion.. ' ', ~. PReTzernwiterisauctx THE.; cowm - r.N.k; Coming down - to the Protestant Churches. •of:It a continentot Europe , we find eVangelismeatill in con flict with rationalistic error.' ..But prfx Ut bitenVnt of the antagonism-has not come . , 44110, .of thejorp vious y ear, _and:the. ponds...for_ observß tinu_are ,fe.w.er and seemingly less important. So far as we have seen, the - cansistory of - the National Reformed . Church in Paris has continued to. be Sustained by the go vernment, in its:action.. in retiring.ithe M. Paschoud, from — the pastorate, and ruSw.: enjoys evangelical pulpit ministrations. In one couiftrywat least, tle , ,relaxing of the bigotry of a State religion is a feature of the year. The pulpits of the Reformed Dutch Church of,ll.olland- which:4since - the year 1619. had been closed against all niinistera not of the establishment, are: now opened to those of all the ac credited Protestant denominations. The Sabbath School mark in Germany has been enlarged,'and not alone by its training of future 'evangelicals, but by its reflex influence upon teachers, parents, and the less bigoted Lutheran clergy, is becoming one of the most hopeful, vitalizing influences, upon the cold, formal religion of the country. The English Baptists have, for a few years past, made Sweden a missionary field. They report conversions as weekly occurrences, and an aggregate addition to their churches of eight hundred and eighty-six members during the year. Before leaving thq continent, the great,.excitement of the season, t4e'kParis - I,,x 4 positionivith -itg assem blage oLroy,alty : arid nobility; and almost -literal -ga thering of the nations; mustbe mentioned. - It Avas a sublime idea to .congest that, ground with Satan, and amid the follies and vices of all grades, and to be expected in all classes, from the elite to the scum of society, to make a bold stroke for religion. It was the glory of the American and English departments of the exhibition, that notwithstanding the official opposition "against closing up on the Sabbath, they carried their point, and made their silent space on the holy day a mute reproach to the crowd, so thoughtless of God and his sovereign authority. The opening of a , Hall for the distribution of the Holy Scriptures in the languages of the various peoples as sembled, and also evangelical books and tracts, was a plan of Christian activity, which was carried out , with extraordinary success to the last. As the exhi bition drew near its close, the visits to this place be came a perfect rush .. The Bible entire, or portions thereof, and tracts,'Were seized with an avidity which defies description. One account says that - Per-. sons of every character:rank and degree of intellec tual cultnre, magistrates, literary and commercial, men, artisans, police officers, soldiers and Others,'have asked with eagernesh for the; sacred voltine, and ; thousands were, seen. in thelitiTtiays and else*here, reading it with _apparently `profound, interest. The copies:of the Nei/ Testament distributed are_reported to have reachnd theielmoskincredible number-of two millien and three hundred thousand.. In the early part of the year it was supposed - that war in Europe would c brealc- , meeting of the' EvangelicalfAlliance ih. Anisterdamz; but the unexpectedly sudden termination of the con test, opened the'way for that - grind assemblage of the representativesof "•Protestant 'Christendom). - The Alliance met on the 17th •of August - and'continried sessionslien days: , A Holland Bal.; n occupied the chair, and among the active riieintiers wereTholuelt,. Preesenits-,) Ml(+` sh;- , Coheii Ste:wart, I-Lange:Kin* macher, Guthrie, 5..„ I. Prime, the, missionaries tin, of Codstaittinople,' and' Greene, of . BroOsa, 'arid Rev. Steane,' of London." . Lord RadstOck, of the- Plymouth 'Brethren `'with others of, his fraternity; were on hand, and .stifildikhat diatingurshed them selves by side-work;and.,vitli some effect, among the masses ,of, Apasterdarif' . .Arran,gemenp hereafter, be perfected - *de laid but for feileratingflie l Alliance somewhat after.the model of the potitical federation of the States of our I.Tuiom.-. : At,present it consists of 'separate' branches without any trunk, and is conse quently without facilities for rapid effort in emergen , cies. The plait will -result in a , general' int i ern ational :.committeeOrllich will - actrn only es occasions, of co mon.interest local Plans` opera.i 7 tions to the local Branch. , Branch is' charged with "the'ditty'cir taking the five in Matters of general importance: ''the Meeting was a deliglafur one; - harmonious in'aiscuasion, ;and Particularly inteiT'sting fronii all countriesAmbest.accounts of the conchtiori 'o e f gion, and'especially the perils, the imierses and the advances of the 'Protestant faith. , ct - REA 4 Nhn'Erigfand ivetOntibue to hear of the , pres Sure. upon the Established Church from the i twe l opposing forces of skepticism end Roman formaliarn, both of : _ havetlius'far-proved defiant of ,discipline, and. are more hopeless sof 'Correction. .Colenso, under the wing of the - PrivytOuneil, still, holds the legal title, and enjoys iherevenues.of Bishop of Natal, is, cede-. siaStically deposed; and in the diocese itself, two ,, thirds of the i clergy_and almost all the laitytrecognize' ..Bishop Butler, the appointed successor;,aa 'ce.611, 1 recerttly , quoted from tv Speech of-t Lor d the declaration that heresies had gYotvii' up -in the, bosom of , the Church - which, unchecked; would leave her a deadTcorpseluPon thetice'of the earth, and that of late Neology.hadbecothe itronger withirilit - than And yet this' is only' the upper mill-stone. The 'nether one of Bit** gives at present much sharper trolibles. -We are sick of recording the effeminacy-of Episcopal authoritY in efforts',lo suppress Popish rites, the mere brutum' fulmen, to'use-no More discreditable term, • of Pan- Anglican Councils ,and gcclesi m tical CoMmiasions, and the - growilfg"rinnbeis iincl audacity of Bishops and Clergy who: are apostates in fact, ihough desti-. tuteOf the common hbnesty to become such in form'. Once in a while, a manly protest comes forth—such an one as was lately enacted in the parish church of Bridgeport, when, under an insufferable Romish ser mon by thg filioceStili,:thrßishOP of Ballibility, the Rector and thirty-four wardens rose and walked out. But such demonstrations have become powerless, ex cept for moral effect, and the moral sensibility of the establishment ~is.,fast- passing beyondreach.,-The; year' hasfabounled with illustrative. inbitlents,--in eluding parliamentary and ecclesiastical movements, which by courtesy are called action. We have a page of notes, but the whole case is, becoming too hopeless to-render them Worth the room required for detail. The passage of the New Reform Bill; which:came to its final vote in the House of Lords on the I2th of August, promises to be, an event.. in the, religious aspects of the kingdonm. - The opening of suffrage to so large a constituency, whose sympathies have not. generally' taken an aristocrat leaning, Will be likely to hasten the much-to-be-tiesired release of the Church from its State connection ; but whether the tendency of things will then be in the evangelical or John Stpart-Mi l l octeepf.iirelsolerrin problems 'Of the fu't'ure. In Scotland the much agitated question of the union of the non-endowed Presbyterian Churches, may be regarded . as_yirtually, thonghlnot yet form ally, SettWd. - To the fast it meets the opposition of the-eminentdivines, - Drs. Begg; Forbes, Gibson and Horatius Boom., iti eachl - 16f the .ntgOtiating church‘srthervoicehr unieirbore-Atovn all disent• In the AsieniblY. ot the Free Church, the -question was carried three tozonepin the United Wesbyterian Synod, generally. regarded as embracingrr,the most liberal element, by a . ittote of 389' against 39; While in that of the Reformed'Synod; it was unanimous. In Ireland 'the agitation Of the Regium Do, question has continued. -It is pretty well understood that the State patronage now accorded to the, Epis copal and Presbyterian Churches, will either be en-, tirely withdrawn, or the Roman Catholic College and Church will be brought in- for a participation: A very able and influential portion of the Protestant churches, including Professor McCosh, strongly urge the former 'alternative; the latter seems to prevail with the numbers., is not, surprising that good Protestants, even at the sacrifice of royal support, should deniur at any additional outlay of govern ment-patronage for such a•political.pest as - a' Romish establishment, when it is remembered 'that £lOOO ger day is the estimated amount of government favor which, in? one way and another 18 110 W enjoyed by that Church in the United King d om'. BELI6IION IN ABILEIhei. In. cniioWn coUritry — ',`tlielYear *Si ushered in with 'the songs of salvation. :In many parts of the Coun try, the revivals of the last winter had already corn menced. The influence was widened by the services of the Week of , Prsyer - which was !„bbserved to a greater extent thin ever before, and amid stronger manifestations of. Gtx'l'sisaving power. From that:time the tidings'of_revivals came in withincrease cl.rapidi ty, and the. rel igions press-was" almost literally flotided with incidents illustrative of their depth and power. Almost all the evangelical denominations participa ted, and on m zny fields worked together, carrying their meetings from church to Church, the watchmen literally lifting up the voice together: Still-the fact is not to be disguised, - that this work was not after all as extensive as one, 'standing at'some central point and hearing the reports as they were sent forward with shouting, would beled to suppose. We heard, of course,-only of the fleeces wet - with, those precious dews; , not of the nurriberSvhich remained,,compara tively dry, and,which ; .compared 'lwith the, former, were probably five to one:, and perhaps even double that proportiort.,—Yet- it was td Zion a remarkable season of victory and thanksgiving. The narrative of the General Assembly of last May, reported one hun dred and eighty-one revivals as having occurred in our own churches, and we suppose that some of the other churches, the Methodists especially, could have reported considerably higher figures. Their papers report a _gain to the church during the year, of up wards of one hundred and thirteen thousand mem bers and probationers. It must, however, be remem bered that these last are exceedingly uncertain ele ments, arid that the figures which include them make the comparison' with other churches more favorable than, the. facts will justify. Later in the season the well-known Evangelist, Rev. A. B. Earle, listened to an earnest call from the Pacific coast, to give them a few months 15f labor. Most of the denominations received him with open arms, the ministers -working earnestly ivith him. Churehes and halls were thronged, and the'deep work of grace, which had' peen prayed' for in advance of his 'coming; e n sued. The blessing in Safi Francisco was Jorge 'sticli as was a - marl/el in' the history of that occident of our republic. - The same was true of other daliforriig, tom's, San Josei for example, counting sixtYieigh l t new converts; L'etalunia , one hundred and twenty:five, and Maryville to three hundred. The total:Of cithirplaions in` `the Regions is put at X5OOO . inclriding many men' in the most influential sta- Aibto Of society! In the matters; of generalchurch prosperity, we believe all evangelical , branches of the Church feel that the year ha.s.beenz.gpe opgrowth and improve ment,. If with any, i the t rgyjew of, the year should be Unsitti.sfactoy,"it prOalgy - be with the Lll- Itterans, former,the per ection of a 'hew , Nationar' otaniiition by the, Old - - Lutheran Saeramentsilr party, ha 'given perma nenei to the disruption begun'two ''years ,since, and the hope of reconciliation is for the present gone, The Old Lutherans having cut their fastenings to the evangelical wing of, their Chtfrch, are drifting into the current of ritualism, and will probably reproduce upon our soil the stiff and 'cold .Lutheranism olthe "Father Land." - • The Episcopal Church is deeper than .over in the struggle between vital godliness with the generous spirit of fraternity which is its accompaniment, on the one•hand,' , arid the religion - of 'tubfun and sacra mental grace on the other. The-chief development of the year, is, the hopeful and witele.somei spirit of the evangelicals that portion of them .at least who 'belie resolved to stand fast in the, liberty wherewith Christ hath made theriifiee, ands What is.still better havewho solemn recorded this resolution. At the late'ineeting finials city "of the, benevolent societies supported 'by 'the low Chtirohnibn,' a-pOrtion Of the clergy, headed by two venerable. Bishops, Came into the great Presbyterian Convention. to express their fellowship. „Returning to their own place.olmeeting resolutions w,ere_adopted.declaring their, purpose to claim the right of fraternizing ininisteriallywithother .evangelical 'denoininitiOhs, tp . 'preach wherever and 'whenever they find peoPle waiting for the Word, and to atriArefor such a Modification' of the Liturgy as would:place the doctrine of a spiritual, aside and dis tinct from that of a formal regeneration, beyond the pale Of dpubt.;'Soon after, a . nori-epiSeciliallY ordained minister, invited by the rector, pivached to a throng ed audience in one of the most'' important Episcopal churches in .this city. The New York diocese is agi a:ted by the impending trial ; of the younger Tyng, or preaching in a Methodist church, which ¶ appened "to, be Within the'gebOpliical 'Thrifts of another Ree to'r'S parish. The 'trial apOiite'd for the 10th of the present mein& and,-.as it is the first of the kind, its bearing upon'the fihal course-of both parties will probably be, considerable. Meantime.the. Ritualists are pusbing the,plan oficuttiug up the Church into small "dioceses, the, final. object .being, of course, a Provindial systemmith an order of Archbishops. The question of the l rt,timerical strength of parties is not easily ascertained) long as large numbers of Bish ,ops and Clerrggy> maintain their present vacillating non-committal policy, and: c continually urging neu trality as the proper, basis .of peace. ti D l :3lVil V )1 ti EV`IV4 CiNil Aside from the inovings of the Divine Spirit in the work oftevivals, with most'of Our readers the highest religious interest of the `year' probably consist in the movements toward a Presbyterian union. The subject of the re-union of the two largest branches of the Presbyterian• Church failed to:bring down to the ,Presbyteries the full, tide_ of enthnsiasm with which it started 'from the, General li.ssernblies. The Pres byterial heti* in both branches; consequent upon that of the Assemblies, has'sWept the whole circle, from cordial approbation of the, plan of the Joint Committee,'intact to unmitigated disapproval. By far the larger number of Presbyteriei of the "other branch," call for such modification of the Plan as will make:it correspolid substantially to 'the defeated minority report of the Cincinnati Assembly. A single 0. S. Presbytery (Allegheny) openly declares for "some allowance for 'different modes of interpreta tion." Some. of the Presbyteries of our Church call for:more eiplicitriess on the subject of a liberal Cal vinism. Few 'of,• the Presbyteries of either branch speak otherwiSethan in the spirit of willingness for union on what they, would, consider a fair basis, and the number prePared to take the Plan as it is, is not small. Hope of practical r6ults, however, was ra pidly-declining, until it was revived by the lironder ful Divine effdion of fraternal feeling upon the great National Convention of all , the Presbyterian Churches of the land, held in this city last November. This is so recent, and the full account of its devotions, dis cussions,: cnssions, and action, including the unanimous adop tion of a "Bdis of Union " be •overtured to the highest judiiattories of the respective branches, was so fully given in our paper, that we need not repeat the partidulars. Since then, in several wealthy central points, ratification meetings have been held for join 4rig in the movement. Most of the few Presbyteries which 'hare since held their meeting's, have added their influence ; and it is espicially significant of a new era in. our Presbyterian history at hand, that the Reformed Presbyterian Church, the one which has heretofore been considered 'most decided against any :eccle - siastic,al . .,connection,, or even intercom munion with brethren outside the pale of the Solemn League and'Co'venant, was the one which invited the bOnvONition, and its largest Presbytery, that of PittP burg,.has since ; by a unanimous vote, ratified all its doings. One , of the remarkable things of the Conven tion was, thakthq Old School Presbyterian members, Dr. Hodge prominent among them, yielded the whole ground respecting tests of orthodoxy claimed by the New School, while, on the other band, the New School, in the vote on the Baiis, went beyond the other in laying the Calvinistic foundation, voting aye _against the others' nay, on the question of adding the Shorter Catechism to the Confession. One of the immediate effects of the Convention has been to brighten the prospect of • the re-union between the two branches now under negotiation; but to what ex tent time must determine. 4 _, .1 0 racraft-DENOXINATIONS. With the Methodists, it has been a year of unusu al stir. The occurrence of the centennial anniversary or the establishment of Methodism in this country, was wisely seized upon as an occasion fora grand ad vance in contributions for church purposes. The ef fort was started with two millions of dollars for its mark : it stopped with about seven millions reached. It must, however, be added, that this amount does not all accrue to the Church as such. - The plan for the collecticin designated no object more specific than church and educational pyrposes; and left each Con ference, Society, or even individual donor, to devote it to any point, or object which . , might fall under that general head thus thus academies institutions of learning have bnen - reared and endowed inconveni ently contiguous, and other local'enterprises started
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