®te fwstotewi ]STew Series, "Vol. V, No. 15. $3 00 By Mail. $3 50 By Carrier. 1 50cts Additional after three Months, i fmmtait Jnslnjtoteit. THURSDAY, APRIL. 9, 1868. THE WONDERFUL WEEK. There is something in the crowded action, the «üblime teachings; the ihtense passions and.broad developments oftdivine and human character,;the great transactionsahd unspeakable interests invol ved in the last week of the life of Christ, prior to his., resurrection,.that overwhelms contemplation. The sacred writer’s treat this brief period with a fulb ness whioh shows how high it' stood in their .in spired estimate. Matthew; Mark, and'John, each devote about one-third, and Luke nearly one-fifth of their entire space to this, whioh constitutes but the three hundredth part of the entire ministry of' Christ. In Robinson’s Greek Harmony It occu pies 52 out of 177 pages of text., From 1 the time when our Saviour descended the' trow of Olivet amid the plaudits., of the multitude, on what is now commemorated .as' Pafm Sunday, to his-re surrection morning, one-week afterward, we have, a succession of scents so memorable, that-the only possible good-reason for any part of Church refusing to celebrate “Holy Week”! is the insufficiency ofiany; week, or any lifetime, or anything short of eternity for a proper contemp lation and celebration of the bathe.. It beeins bc " liitling to these events to confine the 'lively rp- eullection of them to any particular period-of the year, especially if the observance of a “ Holy Week ” is'to have the effect of making -the fifty nne remaining weeks of the year the' more secu lar and common. And'it is those only, who ( try ! > bring their whole lives under the-sanctifying and elevating power of these events, who Will de rive real benefit from a season set apart for Special meditation upon them. • It is the Week of the world’s greatest enlight ::;ent upon the most solemn truths of religion.- Christ’s prophetio activity arid dignity rise to their highest pitch. Hand-in-hand with the most unrelenting exposure of the hypocrisy, of false teachers, goes the wondrous unfolding of the truth by the Great Teacher himself. He overthrows their arguments, exposes their devi ces to cntaugle him, and makes of their plots an occasion for the fullest revelation of his own ■ di vine resources, of the glorious provision which unbelief was rejecting, and of the awful fate re jecters of the Gospel were preparing for them selves. Then, as his public ministry, which .be gan with the beatitudes, draws to a close, his v.ery love and tenderness change into wrath against the guilty, incorrigible Pharisees; woes take the 1 dace of blessings, and with words such’ as never prophet uttered, and which shake every unseared conscience to its centre, ho turns frqm.the*temple and leaves it and its' hardened votaries to their Limiting himself now to tbp'cirele of Lis fol-!- lowers, lie tells tticm what that fate is l n: the midst of profound peace,*hfi foretells the most devastating war; points to the -atagaifieent' (duple, glittering in all the freshness of Herod’s costly restoration, and prophesms a complete de -truetimi; which the Jews themselves fulfilled against the express_fijglejs. of the Homan conque ror, and which Josephus, an- minutely records. But stretching far beyond the interval of forty years, hip, prophetic glance takes iu the whole history of time, and in a won drous symbol,no shows us the progress of his king-, loin, his own glorious coming had the end of the world, as.an .enlargement of, the <story of.tho end "f Jerusalem itself. Then-comes the i personal, application of the great truth tbits taught, in thrSe of our Lord’s most solemn.,'pungent parables, ad dressed severally to his ministry, to the church mid to individual members according - to. theiiy several endowments; all crowned by a full and spe cific account of the Great Day for which all other days.were iniide, with its final dispensation of re. wards and punishments and its assignpaent of the good and tho;evj\ to, their over lasting fatoL Come, yc blessed! Depart ye cursed i oNever ‘Wcre ; words uttered “by human lipt "hive;'so thrilled fhe children of men,' ’/ ’ t Another phases of .QjiriSt’s prophetic activity ' i t remained, the most inward, tender, spiritual of nil,—in which, with matchless-words; he Opens' Us heart of hearts/to liif chosen'twelve, 'consoling i heir grief, quickening spiritual faculties, i -veuliug the depths pf his qoudescension and:in tumu-y with them, addihg promises ofvju&'tdld tidiness; above all, the promrsfe of the Pdi’aclc'te, ; > be more to them than even lie had been, apd.. y"t, while lie spake, he seemed himself to'be.snb ’ ’uing into that Holy Ageut, whose.’ influences i: pon the human Spirit are as sweet- and gentle as; ■. ll dew. Bift iio f as he bond’s in his liafohlcss ;i| urc(Siory prayer, we behold the eyep-distiuyt. y'' r =oi;ali'y pfpur. Great High P(ie@t,ibeginuing on earth that office which, at the right hand of the Father, he ever liveth to execute for us. It was the Week of the most awful self-develop ment of sin. Against the Holy and Just One, the sinless Lamb of God, raged all the world’s worst passions. The grossest injustice was heaped upon the Most Just. The life of the Most True was.falsely sworn awjay,. Ignominy, scorn, con tempt, mockery were visited by the vilest upon the gentlest, noblest and most courteous of men-; scourging, laceration, and a lingering death of torture were;decTe’ed to one whose life was but a succession of matchless, miraculous,works for the good of men. He that was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor, to bind up the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and to proclaim 1 the'acceptable year of the Lord p-4) to think that he" should be. betrayed, aiid slain : by. the ; vilest of deaths, and that a robber and mur derer should be preferred in his stead ‘by accla mation! . Can a more.overwhelming proof of the world’s wickedness; of the heinousness, obsti pfpy and intensity of;sin be possible?’, Thjelyery teachers and guides :of the. chosen people lead in this unparalleled drime. Friends forsake -Him', his apostles fly; one denies him, another betrays him. Sworn enemies and fiercely hostile peoples are reconciled by their common interest ’in* this business. .Jews join, hands with. their Gentile oppressors and accuse Chrisfbefore Pilate of-that very sedition against Rome with which their own hearts were fully and the utter absence of 'which in Christ made them his enemies. And the es tranged Pilate and Herod become, friends,- asriri their hour and the power of darkness, they fri volously pass, to and fro between them the KiDg of kings and Lord of lords in the disguise of a culprit: "iAnd Pilate mastse’ ! ’co'iisdioas that the stain upon his soul iji deepened, as he washes his hands of guilt, while the Jews pronounce their own awful doom when they take his blood upon themselves and their children. The crime reaches, its climax in the cold blood and the recklessness' of consequences with it is committed.; It is the world’s (jrreat Week of Redemption. It was in the divine arrangement, and perhaps in that higher nature of thing!n which grace is in cluded, that as the world’s sin reached its climax; it should find its cure. As the infinite goodness draws near in the form of a free pardon, it must needs rouse- the* fiercest opposition of that which it comes to abolish.. It must’ meet and 'conquer sin in its mightiest possible,, demonstration, or it cannot be a sure conquest at all. Only in a fierce encounter, with sj!n .can divine' the form of a .sacrifice!; nothing but sin in its direst ihhnifestation could drive the. nails and . plunge the spear into such a vietim. It is when sin hears from the cross on which s it has wreaked itself, the cry “ Father forgive'tb'dm',’’’that its madness is broken. The agony in the garden, the bitter cup from which the sufferer prayed almost in a burst, of despair to be delivered, the great drops of sweat, as it were blood, the nature which/ though linked with infinity, sauk'almost crushed by the .burden, the .cry of desertion on the Cross, all teach the un fathomable depth and intensity of these’sufferings, and remove“then) utterly from that class which many a .weak martyr, child or wouuto; has borne' with unshaken 'calmness. They were for the, sins of the world. Taking upoa himself the , burden of' millions of sinners, the guilt of a whole race, he might well feel that he must sink under the fear ful load. It was suffering, says Mr. Barnes,—com menting oh the’words,,. “My God why,'hast thou forsaken me,’’ — 11 endured by him that was duato' ,«*; and suffering by which alone we canbc saved' frptu eternal,death.” ; . file did not draw back. The Father did .nob take away the cup on* which hung the possibility of .our hidvution. .He did noted shine, upon him as to mitigate his- sufferings on the cross, and so diminish the value of his sufferings as showing the euormnty of sin and tho depth of the;; divine indignation against it.. ‘-It is fihishbcl,”' gtdped out the dying Saviour. ; Time’s greatjwork was done. . The hidden sun began to shirie; the' veil qf fh'e temple was rent in' twain/ and ' the rocky, ’caverns of the dead were-thrown open to the light,; land life reanimated..their .decaying inmates, in token of: the glorious resurrection with ivhich , thik week was to eliiSjß and all,its wondrous wqrbf to be, crowned and consummated.' For this great etebual result of one'short week, what joy, what gratitude, wliat adoration should wo feel more .than human powers can express ! t I ,ii v 0 blessed .Well,of Love, 0 Flower of Grace, a > 0 Glorious Morning Star ! 0 Lamp of Light, 1 Most lovely image of Tii ! y Father’s Face,’ « Eternal King’of Glory, Lore! of Might, i Merit Lamb of God before all worlds, behight, . flow can we Thee requite for afi.this-good? , ; Or what can prize that Thy most precious blood ? With all Thy heart, with all Thy soul and mind ' Thou mU3t Him love and all behests embrace- PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1868. All other loves with which the world doth blind Weak fancies and stir up affeotions base, Thou must denounce and utterly displace And give thyself unto. Him full and free. That fuR and freely gave Himself to thee. Tin: miurmra citsc. ; To the Pastors and Elders of our Weaker' - Churches Dear .Brother It is not . strange that in some of our weaker churches, wither financially or nuinericaily, (and in some weak.,;‘we are, sorry to say) the question is started; whether it is worth while to contribute to' the -Publicatitin work. If your church pßt's itself in thatril&k,' let me say, thatiwe greatly desire and hope that it will be 1 one Of our’ helpers jahd, co workers. Without arguing the matter, .(which is not need ful) let me state a few -facts. ! 1. The. total amount of iinoney received from churches varying in; strength from moderate to very small, is a considerable part; of the Commit tee’s means for doingjiis.good work. 2. Of the collections, -a gooi■'number Yevery year, are from Churches we should not feel dis posed to press—the very, young, q-j very feeble, or foreign born, (as Ilollknji and German.) ' ; 3. Frequently the contributions of ’churches from which we scarce look for anything/are larger than those from churches deemed; strong arid able to give largely. . ; 4. The fidelity to duty with which these weaker churches sustain the, publication pommmittee in. its efforts to do good, is a strong/moral support; encouraging, cheering,'and sustaining, as welhas setting a good example tp others.; r . 5. Even the children from our Sabbath-schools; (and'in churches nbt;rieh) often give; mote to aid others through; this pliannel, than. some .larger churches. • ■ " " ” •• 6. Nothing more weakens a church than tp* tell it. that it is toa poor to give’-through our recognized and appointed’ chanh®s of j benevo lence.- /. ; v .l_ .. ~ '■ l si God’s blessing" on a- Him-HI ’its' success, and His blessing is not regulated by,the amount given, so much as by theheart of. the giver: Forsuecgsswewant the gifts of the poor as well as of . the rich, and. both fertilized by love and prayer. . Let us have the co-operation of yourself and, ypur people. For information with regard to the. work to.be done by our Committee, we refer you to pur Annual Report ,;and the Presbyterian Monthly, which we will ’send : you• if yon have them’n’cJt already.." 1 ’ ■ Yours truly, and Fraternally, JoH'tv W. Dulles;. * Secretary Presbyterian Pub-. Committee. : To the officers of our stronger churches it is ncedless t'o say that we hope to have them as our co-workers, since the suggestions addressed <to/ feebler churches apply d fortiori to the stronger. There is a great work before us, a work thnb.we cannot afford to neglect; Let- Us seek to dp r Tt.i' f REV. DR. STRYKER.' An esteemed, minister of our Church/in,/New York writes us as follows: r -i :--f - Wfe'bongratulate the North Brp’ad'/St - . Church of Philadelphia upon having! Secured the pastoral services' of 'ReV. IDr.'Stryftef'of this city. Dr. S.'/ihas been iii/the mih/istry for. 20 years, qjid,in all; that time has .been ;nwith out interruption, l prosecuting'his life work. Hellas been pastor' of the 3l(k St. licfurmed. Church, (formerly; Broome St.,)-for the fast 12 years, and his ,: siiel ,ee'S3' there may be' inferred from 'the fact that he : has received about 500 persons into his church | upon confession-during that tithe. He is a faith ful worker in all fields of ministerial labor. . "His efforts in Um temperance cause have jjeen con.- .slant and influential. lii the S'ahba’Stusohool—in,, the the prayewaiid locture rootn —■ as a. pastor diligently looking aftef all the inter-' ests of his. flock but few have excelled: him. ■ In. all benevolent operations of the church he. lias :taken an active part./ arid, douh.tles.svraised more money from his people for these than any other person,couldhave done. '' He has built a'hewand beautjfui church edifice since he came here and dlea-red.it of every; dollar of debt through'his personal effort. ' ' ' . . He has greatly endeared him: elf to his people and ministerial brethren,'and they part with him’ with the deepest regret. A kiud sympathizing man—a genial warm-hearted companion*—a re fined cultured gehtleinam—a cheerful', joyous Christian —-an earnest Bible preacher and faith ful, loving pastor, he goes to your city to bring these qualities into a newsee’neof activity. Our warmest sympathies and prayerego with him, aha we trust. that he will be received—we are sure; that he will be —with true Philadelphia hbspj tality and eo operation, hot only by bis church,: hut by the; brethren-and pastors. " T. S. n “CANDOR,” AND THE N. W. PRESBTTR- Mr. Editor -I forward to. you the following letter from a member of tbe-Presbytery of Chica go. (N. S.), to the North- Western Presbyterian, together with the remarkable answer of the .edi tor, to which I invite the earnest attention of yohr readers. This, ansjver assumes an extraor dinary importannee the light of three or four facts: A 1. The editor of the Ne/r/Ji- Western. Presbyte rian is a clearsighted many who-can hardly be ignorant of the sentiments and feelings that pre vail in his own .branch of the Church on the subject of reunion.' • ■ • •so 2. He has informed me. that his . answer to “ Candor ’’ lias been-approved by the leading men of the Old School ChilrcHj'including Hodge, of Princeton, and that his positions on this sub ject: are sustained by the Professors ! ih, the Semi nhries of Allegheny and Danville. j • 3. I have the authority of Mr, Erskine for the statement that no Old School paper, not eyeh tho Cinbiunafi,,jPjesZ(y<er,'which so earnestly advo-.. cates re-union,' has expressed one word of dissent’ from the views which he lifts given respectingfthe construction to be put upon the Philadelphia, platform arid the use to be made* of it: in case of re-union,'" ..,'Z * 1 ' 4. Mr. Erskine regards the explanatory elause; whieh'was proposed kjjy’PiV Gurley as ah/adHi-. tiori. lp the doq'rinal, basis pf the Philadelphia Convention, and accepted l by-the Joint Commit tee hi;‘its"late meeting, as leavingpthe door,, 'open for, file enforcementfif ,the views,which he-has ex pressed in Ms reply tb “Condor:** and in this judgment many Jof ,us feel, constrained to agpge, with him. I&heowonld hesitate about endorsing Dr.- GurleyVameridihent, it would bfe only because he thinks,it liable qnd,likely ,to be construed: in:, different ways, so us to lead--to future difficulty; arid conflict. I ‘. '(, / V I am aware that, them are, those in .bo61) brancbfes‘'ofthe i Gbnroi?/ i Vb I '6''s'trbirglytffe'jgrbve : of all efforts .to bring, about a lli.orough under standing of each obher'p position between the par ties in’the negotratibtis‘qu the subject, of rc : union." But I am 'wiliiiig to,incur the displeasure of any class of brethren* on ; either side, who would have serious' misapprehensions' created or perpetuated for.the Sake of union.. We all desire-union if. it can be "effected cordially and without sacrificing Of impairing the large and guards ed liberty-in point of doctrinal sentiment-and ec clesiastical administration, which is the' distinc tive glory of our Chufch., Jf Old and New School men can heartily unite abclstand’-side by side on a clearly-defined ecclesiastical platform, broad enough, for, both, we say; Amen. But if we are asked to “ feq6utice' u VbWe-ivhit of op-former lib erty, we must decline, at all hazards, and east the responsibility of continued disunion upon tliosc who would. 11 entangle 'jus again with the yoke- of bondage.” [The'exigeacies of our space compel us/to;pub lisli the letter and article in question in another place- They will be'found oh our Fifth page.] . AFFAIRS’ AX if HE . CAPITAL.. * ; April Gth,;;iS63. *. .ybg joipeachipent trial.haltpd on Saturday at another important stagd 1 W its'-progress. The T managers concluded the indentation bf their ' testimoUy in chief, jyibtf the exception of a few points noted, an dab e defence were given until “Thursday nexfj'to prepare their case. In making application for this-farther delay, Mr. Curtis', /Stated that they'wotild lufye but little; ofql testi ’ moiiy to offer, but. that, they intended ' to present a large mass of documentary evidence which had not yet been arr^ngbd.. .. hlr. Curtis assured the Senate that, delay would be saved if: this 1 indul gefi'Ce was'granteM t-o thb-mV . - 5 The management of the case.i has so far been aimost entirely in the hands of Gen. Butler, who has been opposed on the part of the President by Messrs. Stauberry and Evarts. The essential points in the case were abundantly sustained by the President’s admissions, and by the cemfied. documents presented to thO; Senate. -The testi mony of witnesses required bpf little.time, being coufiped principally to ..the attempt of General Thomas to take possession of the War Office, to the interviews of the President with officers in charge of this military department, and to the President’s public speeches. The readiness dis played by Gen. Butler in questioning his witnes ses and in me'eting all the • objections' of the 'counsel' is, truly marvellous. , Mr: Stanberry has been, qqije willfug to gjye up the ■task! of contesting bis moves to the less passion ate and excitable Mr. Evarts. Both these gen .tlemen seemed .somewhat wearied on Saturday, awhile Gen. Butler remains apparently as fresh, ■ nonchalant J ahd eourtepus’as on the first' day. Genesee Evangelist. TSTo. 1142. RIAN. Yours, 11. W. 'P. j Ministers $2.50 H. Miss. $2.00 1 Address:—l334 Chestnut Street. He is a most irritating antagonist, is very sarcas tic but at the same time conventional and parlia mentary in his language, always alert and un wearied, imperturablo under every attack and ready to give blow for blow, never elated by suc cess nor depressed by any defeat, se fertile in ex pedients that when driven from what seems the last, he surprises you with the impression that he has just begun, and that all that has preceded is mere by-play. He is Just the man for a long trial. Some have-accused him of bein" undif . o o nified'in his examination of the reporters who had taken the President’s speeches; hut it must be remembered that he had to deal with a sub ject that was undignified. Truly enough, such expressions sounded out of place before the Chief Justice arid the Senate of the United States; but thchumiliafing thought was that they were the utterances of the President of the United States. The vulgarity and _ blasphemy of the speech at St. Louis alone ought to be regarded as constituting a “ high crime and misdemeanor” for one in 'such an office. The resistancemto law has been amply proved, and the recognition of that law by the President himself has • beseg clearly, shown. The Chief Clerk of the State Department testified to a change in the Wording of commissions signed by the President after the passage of the Tenure of Office act. Before that time the commissions read, “ to lipid office during the pleasure of the Presi dent •” since that time they have been made out “ to' hold office /subject to the conditions _ pre scribed by law.”, , ; In his answer to the first artiele‘ the President Says that he suspended Mr. .Stanton under the ponstitution, and at his own pleas,ure, but in his letter to the Secretary : of the Treasury announ cing the suspension, he. says that it was done un der the provisionsoof.the Tenure of Office act. It is diffieult to imagine that the learned ’counsel of the President, _can so, argue that admitted facts shallibe.resolved into myths,or that resistance to law shaH apt cd^ltitute 1 crime. , Some fear has been expresspd that because Mr. Stanton was appointed by Mr. Lincoln his re moval by .President Johnson was not covered by the law. It will be remembered, (and no doubt this will be brought out in the rebutting, testi mony if the above claim is set up) that on the day after Mr. Lincoln’s assassination Mr. Stanton by authority of, Mr. Johnson issued an Official Bulletin announcing that Mr. Johnson had as sumed the duties' and office of President, and giving the public' information of some of the pro-1 ceedings of the Cabinet Council that day. Among thesfe proceedingshe says : “ the. President for mally announced that he desired to retain the present Secretaries of’ the Departments as his Cabinet and that.they go on and discharge their respective duties in' the same manner as before the deplorable efent that had changed the head of the Government,” The rights of the Chief Justice have occupied inuch, lime during the week!, One concession to his claims lias been made in giving him the de cision of incidental questions subject to an appeal to the Senate by : one of the Senators. This may do no harm in this trial since the Chief Justice, now that his right in the case is admitted seems inclined to waive it and appeals directly to the Senate, and as there are many Senators through whom the managers could effect an appeal—but as a precedent it- certainly does not seem right thus to tie the hands of the managers and give so much power to the Chief Justice. The friends of the President 'are very mueli elated by the rulings of the Chief Justice and by the knowledge which they claim to possess, that six Republican Senators are sure to vote against impeachment. There is probably no foundation for this latter story but every difference of opin ion among the Ilspubiicans is hailed as a divi sion and as security for the President’s acquittal. It has been made " manifest by the trial that while the Democrats sit as partisans acting in con cert.on every incidental and legal point, the Re publican Senators are determined to give a fair trial in which the accused shall have every ad vantage to which he is entitled. ' Acting as fair men they are found to have diverse views upon questions of law" and evidence. A conviction from such men will command the assent of the nation. • Legislative.business is quite suspended during the trial. The House decided to adjourn each day to attend the trial.' For a day or two the members' came,/in with an imposing procession, but this has dwindled day by day until the last of the week, when “ the House of Representatives” being announced with all formality by the Ser gcant-at-Arms, the entrance of fifteen or twenty men looked ridiculous. 1 There-is now not a quo rum of the House in the; city. Generals Grant and Butler have settled their differences through the intervention, of mutual friends. Most unlike in temperament and in genius yet engaged in the same good cause, there lias been no good reason for the continuance of the bitter feud that sprang up at the close of the war, and it is a cause for congratulation that they have had magnanimity enough to end it. , > Fenwick.
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