.k• . PRESIYTERIA:. - .' - .TANL's..ER.. & 'ADV.I,'CATE Pre,hrterlan Banners Vol. V, No. 11. prv.oyterlon Advoonte, Vol. XIX, No. a. AVID McKINNEY, Editor and Proprietor. TERMS.--IN ADVANCE. Original Vociq. ;~ I found an altar with this inscription: To the unknown God."—Acts xvii : 23. there a heart that heeds affection's tone, it hath not alter raised to God unknown? there a form of any age, or clime, bath not knelt before a nameless shrine? there a soul beneath the light of heaven, cannot pray for this to be forgiven no! for none this dreary vale have trod, have not bowed them to an unknown God, Warrior, glory wreathed, on whose proud brow victor's laurels rest so lightly now; "tom the poet's harp has breathed its lays, nn ndutiring millions bend in praise, m no altar raised ? Lay thy heart bare— , the Prince of Peace a dwelling there ? .y that scornful lip and flashing eye, the land of Israel you defy. thou, time•honored Statesman, thou, whose Dal r• izoned on the starry scroll of fame, live, the watchward of a nation's trust, crowns and kingdoms crumble into dust; me truly, can that haughty heart o the Kiug of Kings its gifts impart? le who gave that glorious gift of mind, Ly heart's altar ever should be stained. sweet child of Genius, thou whose heart, own living rnu..ite seems a part ; stitred by , 4 thoughts that breathe, and i that burn," 'inc OWII heart's oblations would'at thou earn' ling of all things beautiful and fair, re no charm the Manger-born couldwear ake thy heart's worship? Oh yes, 'tmust poet-dreamer, 't is not felt by thee. Len, with sunny brow, and sparkling eye, voice of love's own tuneful melody ; all too fair for earthly scene like this, better formed for fabled bowers of bliss; me, sweet maiden, cannot He who gave peerless beauty, thy pure offering have? no, another love is in thy heart, which you bid the Lord of Life depart. thou, who watchest with a mother's love, little cradled form, thy household dove; see'st, in all this teeming world of joy, Ling so beautiful as that fair boy; , loving mother, in that gentle heart, the sweet babe of Bethlehem not a part? no, the heart's best treasure lies below, i that fair sleeping child—mother, is 't not so? ier, who weepest sadly by the tomb, which a form, out off.in beauty's bloom ke fell reaper death.; in silence sleeps, , • thy sad heart its lonely vigil keeps; think of Him, whose sorrowing eyes ne'er slept, lonely mourner who at midnight wept; Jwle4 ge thy deep error, kiss the rod, ere it he too late, worship thy God. thou, God's Minister, at his pure shrine, (lost thou offer naught but gifts Divine? this fair world no bait to lure thee on, him, God's holy, best-beloved Son? thou no altar raised ? touch thy heart's chords; it re-Tonsive to the Lord of lords? its deep secret—wherefore dost thou Mart? that dust should claim so high a part. ever thus, ambition, pride, and love, and fame, our restless spirits move; grieft , , and joys, in turn our thoughts divide, drive the Lord of Glory from our side. hae his altar raised, each bows him there; ye who know the risen God, forbear, ,t, believe, and have your sins forgiven, frail chords of life by death are riven. KATE NEVILLE, It Sewickley, Pa., November, 1356. ,r the Presbyterian Banner and Advocate Baptism.---lio. 6. JESUS BAPTIZED BY .1011 N. Baptist friends assert, with their confidence, that Jesus was immersed hu. If we ask them for the proof, reply, that Jesus was baptized in Jor and, therefore, must have been into '. We beg their pardon, but do not that circumstance as sufficient evi of the fact. The Saviour may have tiled the high banks of Jordan, to the of the river, or trod into the edge of stream, without being immersed. This appear not at all unlikely, if we con that the inhabitants of _Eastern noun instead of shoes and stockings, wear a , A of wood or leather, covering no more"! the sole of the foot. And in a hot te, like that of Judea, they might, on ny occasions, step into a stream with - thought of being immersed. " OUT OF THE WATER." y our opponents, "Jesus, at his -aid to have come up out of the wl,lO l surely means, that he came /Om the water." Here, again, must Mll.l. from these good brethren. words of the original, anebe apo tou tos, convey no such idea. The very verb and preposition occur in Solomon's iii : 6—" Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness," Anabainausa, toot heremou. Does this mean that the se Wa s coming up froza under the wil .ss ? The preposition apo, translated f, is usually rendered from; and, in that is its primary meaning. We can fly open the Greek, Testament without !tio2; with instances in which it is BO , laced. Here are a few, selected f rom ,y examples : xxv : 41—" Depart from me (0 1 .' ye cursed." Not out of ine. . vii : 1.0—" Let not the wife depart M her husband," (apo ancolros) Not at of her husband. Heb. iii : 12—" In departing fro'Wi the, log God," (repo tou theou.) Not out of . living God. But there is a still stronger objection to Baptist construction of the passage. cy know very well, that in adminiatering Ithun in their peculiar mode, there are distinct acts performed by the baptizer, :h of which is essential to the idea of (ping. The one is the putting of the per- "ONE THING IS NEEDFUL :" "ONE THING HAVE I DESIRED OF THE LORD :" "THIS ONE THING I DO." son under water, and the other is taking him out again. I repeat, that unless both these operations are performed by the baptizer, there is no dipping in the case. Now it is plain, that (Jesus "name up out of the water" by his own act—not by that of John. Consequently, he was not dipped by John. To suit the Baptist Theory, the Evangelist should have said,, "And Jesus, when be was baptized, was drawn up, or lifted out of the water." 33APT1g3.1 WITH WATER Our Baptist brethren contend, that John baptized,the Saviour in his accustomed mode. f so, he was not immersed ; for John says, "I baptize with water ;" and Christ himself says, "John truly baptized with water." To baptize with water, is not to dip; for who would say, I dip you with water f But, say our opponents, " The translation of the passage is incorrect; the preposition en, should be rendered in, so as to make John say, g I indeed immerse you in water, but He shall immerse you in the Holy Ghost and in. fire.' " To this we reply, that iu several parallel passages, neither en, nor any other preposition, is employed. We give a few examples : Luke iii : 16—" I indeed baptize you with water"—Ego men, hudati Imptizo. Acts i : s—John trilly baptized with water "Eboptisen hndati. Acts xi : 16—" John indeed baptized With water "—Ebaptisen hudati. In these instances, hudati being found in the Dative case, without any governing word, must be taken for the instrument used; and is, therefore, correctly and literally translated, with water. It follows, that in administering baptism, John applied the water to the persons—not the persons to the water; just as when the penitent woman washed the Saviour's feet with her tears, (tois dakrusi,) she applied the, tears to his feet—not his feet to her tears. , ANCIENT PICTORIAL' REPRESENTATIONS The views already expressed are amply confirmed by many ancient pictures, repre senting the baptism of the Saviour. The subject seems to have been a favorite one with the Christian artists, who lived in the ages succeeding the Apostles. And it is a striking fact, that 'among all the works of that kind which have been transmitted to us, not one represents this baptism as taking place by immersion. On the contrary, they all, with singular uniformity, represent John as pouring or sprinkling water upon the bead of. Christ, who is standing in the. water of Jor dan. Most of these pictures were made at a period when immersion had become the pre vailing practice in the Church, and, conse quently, must be regarded as an unwilling testimony, rendered by immersionists them selves, to the historical truth. Mr. C. Taylor, editor of Calmet's Dic tionary, in his Apostolic Baptism, has fur nished copi?s of a number of these ancient pietures. I *ill - briefly notice a few of them. One is copied from the centre piece of the dome of the Baptistery at Ravenna, which was built and decorated in the year 454. John the Baptist is drawn standing ou the brink of the Jordan, holding a vessel from which he pours water on the head of Christ, who is standing in the water. Over his head is the descending dove, a symbol of the Holy Ghost. Another is a picture in Mosaic, taken from the church of Cosmedia, in Ravenna. The edifice is known to have been erected, in the year 401. John the Baptist is rep resented as standing on a rock which over hangs the Jordan, clad in a hairy garment. In his left hand is a crooked stuff, and in his right a shell from which he pours water upon the Redeemer, who is standing below him in the water. Above his head is the descending dove. A th;rd is taken from the Church in the Via Ostiensis, at Rome. It is executed in brass, the figures being partly in relief, and partly engraved. The positions occupied by John and the Saviour are the same as in. the other pictures. The baptism is by affu sion. The picture is evidently the work of Greek artists, and is regarded by learned antiquaries as very ancient. The inscrip tions are in Greek, with the motto BAP TICEC. A fourth is copied from the walls of an ancient Baptistery, found in the Catacombs of Pontiatras, near Rome. These Cata combs were originally quarries of vast extent, which furnished the Christians with a secure retreat in the ages of persecu tion. In these subterranean regions, thou sands sought for safety, celebrated their worship, and buried their dead. The Bap tistery is about six feet square, cut in the solid rock. On the wall above, is a rude picture of the Baptism of Christ. Again, John stands on the bank of the river, and pours water on the head of Christ. The figures of the lamb and of the single angel are considered evidences of great an tiquity. Below is a cross on which are suspended the Greek letters, Alpha and Omega. It is susceptible of proof that this Bapistery was in use in the first and second centuries. These pictorial representations prove that from the earliest times before the rise of Popery, and even after immersion had be come generally practiced, both Greeks and Latins believed that Christ was baptized by affusion. That they were correct in their opinion, will appear quite evident when we consider WHY JESUS WAS BAPTIZED Our opponents talk much and declaim loudly about following the Lord Jesus in his baptism. In the most impassioned lan guage, they exhort their hearers, "To fol low their Saviour to Jordan—down into water, into his liquid grave." Well would it be if these brethren were equal ly intent upon persuading men to follow Christ in his love to God and man, in his purity of heart and life, his humility, patience, meekness, his diligence in doing gooa, and his decided opposition to Jormal tsn• But, alas ! when they speak of fol -I°'"lng Christ, the water seems to drown all but one idea—that of being immersed. As might be looked for, many of their hear ers are ready to conclude that they have fol lowed Christ far enough if they have been pht under the water. By way of correcting this serious error, a little investigation will shovilhat Christ was NOT BAPTIZED AS AN EXAMPLE FOR US. .First. He was not baptized with " John's baptism," ,for .that was the baptism of re- PUBLICATION OFFICE, GAZE , " , I ' :I' *, FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATUuDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1556. pentance, and our Lord had no sin to re pent of. Second. Tie did not receive "believers' baptism," for that would be to believe on himself, whereas he was the great object-of faith. Third. He was not baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, for then he would have been baptized in his own name. Fourth. He was not baptized till he was thirty years of age. So, then, be did not receive John's bap tism, nor believers' baptism, nor. Christian baptism, nor was he baptized till he was thirty years of age. How,, then, can it be said that he •was baptized as an example for us ? Is there a single passage of God's Word which countenances that idea? Not one. Then, let us hear ,the true rea son of his baptism from his own lips. John, not understanding .his design at first, was unwilling to - baptize -him,- •say ing, "I have need to .be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ?" Jesus then unfolded to him the end he. had in view, saying, "Suffer it to be, so now, for thus 'it becometh us (i. e. John and himself) to fulfil all. righteousness." John now ac quiesced, for he perceived that Christ was about to enter upon his ministry, and that it was requisite that he should be conse crated to the work, by the agency of his Forerunner, and by the 'anointing of the Spirit. ," Righteousness" means con i ormity to a law. And to what law-did Christ and John conform in this instance ? Not to the moral, but the ceremonial law. To explain the transaction, we must recur to the law for, thee - consecration of priests, which is in these words, "'And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them. with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the ;holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him."—Ex. xxix: 12, 13. Now, these Aa,ronic priests, in their official character, were types of Christ, and it was necessary that all the types should receive their fulfil ment in him. First. As the priests were introduced into their office, at the age of thirty years, so Christ delayed entering upon his ministry till he had reached that age. Secondly. As the priests were set apart to their office by the washing of water, so by the application of water was Christ in troduced into his priestly office, which was the basis of the other two offices. Third. As "the priests, at their consecra tion, were anointed with the holy oil, so Christ, at his baptism,was anointed with the Holy Ghost descending upon him in the form of a dove. Such is the only satisfactory account that can be given of this baptism. It was in cumbent on John and. Christ to fulfil those precepts of the law which fore-shad owed the Messiah's consecration to his office. Immediately after his baptism, and in the first recorded sermon he preached,. Jesus made distinct reference to his recent consecration to his work.—See Luke iv : 16-21. And when he appeared in the temple, and taught publicly, we are told that " the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things, and who gave thee this authority ?" Christ, in his reply, refers them to the baptism he had received from his Forerunner, John. He says, " I also will ask you one thing, which, if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by what authority Ido these things. The baptism of John; whence was it 'l' from heaven or of men ?' They saw at once the bearing of this ques tion ; for if John's mission was Divine, Christ had ample legal authority, having been introduced into his priestly office by John, who was himself by birth a chief priest. Rightly apprehending the drift of the Saviours question, they durst not answer it, lest they should involve themselves in an admission of his authority. From the foregoing .remarks it appears that those who talk of following Christ in his baptism,: know not what they say. Neither in his being circumcised nor in his observance of the Passover, nor in his keeping of the seventh day, nor in his baptism, was he an example for us. Let us imitate him in all those moral excellences which shone so brightly in his character;but let us be ware of attempting to folow him into • his priestly office. L. N. D. The Model Prayer The Glasgow Examiner,, quoted in the . Paisley Herald of Oct. 25th, has a very, able article, on the preaching, of Rev. Professor Cooke, D. D., of Belfast. It is too long for our columns; but a portion of it, which presents a synopsis of Dr. Cooke's exposi tion in Stockwell Free Church of a &Mit , . ful part of , Our Lord's teachings, will be read with interest and profit. The subject was ; Matt. 6 : 9-13 ; " After, this man ner, pray ye ; Our Father," &e. • He commenced by saying that, before he came to the subject, there were three re marks which he wished to make. The first remark was one made by an able expounder of the 17th chapter of John's Gospel, who said that that chapter should be called the Lord's Prayer, while the prayer now to be the subject of illustration should rather be called the Model Prayer. The second re mark was made by a modern Divine, and was to the effect, that- before we come to our own personality in prayer we must embrace heaven and earth. The third remark is, that we can never do any thing right by a solitary principle. There is generally a principle going before to aid the one, lagging behind. Take in proof, a good man all made up of benevolence Ile soon gives away all he has, and requires aid himself. He needs the correcting and counteracting principle of cal culation to cheek and control his benevolence. Or, take a man who merely calculates, and he be'comes a miser. The two principles a . 6 required in a well-balanced and well-regul ted mind. Action and re-action must be in operation. In our exposition of this prayer we shall see these counteracting principles at work. This strayer is full of meaning. If it were found floating on the wide Atlan tic, or in some far off desert, and were all of the Bible that were known, it would witness as significantly for God as the sun and stars do fortheir Divine origin. In the preface to the first petition, we find an interchange of principles suggested. "Oar Father who art in heavers Paternity suggests childhood. When live call God Father we must mean that wClook on 'our selves as God's children. TVA idea, while grammatically singular, is inylectually plu tt ral. If there is a Father, th n are children understood, and here the spit of adoption is implied; the spirit by which. eery " Abba, Father." The Spirit witniises with our spirits, not to our spirits, that, we are the children of God. We ha.velOre„then, the prayer of a child to a Fathera child- who , t , can appeal to a Father's li tirt, and who looks on itself in relation to 'Father's duty. True religion lays hold of thg 4. covenant re lation. But this Father i k , ; in, Ifeavcv. Why in heaven?` Is he no 'everywhere,? He is everywhere; but, in o' 'fi• to withdraw the heart of the worshipr in every form, and from a, God is represented as _ _ _ _ `mind of the suppliant is :to heaven, - where the Fat Father is surrounded with know not where heaven is, ,we ktiow that it is where Jesus is sitting . : ,the right hand of God. And when we kn4w that we shall see him as he is, that involVes the idea of home. "I go," says Jesus,t" to prepare a place for you." The suppliant is in the position of a child far Min home, and longing to be home. Therti:can be no hap piness without a home. "Wben we think of the utterly miserable, it is of the 7. - zoineless The man who baS a home is 'hot homeless, be cause he may be absent. § l O the child here, though far away, is lookin - to his home. He feels be has a home, an will be content with nothing but with hom . He knows his Father has a home, and to that home he turns his eyes. It is nature in him which leads hint to do so. - - But the spirit of the .child is in some dan ger of clegnerating into one of confidence and presumption, and hence we find the child immediately becomesi o worshipper, and an earnest, scrupulous worshipper. " Hal lowed be thy name" is the first peti tion. The very name .rah—the vocable which indicates Jehovah's existence—is hal lowed in his esteem. If the mere vocable which indicates Jehovah is to be hallowed, how much more his perhonality—his attri butes and perfections.. .There is nothing I am so much aft:aid of as of,my prayers. The sins of holy things are very heinous. With what reverence should -Vie approach this Father. And yet somedare employ 'this holy name as a mere expletive, or asconfirth atory of some statement, The suppliant here has put on the character of a worship per, and the very sound Of Jehovah's name fills him with holy reverence, and he Says, " Hallowed be thy name.-'! But we observe farther`„ that the tendency of weak human nature is to reduce all reli gion to worship. They:yeek no Bethel at home. 0 Jacob ! when thou didst sleep on the cold ground, thendr turn the stone into an altar, and called t place the,house.of Goa. How many ruakethe Sabbath day Serv ices all their religion, and never think of carry ingit into the world—into the activities of life. Here we observe that the suppliant puts on another character—not by putting off the character of the child or the worship per, but as the warrior puts on his breast plate and`his hemlet 'over his dress, so does the suppliant here put on the character of the subject. He addresses a king, and feels he is a subject," Thy kingdom come." A kingdom implies subjects, law, loyalty, trib ute, and subjection. God's service does not end with worship. He is a king. Here let us realize the personality of God. He is a Father and a King, and has supplied us with an authentic edition of his own laws. Here we are taught to pray that his kingdom may come: This is to be ‘ done in the province in which Satan claims to be lord. " Thy king dom come." The petition means, take us for thy subjects, and we will obey thy laws, and fight for thy rights. But we remark farther, that he who serves his king faithfully and, loyally, expects to be honored on that ground. He looks for his laurels as the reward of his service, and hence, to prevent that feeling, the character again changes, and the petitioner"appears in the form of a servant. " Thy will be done." Here we have God recognized as a master, and the petitioner as a servant. A servant must implicitly obey his master in all things lawful. When commanded, the gbrvant .must not say, "I will not go." He must say, like the Centurion, that he is at the bid ding of his employer. here, then, is the mould in which he is to be east—God's will must be done. And now for the measure— "Asit is done in heaven." That's the Gethsemane condition of a believer. He goes in sorrow, but yet he prays, " Not my will, but thine be done." He has a right to appeal to his Father, but he adds, "Not my 'will, but thine." This is the measure. We do not see how angels serve in heaven, but we see how Jesus served'on earth. Even in heaven, God charges his angels withfolly* Christ's exanple, we have a per fect pattern. He was obedient even, to death; and for that reason he has now a name above every man. But we find another change of character. A servant has the feeling that he must be paid. The servant looks for his hire, and in the parable we see the wages , partly of debt and partly of grace. He gave the man a penny who wrought for it- 7 -that was his hire ; but he gave some a ppnny who had not wrought for it, and in that he exercised his right. But now cometh on the spirit of the beggar—the hungry beggar—cg Give us this day our daily bread." The bread that perisbeth is here included, but also the bread that endureth to eternal life : grace is sup plicated, but only a day l s grace. We have no grace to pray either for bread or for grace for the morrow. Our bodies may be dead, and not requiring bread, and our spirits may be in glory. But even charity may, by continuance, be come a sort of right, or be viewed as such. *Job iv :18 ; " Anl his angels he charged with folly." "Charged," past tense, referring, to the fall of some from their first estate ; and t to the continued service of those who kept t estate, and still abide with God in his love. Tho passage is often misquoted, especially in prayer. The intention is to magnify the idea of God's holiness. But the effect is, in reality, rather derogatory to that Divine attribute. God is too'holy to tolerate folly heaven. He cast out the angels who transeessed. It is of vast imparts:lee to get into the habit of quoting Scripture correctly. There is an im mense difference between charges and charged. Let goring ministers, and those persons who are wont to lead . in prayer, and those - who` instruct children, note the reuiark.—En. The lazzaroni of Naples were , at first tolera ted as beggars, but DOW they claim that as a right which was wont to be a gift, and the government winks at their demands. A new principle comes in here to check or chunterwork that spirit. Man is a debtor— a debtor wbo 'cannot pay a debt of sin. Here the petition- 1 " forgive us our tres passes." The preacher here entered on an ingenious defence of the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, which some have im pugned because one of the Evangelists Calls _the thing to be forgiven a " debt," and' the other a "trespass.' The preacher saki that Jesus, in teaching his disciples, bad often to repeat, the same lessons, and found them 'slow in learning, and it is likely that Jesus `neated this - -ayer in their hearing: and, wish to know bow much God- forgives, we are not sent to heaven to. learn, but to : our own heart. "As we forgive, them who trespass against us." We are sent here to human experience. This implies that we have an idea of forgiveness, through the merits of Christ crucified. If Christ's cross has not taught us forgiveness we need not go anywhere else to learn it. But the prayer goes on to say, " Lead us not into temptation." The Apostle James settles one disputed phase of this petition when he says, "Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God tempteth no man." God can, and does, try a man, but he does not tempt him. Some render the petition " Suffer us not to be led into temptation," but neither the words ,nor the sentiment will bear such a render ing. That would be a prayer that God would give us no trouble. But we have no right to expect God not to try he. God has a right to polish his diamonds, his jewels, as he thinks fit. The petition I understand to be an ingenuous confession of our own weak ness. Peter lost sight of this fact, and he fell, not before a Roman soldier, but before a simple maid, becanse he- did not feel his weakness. The 'petition is -0, Jesus, I'am willing to do and suffer thy will, but I am weak; 0, permit me not to be tempted, so as to lead me to fall. " Deliver us from evil." No principle can be behind this. The man now feels he is in prison—a prisoner to evil. He can sink no farther. It is now all a grasp and a grapple with him for life. The prison doors are closed on him, and he cries for deliverance. The pe titioner began in heaven, but he now feels that he is on the brink of bell, and cries for mercy. We cannot at present enter on the ques tion that the reasons, of -this prayer are be yond its limits, but conclude with some re- Marki. First, Ido not say that there can ilft" l 49,'.:P.TaY.er;wileg o,ll,,thALe.,:,topies are em braced, because know-that there may be a heaven-inspired prayer, with only one sen timent,. such as, help, Lord. Even our Lord, sometimes, limited himself to one or two petitions; but what I say is, that there cannot be the true spirit 'of prayer where this model is not. 'occasionally followed. One thought may be .glanced at a time,- as Stephen's was when he said, Lord Jesus re ceive my spirit. But prayer spreads itself over the whole life, and over all human af fairs. But, again, some` satisfy themselves with mere individual petitions. In the evening they pray to be preserved during the night, and in the morning they pray to be kept during the day. Such have not the Spirit of praye'r, else they would embrace` all men and all human interests in their peti tions, and, like David, earnestly pray, " Let the whole earth be filled with thy glory." North-Western Theological Seminary [The following letter, concluding our cor respondent's account of the , doings of the Seminary meeting at Chicago;, was missent; and hence did not arrive in season for our last week's issue. A few of the facts contained, we had from other sources, and stated them; but the subject is so important, that we give the narrativein full.] Du. MoKiNwEv :—I send you to-day, a brief report of the final action of the Board of Directors for the Theological Seminary of the North'-West. After the appointnaent of the permanent officers of the' Board, consisting of Rev. S. T. Wilson, of Rock Island', President, Hon. Lincoln Clarke of Dubuque, Vice President, and Rev. J. G. Monfort, D. D., of Cincin nati, Seeretary, a Finance and Executive Committee was appointed, consisting of Rev. Messrs. S. T. Wilson, J. G. Monfort, D. D., J. C. Brown, and Messrs. Lincoln Clark, J. S. Williams, (.3. -A. Spring, J. 1%1. Glover.;• and. Hon. John Wilson and Sampeillowe, asso ciates ; which committee, is charged with the important business of effecting the en dowment of the Seminary, proceeding as they shall deem expedient and advantageous, to provide grounds and buildings for tempo-. rary and permanent occupancy, and to make all such other provision for the Institution as may be called for. This oominittee is to report to the Board of Directors at h meet ing to be held upon the 'call of the Presi dent, not later than the Ist TuesdaY of March, 1857. A resolution was then adopted, calling up on the ministers and church Sessions, with in the bounds of the Synods, immediately interested in the Institution, to present the whole subject of the establishment and en dowment of the Seminary to the churches, upon the third Sabbath of December, and to co-operate with the Executive Committee in all their plans for the vvelfare of the Institu tion. It was further resolved to continue the operation of the Seminary at New Alba ny, until next April ; and Messrs. R. L. Stanton, J. G. Monfort, Victor Sing, and R. L. Forsythe were appointed a committee to attend the examination of the students at the end of the present term: The following Professorial Chairs were created : Theology, including Didactic, Po: lemic, and Pastoral Theology. Bibliology, including Biblical Literature, Criticism,' Hermeneutics and Exegesis. Ecelesiology, including the Constitution, Polity, and His tory of the Church. It was left to the Pro fessors to make such 'provision for initruc tion in Sacred >Rhetoric as they may deem expedient. After this, a motion was made to proceed to the election of Professors, pen ding which; the Board`went into interlocu tory session, with closed doors, upon the merits of the several candidates. After full, free, and pleasant, conversation, the Board proceeded to elect; and the result was the elction of Rev. B. D. Mac Masters, D. D., to the Chair of Theology, Rev. A. B. Brown, D. D., to the Chair of Ecclesiol ogy, and Rev. T. E. Thomas, D. D., to the Chair of Bibliology. Before proceeding with the election, there was, a strong effort made, on the part of some members of the Board, to postpone the election until a future time ; this was overruled, however. The vote stood as fol lows: MacMasters,l7; Scattering, 5. Thom -16 ; .Scattering, 6. Brown, 19; Scat terinv• 3 . Nine gentlemen, whose names I am not ,now in possession of, were appointed a Board of Trustees. ' Rev. S. T. Wilson, Dr. Stephenson and „Dr.. Stanton were appointed , a.vommittee to 30 Al the choice of AgitleikkiiivetheirAW ceptande.. 'The .4aid`'Clien - ad i jonriced,:to meet at the call of the 'Preatifent, notiatnr than the month of March next. Viewed in whatever light it may, this is unquestionably to be regarded as one of the most important movements which has taken place in our Church for many years. May the blessing of God attend it; and wherev er in the great North-West, this'• Seminary may be located, may the hearts of our peo pie warm to it, and may their energies be so wisely directed in regard toit, that it may be the instrument of great good. God has manifestly smiled upon the effort hither to. May the light of his countenance be still lifted up upon it. , Yours, &c.,. Good Rale for Editors. There is, perhaps, no class of our public servants who have more difficulties to con tend with, than the editors of our': news papers. Mr. A. finds too much news in his paper. Mr. B. does not find. enough.. Mr. C.. expects more original matter. Mr. D. - prefers 'selections. Mr. E has .a hobby, and expects the editor to agree with him per fectly. Mr. F. has a very different hobby, and is offended if the editor does not play largely upon his string. And Mr. G. and all the rest have some mission or other— some Booriboolagha—and expect of course that the editor should say a 'great deal in favor of, and nothing against their favorite schemes. Still, editors may do right and proper, says an, editor of an influential paper. I conducted, for sixteen consecutive years, 'a newspaper which bad a very wide circula tion, and, considerable influence. My in variable rule was, the fill exercise of my own judgment, and , the impartiality and patriotism which my conscience dictated. From time to time, iminbers of subseribers, party-zealots, withdrew, angry with opinions thaty d ponflicted with their prejudices Nand hopes ; but most of them returned ere long, and as many new subscribers were attracted by the novelty of moderation and impartial treatment."—Presbyterian Witness. Narrative of the State of Relikion, adopt. .ed by the Synod. of Northern Indiana. In this changeful, world, a.revievr of the past from any point, and in relation to any interest, may be expected to preient events hothead and joyful. Looking over the history of the past year in reference to our peculiar fieldsof effort, we find not only occasion to weep with those that weep, but also to rejoice with those that rejoice. One of our number, Bev. P. L. Munnie, has been stricken down by the hand of death. While we mourn his loss, we bless Godthat'so many of us "still live." We notice, with gratitude, that so many churches report increased attention and growing numbers, especially in connexion, - with the labors of the past Winter. Though there has been no general outpouring of God's Spirit, yet some churches in every Presbytery have.enjoyed sea sons of peculiar religious interest, and some of them, such as they have never before experienced. We record, with special thanksgiving, that in Hanover College, always dear to us, but doubly so now, that it is presided over by a member of our body, more than one-half of the students are professors of religion ; and also that in Wabash Cellege, an institution in which, as located in our bounds, though not in any sense under our con trol, - we yet feel a deep interest, therehas been a gracious outpouring of God's Spirit. Sabbath Schools have been maintained in almost all our churches ; perhaps wherever it was practicable to do so. The interest in them, though fluctuating, seems, on the whole, to be on the increase. Our prayer-meetings, too, though suffering from some disturbing influences peculiar to tile times, are yet regularly kept up in many places. It is cer tainly a great encouragement to know, that week by week, in spite of all hindrance, undisturbed by the tempestuous excitement that rages around them, the " two or three" to whom the promise is'given, continue to gather .in Christ:s name. Quite a number of our churches have some sys tematic plan of beneVolence, and others have made movements, more Or - less decided, in the same direetion.. We have reason to hope that the plan adopted by Synod will receive the cordial co-operation of, all 'our. churches ; 'and we confi dently anticipate the tim.e,.when every disciple of Christ within otir bounds, will lay by in store for the service of Christ, 'as'r God hath prospered him. Among our difficulties, we would mention first, that we suffer seriously from emigration. In many of our churches, the gain, both by certifi cate and, by profession, does but little, if any thing; more than supply the deficiency caused in this way. It is owing to this 'that some of our churches seem to grow so slowly, and are so long dependent upon our Board of Missions. Again, the scattered state of many : of our congregations, rendering impracticable'the maintenance of prayer-meetings at any time, and of Sabbath Schools, except during part of the year, is a great hindrance to their prosperity. Our hearts bleed as we think of our many feeble, vacant churches, with none to break unto them the bread of life. The ministers and elders of more favored congre gations here assembled, would assure these, their brethren, that as they are pot forgotten, by the Great Shepherd, so neither are they by the under shepherds who are to " feed the flock of God." We would ,entreat them, urged by their ownpeeu liar necessities, to join us,in praying the Lord of the harvest to send forth more laborers into the harvest. . It is mournful to hear from almost every part of our Synod that intemperance is on the in crease, - and while remanding the scrutiny of 1120= - dyes to Him who alone looketh on the heart, we cannot but deplore the giving of, fresh license, froth any canse, to' so ruthless a deStroYer of the bodies.and souls . of men. But perhaps nothing ' has impaired the efficiency of the Church for a few months past, so much as the intense political excitement which has agitated our nation. From every 'quarter, not only of our Synod hut of the whole country, we hear ' of its malign influence. Our Sabbath assemblieMhave been stupifted by it, the ear rendered dull of hearing, ,our., meetings thinned, and in seine eases even the Sabbath School weakened and scattered. Breth ren, these things ought not so to be. A patriot-. ism which makes us forget Grod, may be expected to lead God to forget us, and " when he hideth his face, who then can,behold him, whether it be done against a nation, or a man only?" While we rejoice that you take an interest in the affairs of Philadelphia, 27 South Tenth Street, below Chestnut By Nail, or at the Office, $1.50 per Year, sEE nosnerus, Delivered in the City, 1.75 NORTH-WEST WHOLE NO. 219 the nation, thus rendering to Cresar the things that are Caesar's, we would implore you not to overlook, or rather under-look the more solemn and imperative obligation to render unto God the things that are God's. We do not think it improper to make special and emphatic mention of the fact, that amid all this disturbance and agitation those who have been set over our congregations it/the Lord, have, like the apostles of old, given themselves " con tinually to prayer and the ministry of the Word." The wild deluge of excitement has not yet come up to the top of that high mountain upon which we stand, to publish salvation. Though its waters may have wet the soles of our feet, they have not prevailed to overwhelm or carry us away. We ascribe, this to no superior wisdom or self-control on our part, but to the restraining grace of Him who alone can say to these tumul tuous billows. " Thus far shall ye come, and no farther," We would, fain believe that in this ministerial fidelity and singleness of eye we see • the rainbow, 'spanning our dark and troubled sky with its arch of beauty and promise. We value it not so much for any uncertain popu larity it may secure us among men, but rather as au evidence of the past and a pledge of the future favor of God. ." 3 rArtd well - may've here; as we set up on annual tbenezer,. turn to that future, since a review' of the past is.valuable .chiefly as it ministers ;instruc tion and' encouragement for'the future. We 'can not doubt from what we'llivve heard, in addition to what we have all individually seen, that "there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed." And we can as little doubt that God is adding the voice of his providence to that of his Word, saying, " Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward." We will go forward, running with patience, the race that is set before us, looking.unto ~Iresus, the author arid finisherof our faith. terd, submissive niake nßgo, Gladly leaviug all below; Ooly thou our leader be, And we still will follow thee." J. EDWARDS, Moderator E. W. Wright, Stated Clerk. For the Preebyterion Banner and Advocate Presbytery of Sioux City. This Presbytery, erected at the meeting of the Synod of lowa, held at Burlington, Oct. 13th, 'A. D. 1850, met in Fort Dodge, on, the 6th day of November,. at 7. o'clock P. M., when the following resolution from the Synod, was road before the meeting Resolved, That all that part of the Presbytery of Dubuque lying West of the Last line of liar din CountY, thence directly North to the State line, be erected into's. new Presbytery, to be called t The Presbytery of .Sioux City ;" and that said Presbytery be required to, hold its first Meeting at Fort Dodge, on the first Thursday of November, A. D. 1856, at 7 o'clock, .to be opened with a sermon by the Rev. S. T. Wells, or in case of 'his absence, by the oldest minister present, who shall preside until a Moderator be chosen. ln accordance with the above resolution, Pres bytery was opened With a sermon by, Rev. S. T. Wells: After sermon, ;the session of Presbytery was constituted with prayer, by the presiding officer. Moderator and other officers were elected, and Com mittees appointed and resolutions passed for car rying on the work of the ministry more success fully within our bounds. The , meeting, was exceedingly harmonious and pleasant. Much interest on the subject of Mis sions;'and the early supplying of the people within our bounds with the living ministry, was manifested by the members present. Though few in number, yet we trust God will put it into the hearts of many earnest, zealous ministers to come over help us labor in this beautiful land, and aid in disseminating the precious truths of the Gospel of Christ among this people, that our field, though now almost destitute of laborers, shall soon bud .and• blossom as the rose, and the fruits of the Gospel shake like Lebanon over these far extended and much inviting prairies of North ;Western lowa. E. 'L. DODDER, Stated Clerk. For the l'r . esbyterias Banner and Advocate. Presbytery of Zanesville., The Presbytery of Zanesville met, agreeably to adjournment, in Uniontown, on the lath inst., for the purpose of ordaining and installing Mr. Alex ander R. Hamilton. Having passed ,the usual trials for ordination, which were sustained, Pres bytery .did then ordain Mr. Hamilton to the full work of the ministry, and install him pastor of the church of Uniontown. Ins these exercises, Rev. M. A. Hoge preached the sermon ; Rev. S. Wilson,.presiding, proposed the Constitutional questions, and offered the or daining prayer, Rev. W. Morris Grimes delivered the charge to the pastor, and Rev. W. M. Fergu son to the people. • Revs. James M. Platt, John Kelly, and Wm. M. Robinson were appointed a committee to install Mr. Hamilton pastor of the church of Brownsville, on the second Friday of December, at 1 o'clock P. M. Each of these churches receive one.half of Mr. Hamilton's labors. Wii. M. ROBINSON, Stated Clerk. ASCENT OF MOUNT ARANAT.-A compa ny of five Englishmen have recently ascended mount Ararat, a feat which the natives be lieved to be impossible. It is 17,323 feet above the level of the sea, and 14,300 feet above the plain, terminating in a precipitous cone 6,000 feet , high, covered with snow, which they supposed had: hitherto foiled all the attempts of explorers. On reaching the top they drank the health of Queen Vic toria, whose name, they' say, " is probably the first that has been pronounced on that solemn height since it was quitted by the great, patriarch of the human race, as no re cord of tradition exists of the ascent having ever been made before, although repeatedly tried by men of different countries." In this they were mistaken, as the ascent was made in 1829 by Dr. Parrot, who was sent out on a scientific expedition by the Russian government. WORK or GRACE AT AMOY, CHINA.— The Rev. Mr. Doty writes : " There are those both at Amoy, and also at the stations in the interior, who are asking the way to Zion, or to be numbered with the professed people of God. An interesting spiritual aWakening has taken place in a market town eight miles further inland than where this precious work began in January, 1854. We have also increasing evidence that the leaven of the Gospel is working in individ ual cases, in many places around us. Our native helpers find a wonderful readiness to hear their messages, and listen to their in structions." A CONSCIENTIOUS ARTIST.-It is stated of a distinguished artist, recently deceased, that he would never draw the likeness of any one for whom he had not a personal re spect. ; " When importuned to allow any distinguished man of defective morals, whom other artists may be proud to paint, to sit for a likeness,. he steadily refused. He would not consent to copy traits of sensuality and dissimulation in the countenance of any man, whatever his station or influence." -SCIENCE AND. THE BIBLE.---Juient. Maury of the Rational Observatory at Washington, in a lecture in New York, said, " I have al ways found in my seientiffc studies, that when 'I could get the Bible to say anything ,upon the subject, it afforded me a firm plat form to stand, upon, and 'another round in the ladder by which I could safely ascend.".
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers