gintritait Eroligtitiatt. THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1809 REV. JOIN W. MEARS, D. D., Editor. 2tio. 1334 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE. Rev. Z. H. Humphrey, D.D., Pastor of Calvary Church. Rev. Herrick Johnson, D.D., Pastor of the First Church. Rev. Danl. March. D.D., Pastor of Clanton St. Church. • Rey. Peter Striker, D.D., Pastor of N. Broad St. Church. Rev. George F. Wiswell, D.D., Pastor of Green Kill Church. Bev. E. E. Adams, D. D., Prof.] in Lincoln 'Uni versity. Rev. Samuel IF. Duffield, Special Cor respondent. Mr. _Robert E. Thompson will continue to act as Editor of the News Department. Correspondents in every Presbytery and Sy nod will promptly furnish us with fresh items of news from their respective fields. air A Covenanter Communion, by " On the Wing," Presbytery of Cayuga on Re-union, _Harrisburg Presbytery, Useless Ministers, page 2d; Editor's Table, Owen and Darwin, News of our churches—Presbyteries, page 3d; _Mem bers of the Sorrowful (Poetry), Miscellany for the Family, Lessons on Paul, XV., Are we Christ's? by T. L. Ginter, &c., page 6th; Re l'gious intelligence, page 7th. FULLER INFORMATION of Presbyteries voting on Reunion enables us to report the action of eighty one of the one hundred and eleven be longing to our Assembly. Of these, forty-eight vote with no material additions or qualifications, to approve of the Joint Committee's Basis as amended by our part of the Committee. They are as follows, arranged in the order of the Synods : Champlain, Utica, Onondaga, Cay uga, Cortland, Tioga, Geneva, Chemung, Wells boro', Chenango, Genesee, Hudson, North River, Long Island, New York Third, New York Fourth, Brooklyn, Newark, Montrose, Philadelphia 4th, Harrisburg, Dist. Columbia, Erie, Meadville, Kalamazoo, Grand River Valley, Trumbull, Cleveland and Portage, Franklin, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Indianapolis, Greencastle, Crawfords ville, St. Joseph, Illinois, Schuyler, Ottawa, Chi cago, Bloomington, Milwaukie, Fox River, Dubu que, Mankato, St. Louis, Omaha, Union, Hol ston. Eleven vote for the Committee's amendments but express greater or less readiness to unite on the standards alone : Ontario, Coldwater, De troit, Gal. and Belvidere, Monroe, Pataskala, Wabash, Bochester, Dayton, Genesee Valley, Rockaway. Huron adopts the amendments, but is ready for the basis of the standards alone, reserving the right to deal with Congregational churches on its rolls. Maumee approves the Amendments, but de sires that the Second Article be made more clearly advisory rather than mandatory. Minnesota votes for the Amendments, or for any basis not conflicting with the one already adopted. Ripley approves of the Amendments, and con sents to any other plan that may be adopted. Salem approves of the Amendments, but gives discretionary powers. Scioto is for the Amendments, or for the Stand ards alone, if three fourths of the Presbyteries in both branches agree. Troy is for the Standards, but refers emphati cally to the omission of the Tenth Article, and may, perhaps, be reckoned as voting for the Com mittee's Amendments. Seventeen in all approve the Committee's Amend ed Basis with ct.nsiderable qualifying action; in all but one case, Maumee, leaning towards the " Standards pure and simple." Huron stands by itself. Eight vote for the old Basis, or for the Stand ards : Buffalo, Columbus, Delaware, Lexington, Niagara, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Wilmington. Two—Logansport and Lyons—vote fOr the Standards if three-fourths of the Assembly agree to this basis. Five adhere to the Basis of 1868: lowa City, Ithaca, Catskill, Philadelphia Third, and Pitts burg. Leaving out Maumee and Huron, we have twenty-six Presbyteries who may be regarded by heir votes as ready for Reu Dion on the Standards alone without further action of the Presbyteries. Fifty-five either adhere to the Old Basis, or ac cept the amendments, or wish other amendments less likely to be acceptable to the other branch ; and two who xequire a vote of three-fourths of the Assembly or three-fourths of all the Presbyteries in both branches, are ready to unite on the Standards alone. There remain thirty Pres byteries yet to hear from, whose votes if they were all given for the Standards would put them in a scant majority. It is probable, however, that the Committee's Amendments will prevail. If now the Presbyteries or the Assembly of the other Branch should agree to the Basis as amend ed by our Committee, the Reunion might take place this spring. Otherwise it must be postponed. —The .Presbyterian church of Chestnut Hill, having been enlarged and repaired,was re-opened for divine services on Sabbath, the 2d inst. —The'Philadelphia Baptist Church Extension Commission, at its second anniversary, the 31st of March, raised $6,000 of the $14,000 needed to buy two lots on which the First and Fifth churches will build edifices for two new societies to be organized. THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1869. NOTICE. To Commissioners to the General Assembly The following Rail Roads have consented to return delegates free of charge who have paid full fares over their lines: Albany and Susquehanna R. R. Buffalo and Erie R. R. Belvidere and Delaware R. R. Chicago, Alton and St. Louis R. R. Cincinnati and Zanesville " Central R. R. of New Jersey. Cumberland Valley R. R. Camden and Atlantic R. R. Catawissa R. R. Delaware, Lackawanna and Western R. R. Danbury and Norwalk 'R. R. Deli Moines Valley Flint, Pisa, Marquette " Grand Trunk R. R. of Canada. Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Bay R. R. Lake Shore Line. Lehigh Valley R. R. . ' Lehigh and Susquehanna R. R. • , Michigan Southern, and North IRdiana R.,R. Northern Central R R. Ohio and Mississippi " Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain It. R. Oil Creek and Allegheny River . " Penn. Central R. R. •, Phila. and Erie " Phila. and Reading R. R. Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg R. R. Raritan and Delaware Bay R. R. South Side R. R. of Long Island. Syracuse, Binghamton and N. Y. R. R., Toledo, Wabash and Western R. R. • West Jersey R R. Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis R. R. Erie Railway Co. Atlantic and Great Western Railway Co Delegates coming via Philadelphia will be furnished with excursion tickets at reduced rates by the Camden and Amboy Rail Road Co. OUR. EXOHANGEB. The Christian _Herald, whose sentiments on Reunion have been vaguely, and as we were in clined to believe, indiscriminately, favorable to Reunion, shakes off all nebulosity and appears in the last number, in a far different attitude. It now insists, as we have so long done, upon the necessity of looking at the business aspects of the case. It says: "We think that all which needs to be under stood between the two bodies about to be made one, should be distinctly stated in a written docu ment formally adopted by both. We repeat that this is business, and it ought to be trans acted in a business-like way. To, insist upon this does not imply want of confidence in each other, but it is the very best means of securing the continuance of such confidence. Experience teaches that this is so in negotiations between individuals and, between business companies. We think it equally ithportant between churches. We believe that definite terms ,of reunion' distinctly expressed in writing, and actually adopted, must constitute the historic document which will record the reunion of these two equal and independent bodies, forming the one similar body, which is to succeed them both, inheriting all their powers, and all their resources, and all their history." • It concludes by advocating the Basis amended by our Committee, as including the Standards pura and simple. It does not, however, insist that the understanding of the Committee, on lib erty should be made part of the final action. This we deem essential to a sound business trans action. The New York Observer writes pithily and fairly upon the question agitated by our e ceedingly conscientious Popish brethren in re gard to our common school system. The con scientious scruples on the subject not being with as, we ought nototo be called to pay for them. We should be conscientiously opposed to supporting sectarian schools out of funds con tributed to a public object, and therefore we cannot be asked to provide out of the common school fund for Popi§h schools. The Observer says: "It is often a very expensive luxury, this con science. It has sometimes made it necessary to part with houses, and lands, and money, and friends and life. But the right man pays the cost cheerfully when the claim is enforced. And the Roman Catholic has his path of duty plain. If his conscience forbids him to have his chil dren educated in the schools of the State, he must educate them elsewhere. This is a short and easy method with the Roman question, and then we may go one step further, and grant that the Roman Catholic citizen may be exempt from the State school tax, provided, 1. That he has conscientious scruples against paying for the support of the public schools, and provided, 2. That he pays the same amount exempted to the support of his own schools?" - The Observer calls loudly for the formation of an "Honest Man's Party." It has "No hope from the politicians of the day. Statesmen, Christians, men of character and in telligence, who have long ago retired frot, political circles in disgust, if not in despai must come forth from their seclusion and say the country. An honest man's-party must Iv organized in every city and State of the Uniof, and its power will be felt right speedily. In a few short years it would redeem the land fr corruption, and make democracy and republic ism a praise and not a byword among the !la tions of the earth." ~ SOUTH ST. CHURCH, received nine personslast Sabbath, five by profession ; forty-six in all, in the three communions, since Dr. Parsons' has been in charge. • —The reports of increase in the City churches made to the Central Presbytery of Philadelphia (O. S.), for the past year, show that Cohocksink church received by profession of faith k 7s per sons; Kensington church, 44; the Central church, 44; Trinity, 34; Port Richmond, 27; Spring Garden church, 24; North Tenth street, 23; Alexander church, 19; Hestonville, 18. PROM OUR ROCHESTER CORRESPONDENT. PRESBYTERY OF GENESEE The annual meeting was held this week in At tica. Rev. John Wickes of Attica, and Elder Augustus Cordin of Batavia, were appointed Commissioners to the General Assembly; Rev. T. M. Hodgman and Elder David Lewis, Alter nates. Rev. J. W. Hubbard of Le Roy was elected Commissioner to Auburn Seminary for three years, and Rev. T. S. Dewing of Pike, to fill a vacancy for one year. Since the last meeting of Presbytery, Rev. G. S. Corwin has been installed pastor at East Pem broke, and Re*. T. S. Dewing at Pike. The Presbybry had already passed, with ap probation, the Assembly's paper on reunion. And now to comply with all possible conditions, they unanimoisly adopted the two resolutions re cently sent oz by our own Committee , of fifteen. We were pirtienlarly interested in the calling of the roll of the churches, to'kthi* Which had complied withthe Assembly's recommendation in regard. to the causes of benevolence.. "Have you taken a 911ection for each 'one—have you filled all the flanks . ?"- This 'was the question-of the Stated Click, well 'put to 'each church, and generally wellanswered. Rev. J. Wilinbbard evidently niakej a good 'clerk, and lools after the 'business of the church. We know som others who could !earn something from his prormtnesS and efficiency. The Pres bytery as evidently have a high appreciation of his, services inthis regard, and so make him sole Oommiyee loran the causes , of benevolence; and churches are o be admonished ft they do not remember alloidorsed by the General Assembly. 'A suitable inute was adopted on the recent death of Re Alfred North, who was a member of this bad He once preiched in Attica, v c where the Pr 3bytery convened. P SBYTERY OF CAYUGA. This body leld an adjoined meeting in Au burn on Tue'ilay, 27th, for the purpose of ex amining threi young men, seniors in Auburn Seminary, wi a.view to their ordination as Missionaries,China. Their names are, Henry Loomis of F, etteville, Joseph L. Whiting of Jasper, and Z. Sheffield of Gainesville. Another o ~D. C. McCoy, of Clayton, 111., was to have b' n examined and ordained witti,his classmates, a eisto go with them to the same field; but hi resbytery in Illinois very justly claimed the *vilege of ordaining him, out there, as well for e moral influence of the service among them Ives, as for their own gratification.. The exact ation was protracted, searching and satisfac y. The young men, are among the best• th the institution has for any field. The ordinati I its to take place to-morrow even- `nd Presbyterian church of Au ,. Clark, one of the Secretaries ing, in the S burn: Rev. Board, and President McCosh, ollege, are to participate in the of the Ameri of Princeton service. This is SOlll 'iiny unusual, and certainly very encouraging D the missionary cause, when four of tebect young men of such a school of the prophetshonsecrate themselves,: together to the work of prrying the gospel to the heathen. Surely the pest wishes , and prayers of our entire churc will follow them in such a noble service; an we predict - for the Seminary a higher . spiritality and prosperity, for giving so much to sucla cause. %CORNER STONE LAID The conic-stone for: the .new, edifice of the First Presbperian church of Auburn was laid, with approp)ate ceremonies, on Wednesday, last, at 4 P. M.: The new Lecture and: Sabbath- schoolroomwas already finished, and occupied last Sabbatlaby the congregation, Rev. Dr.. Haw ley, the pincir, preaching a dedicatory sermon. In this nevand commodious lecture room the congregatin .and friends assembled at tho hour appointed,;" Hon. William H. Seward, being present ail occupying a seat on the left of, the. desk." The serices were . : reading of the 132 d Psalm by the pa:or—prayer ,by Rev. Henry Fowler, of the Cental church ; and address by Rev. Dr. Condit. After the address, which was very beautifuland highly appropriate to the, occasion, the proe6sion moved to the spot where the stone was toe laid, and around which ,a great con course c citizens was gathered. Theastor, Dr. Hawley, in a loud and distinct voice, ad in a very impressive manner, repeated the was : " ()ler foundation can no man lay than that is la4 l which is Jesus Christ."" . Ye are built uponle foundation of the Apostles and proph ets, jsus Christ Himself being the chief corner stow" He then raised a hermetically sealed boxin full view, of all present; stated its con , teul; placed it in the receptacle prepared for it ; and as the stone was swung by the tackling to itsplace, he said : " On behalf of the congrega tio of the Fiist Presbyterian church of the city ofAuburn, and in the name of the Father, and q. the Son, aad of the Holy Ghost, I now lay is corner stogie, for a building to be erected on i tis groundond to be dedicated to the worship f Almighty God, according to the forms of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America." A coneludi W. Board= prayer was offered by Rey. S. of the Second church; benedic tor, and the vast concourse of the d. The walls of the main build apidly. It is expected that it will September next. tion by the, p people disper Inc , are rising' be enclosed b The box de tained : a co Li losited under the corner-stone con of the Bible; the Church Psalm / ion of ,Faith and Book of Disci- Lnual of the First Church ; the ourse by the, pastor on leaving the lrch 7,1869; copies of the Auburn Ir with the AMERICAN PRESBYTE -VdiSt, and New York Observer, Condit's address just delivered, ady in type, and is published in apers ; the Jubilee Memorial of unty Bible Society; the city char t was an interesting and memora- The edifice is to be one of the fin e. Rev. Dr. Mcllvaine has declined First church of this city. It is a ist ; the Coot pline ; the .11 . Historical Di old church papers, Loge RIAN, the E, a copy of D which was a the Auburn the Cayuga ter, &c., &c. ble occasion est in the S PERSONA the call of t great disappointment to many of the congrega tion, as they had quite set their hearts on his re turn. They must now look elsewhere.—Rev. T. B. Hudson of North-East, has received a call to the Presbyterian church of Clinton.—Prof. Up son of Hamilton College, preached last Sabbath, with great acceptance for the Central church of this city.—Rev. Dr. Campbell arrived home, from Florida, on Wednesday last, in good health and spirits. He gave his people an admirable talk on Wednesday evening, in regard to his trip South. His invalid daughter did not return with him, but is expected home in three or four weeks, when the weather is a little warmer. We have received and read with interest, a pleasant and tender funeral sermon, by Rev. A. L. Benton of Lima, on the death of Zachariah Longyor, an aged and well known parishioner. Text :i" Thou knowest not what a day may bring ,forth.'•' Subject: the Uncertain Future. Lesson : be prepared for it. The sermon is.published by the request of friends, and is well calculated to do good. Rocheater,, May 1, 1869 CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE. DEAR AMERICAN :—The North, Wastprn Pres byterian of this week quotes from my last com munication to you, ami comments, in this un- "The'writer belongs to that class of nominal Presbyterians, who have had their c training out side of' the Presbyterian Chntch and who,ihough in the Church, have never inlly received its doctrines. or approved of its government. Such persons would be fir more at home in the Con gregational Church where they had their birth and training." You, may .be sure NORTH-WEST opened his eyes very widely at this piece of information ; he having always labored under the impression that he had had his "birth and training" in the Presbyterian Church,,of which his parents were attached members, and with which. alone he hag ever had any connection of any sort. While, therefore he has not the authority of any litera . ry institution for attaching a D. D. to his name, nor the dignity of the editorial stool, he doeS not quite see why he any more than the editor of the North-Western is among " the very last persons who ought to set themselves up as- interpreters of the Presbyterian Standard's, or attempt to dic tate Presbyterian policy." Some might possibly imagine that the gentleman was seeking to do this, very thing when, in the next column, he says " Many of us could not allow to pass quietly the licensing, ordaining, or receiving into Presby tery -any man.who should uphold the views of doctrine which are distinctive of what is known as Taylorism, or, to speak with more restriction and defininiteness, who profess and teach the pe. culiarities which have been advanced and de fended by ; Mr. Barnes, Dr. Duffield, Dr. Beman, and some others, who are not only tolerated, but honored in the New School Church. Opposition would be a conscientious discharge of duty, en forced by the sacredness of ordination vows." (The italics are ours.) Such, then, we are distinctly told' (and the writer is to be honored for his frankness, what ever. , may be thought of his exclusive and un catholic spirit) is entertainment to which by far the larger part of our body, beyond all dubi tation, is invited. I know that it is .replied by ardent re unionists on our side, that this is not the spirit nor ;intention of the majority of the Old School. I hope and believe that this is true. But that it is, the spirit of a very large number of its most able and determined men, and, as the events of the last three years have fully shown, 'of the men who, in the last resort, control and de termine the action of most of its. Presbyteries, ap pears to me to be beyond a doubL Why is it that we cannot have a union based on the most full, explicit, unambiguous and in disputable recognition of all that liberty which is the glory and the strength of the New School body;, which has given it, more than all beside, its noble and influential position among the Ohurches of our country, and which many of us prize infinitely beyond all mere organic unions, or any array of numbers ? Is it not certain ,that not one in ten of all our members, lay or deli cal, would listen to any talk of a union which they, did not fully believe and expect would se cure them this? And if the proposed union is to give us this, what possible reason can there be for not saying so ? No, Mr. Editor, it is because I am a Presby terian and nothing else,—baptfzed into its com munion early in life, admitted to its sacraments, for years permitted to hold a place among its ministers, heartily in accord with its doctrines and its polity, proud of its history, a believer in its grand and beneficent future, if it be not stripped of its power and all its popular elements by cribbing and confining it within the limits of an orthodoxy falsely so called. and not because I am an " ite ' of any prefix whatever, that I de mand alike for myself and the editor of the North - Western, a recognized standing in the re united Church in no wise affected by our diver-, gencies of views on points not involving, in the judgment of New School men, the integrity of the Calvinistic system. When by the expressed hearty consent of the parties to it such a union can be had, none will rejoice in it more heartily than this correspondent. Till then, he is unable to see any promise of good, but much of evil, to grow out of it. NORTH-WEST. THE PENNYSLVANIA SEAMEN'S FRIEND SO CIETY has during the past year placed 125 Sea Libraries in 11 different languages on vessels leaving the port of Philadelphia--given 915 copies of the Word of God to seamen, and dis tributed 40,000 pages of tracts among the sailors along our wharves. Within a few years it has placed 700 Sea Libraries on the vessels of differ ent nationalities as they left this port, and it has learned that many seamen have been converted to God through this instrumentality. The price of such a library, containing fifty or sixty vol. umes, well selected• and attractive, is $l5, and by contributing this small amount, many Sabbath schools, Bible-classes, and individuals may gratify their desire of doing good, and feel assured that they are helping those who, but for their instru mentality, would be left to perish. D. H. EMERSON, Sailors' Home, Phila. A correspondent in Indianapolis commences with some extracts from the secular press of that "The Work of the Lord Continues to Increase at Indianapolis. " No one will deny that a deep religions inter est excites . this entire community. Every ortho dox tuittister in the city, and every truly religious person, is in earnest sympathy with the great work, and the attendance at the meetings is limited only by the capacities of the churchs to hold the people who gather to them." The above is froni the Daily Erening lfirrOr, a paper heretofore conducted in the interests of Satan. It has always been ready to east a re proach upon religion, and ever anxious to attack any Christian or moral institution. But they are compelled to make this acknowledgment, and they do it pretty well in a column and a half EDITORIAL, all in the same strain. We con sider this a good deal, coming from the source it does. It` does more for the Master than a good many very good sermons will accomplish. Our Canie is strong when our enemy testifies in our favor. The _Morning Journal (our most reliable GENESES . paper) says : " There have never been ven in this city such sights as are witnessed in every one of the meet ings. Christian men and women laboring ear .nestly for the conversion of the people, just as thouoh there was no such thing as church de nomination." Thus the: work continues to deepen and widen. We hear of it upon every corner, in places of business, and everywhere. It has taken hold of almost all classes of our citizens, bringing some into lively sympathy with it, and setting others against it. The children's meetings were discontinued last Saturday. That last children's meeting sur passed anything it has ever been our privilege to witness. The large audience-chamber of the First Presbyterian church was packed as full as it would hold of anxious ones, most of whom were children. On last Sabbath evening the first meeting was held for athilts in the "Academy of Music." This is a magnificient temple lately erected and dedicated to the service of Satan, and his follow ers have been holding high carnival there dur- ing the past winter. Last Sabbath evening the scene was quite different. It was such a scene as Indianapolis never before looked upon. There were three thousand five hundred or four thou sand in that Theatre, and nearly as many were turned away not being able to find standing room. Mr. Hammond spoke with more than his usual earnestness and power, and all seemed deeply interested. At the close of the sermon a 'second meeting: was held. Almost all stayed. The sight was indeed a grand one, and solemn beyond all power of description. There in that vast audience chamber, from the "Pit" to " 3rd gallery" were anxious souls weeping for their sins. Some had heard the gospel preached from their cradle' up, others not for ten, fifteen and t wenty years, and all together inquiring " What they must - do to be saved." Many, I have no doubt, camel° Christ there and then. One of the most interesting sights was the President of the Institute for Deaf and Dumb, with fifty or sixty of his pupils around him. He heard the word of the as it fell from brother Hammond's lips and, by signs, gave it to these anxious souls. They were deeply interested, and many of them, .I am informed, have become Christians. The meetings have been continued during this week in the First Baptist church. They are daily in creasing in interest. Last night more than two hundred arose asking Christians to pray for them. Another meeting will be held in the " Academy of Music" on Sabbath evening, and the meetings will be continued next week as they have this, in one of our largest churches. We expect still greater things. J. B. B. —Rev. Herrick Johnson, D. D., preached his first anniversary sermon as pastor of the• First church last Sabbath. Text : Exod. 14: 15, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. The text is a well-chosen motto for the the man and his method with this Church. Nor has the response of the church itself been less cheering. 76 persons have been added during the year, 42 by profession ; the latter number exactly represents the net gain of the year. $21,441 have been raised for all purposes, of which just about one-half, or nearly eleven thousand dollars was for outside purposes. Thirty-five teachers have been furnished for the new Mission effort in Lombard St. In benevolent contributions the church is considerably in advance of all others ,of our denomination in this city. With great joy we chronicle these cheering facts in the his tory of this venerated organization. Rev. Mr. Leeds assisted in the services, during which very tender mention was made of Mr. Barnes. Though the day was stormy, the attendance was good. —The Rev. George A. Durborrow, for nearly twenty years Rector of .the P. E. church of the Redemption, at Twenty-second and Callowhill streets,. died at his residence, Friday, April 30th, after a few weeks' illness. he deeaased was the founder of the church of which he was rector, and was widely known, particularly in the north western portions of the city. His loss will be seriously felt. His age was 47. MR. HAMMOND'S LABORS. INDIANAPOLIS