MU
amur. 40
.11)J4Tritit,
PITTSBURGH, MARCH 7,1857.
$1.50, In silizouco; or im Clubs,
:.sf. • 2Bp or, deliveitiNist reslilences of Subscri..
bore, $1.75. See Prospectus, on Third Page.
REN NW A L S 'Should be prompt; a little
while l!Perore the year, expires, Rota ,mia'e many
tor b herds, supply.
THE RED WRAPPER indicates that we
.
detlr• 'Wrens:mud: however, in the haste
,A 11 4 1 *.11111 shealdbaolifttftldiwa
hops Ulft" ; Oland"will still !Setter/0i ns.
REMITTANCES.—Sand payment :by waft
handsoarisenuenvenient.. _Oa) .send by„ snail,
enclosing with ordinary care, and troubling
nobody with n knowledge of what you are
&Meg.' lA* I large enieunt, send a - Draftier
bin 41 1040.te5. , For one or two paper sound Daid
tor,easell notes. , -
TO MAKE CIidNGEO send postage stomps"
or bettor stin t mend for AliOr, porno; ray $1
'rent . derontintonneref or $ll. rktartioilikeo
;lininboroe
DIRECT all Letters .ssad•Comminutteationo
to ARV. .Pittsburghi
, .
THE 13oktp: air TitusTKEs of Washing-
ton Co4sgit ; stands 'adjourned to meet in
Washington: on Tueiday, the 24th inst., ,nt
2 o'clock
W. ATCHESOI4., Secretary.
itEOEIFT /3 FOR THE BOARDS. Wil
liams.and Mr. Childs, reeeiving,,agents for
Miasions, &0., have furnished their . state=
meats forlast:month,.but the prise Of mat'.
t i er on hand 'defeiti,their 1;1'11)110k:inn till next
week. .
Donations to DaaviUe.
The Pres tyteria;l I,:ireraid 'tells us of a
egaiy of twenty to thirty thousand dollars,
loft.to the, Seminary of. Danville, by Judge
H. P. Brodnax; of Russelville, Ky.; ti,nd , of
ten thousand acres of Arkansas land, worth
fifty thonsand ' dollars, donated by E:H
Porter, Esq., of
.Me.mphia, Tenn. 'The evi
dencefor the latter is giett as statements
" floating through our secular. exchanges."
We shall , bc pleased to learn that the Semi
nary,Will receive both theie stuns; Men who
love the 9hirch, and love their country; can
not easily find a better use for
. their orplus
.funds,lhan in promoting Christian educati on.
Reldvaist
The church of LITTLE AIIGWIOK, at
Shade Gap, Pa., has been 'enjoying a 'very
gracious visit from the Ler& It was,grant
ed under . the ministrations of neighboring
laborers, the pastor, Rev. Wm. S. Morrison,
being from home . ; on account of ill-health.
There were fifty-two inquirers. More par 7
ticulars will be giyen.nex week:"
jEASEY SHIM; PA.—The church at
this place, under .the pastoral bare of Rev.
Joseph Stevens, is enjoying 'a precious re
vival. There have been about a kindred
inquirers . , after, the way of life, of whom
about fifty had obtained a tope and entered
the communion of the church. May their
all, and many others, their associates 'till
lately in sin find a joyous 'home- with' the
people, of ,God. , .
tiAMBRIDGS, Orno.---See, in another
oltunn, a notice of God's grace to his peg
,the gutpouring of his Spirit, and
in .presenting to , his Beivice a new house`,
wheretonieetliirvrotabipliere:--
rolitiaiti coiiitithOn. • •
The readiness with which men- , even
these who in general appear to be honest—
will violate all the.principles of morality, in
their • political transactions, is, adapted to
amaze, us. .Ilow, is it , possible Congress
men, State Legislators, Judges, Executive
officers, 'down to stations the very least re
munerative,' seem to' be 'infected, as: 'though
the 'very-atmosphere' ofpolities were corrupt- '
even' the look of - desire toward offi
cial position were tainting to a degree that
few conld endure, without being eonta
minated.
The. late ,election, in Philadelphia, is, we
fear, no more than a bad specimen, and
not the worit4.either, of what occurs at the
very fountain head of RepUblican, - freedorn
—the chdice of rulers by, the, suffrages of
the
,pitiple., Transactions., at that election
have been-subjected to legal investigation,
and the results are humiliating and Ellerin
ing: The !Presbyterian' says':
We hare seldom been more sensibly" impreised
with the deipiaVity of the huutan heart than by a
perms' of the evidence which, for a'week , or two
past, has been elicited in one of the Philadelphia
Courts, , in the investigation of alleged election
frauds. ,Not in
,a single case',Merely, but in a
multitude of cases, it hes bee made to appear
that false naturalization papers, were manufac
tured ; tax receipte_forged; false oaths taken;
fictitious votes .reeeiied and recorded; mere
boys, contrary' toplaw, admitted'' to vote; double
' and tripple votesgiven' by- the same 'person, and
even the tames of dead min recorded as, voting.
To all this the officers having charge of the polls,
and sworn.to perform their duty faithfully, must
. have been`privy, if, indeed;they
,werenot active
in bringing about this state of things.
The things noted. are certainly an evidence
• of the deep depravity of the human heart;
but why does depravity break outgo violently
iii connexion -with the: particular L subjeet of
polities? Itethereany defeot on the part
- of the teachers of - morality ?' Ara Ged, and •
his Word, and moral responsibility exeluded
,e,ntirely, from. political affairs ?, In exclud
ing the: Pulpit, and the Christian, ministry,
and the Religious press---4s they are most
excluded=-from:justly party and paitizan
polities,bavethese coniervators of the itrity
, • of the social rust* ceased, in their inet,r
-: , tionsi to apply moral rrrinciptes to this, par
ticular bran& of human interests ?
The subject is. Worthy of being investiga
ted. the pnlpif has iightfay teak.' iiith
,every ; Llrg that matt, dPeablin that aspect in
'God.,teigju4ge ,This conduef--rin, 'the
moral , aspei3t;3as , under:the moral law. -,. Are
• reinistersfaitliftilin their nivn properephere ?
And 46811 'itady, in political
affairs, to do a all to the glory of God ?"
Let •the man who would cherish the , Chris-
tian's impe, be a`,CAristjap, man of p#noi
ple, everywhere. .ohristianity hive
more intnence,in may 'Social. , affairs, govern
mental as well "as , those Lrelative to trade
of dOtolied
people.
=
Hcme and Foreign. Record.
The March number of:our Official Church
Journal, is before,us. We always look for
it with interest, that we may learn what
our Ageneies.A.re doing,
,and what they pro
pose to do, and how zealous the pastors and
congregations may be in' striving to furnish
them with the capability of doing, by men
,and
DOMESTIC MISSIONS
The Record before us, presents very little
to this''important Board. An in
teratingletterfriiii Mr. Wells, Dubuque, is
the 'only - missionaryintelligenee. ' -
The leading thought urged by the Secre
tary, in the February number, was the making
Uf 'REPORTS by the Missionaries. This du
ty should be promptly and fully discharged,
and we commend the olheer -'who requires
it. The - benefit of such 'Reports consists,
not merely in the full statement of,facts and
doings, by which • we, become acquainted
with the value of the Scheme, but also in
impelling the Workmen to be more diligent,
pore observant of theinikence for good of
'the, means they use, and hence
,inore , zeal
ous to improve and inore_ Useful in their,
Work: ,A thorough system 'of reporting,
will ever - lead' to. systematic operations and
aealons industry. . .
RECEIPTS in• January,. at. Philadelphia,
.$5,618 ;
at Pittsburgh, t,p6o ; at Loaisviile, $l,lBB.
There were received in December, at Philadel
phis,.sloos7B ; at Pittsburgh; 4825 ; at Louie
s42B2. - • 't , ' tc , •
ED` TCATICiN
The need Famisis the'absorbing theme .
in this Board: It used to be, the need of
men, andthis need is t still, great, even more.
SO thaw formerly .; but;this defect has, come
to be less spoken of, 'since the churabeshave
shown such a sinful 'penuriousness in con
tributing to the sustenance of the compara
tively, ,few who- are willing to consecrate
themselves to the ministry. _We have:just
-been devoting: a :dray to.instruction and' pray
er, on this subject. May the Lord cause 'his'
churches to feel the influence of the in
strustion, and make , : thetnto , act in accor-'
dance with the petitions they have presented.'
It is not by Miracle that he answers , prayer,.
~
but by 'blessing his appointed- means, to the
aeComplishing of their apPropriate end.
RYCEIPTS .in jappary, at AilOelphii; $2,248 ;
at Pittsliurgla, $207 , ; Rt Loa . isville $39. '"ln.
I Dieifither there were received; at Philadilpida,
$5;038 ; Pittsburgh, $306 ; at Louisville,
$l5.
FOREIGN MISSIONS
Letters from India, 'Siam, and the Indian
Tribesirepresent the missionary operations as
about in their usual 'state.' The Chinese
Miasions are thus spoken of
Our letters are dated at Cantor!, November 13 ;
Shanghai, November 5 ; Ningpo, Nivember 8.
The destruction of the mission property at Can
towis one of the -immediate vesulte of the out
break between the British and the Chineseat the
city,. a. matter . doubtless ,alreoy known to our
readers.. The.mission houses, which were, held
on a lease from a Chinese landlord, but had been
rendered suitable for the' 'regidence of foreigners,
at considerable'expense to the mission, were both'
consumed
consumed by fire,. communicated from the burn
ing of one of.the gates of the, city. The furni
ture, books, and other personal property of the
missionaries, as well as litioks and other things
belonging to the Beard,_were all destroyed. The
pecuniary loseis considerable, probably between
`54,000 and , $5,000; but the real loss is much more
,serious, ,as many,of the books, and especially., of
the manuscripts, Wereofsneh a nature as cannot
easily, be replaced ;'While the schools; , hespital
and chapel services Were all broken tip, and the
- missionary work at Canton engreli-ausaatuita. -
....Tha...b...0....m-nart-reznoved - re - Macao, where they
;had rented a honseas it was _considered quite
uncertain when they would
,be able to' resume
labors 'Canton. ' They hoPad to -remove
'seine of their scholars .to Maeda._ from the
:missions at the North,"welhave . also discouraging
:news, though of a different kind—Abe failure
_of
.health and,probable return of severelmembers of
'the ,missions at Shanghai and Ningpo to this
country.'lt: as expected' that Mr. Wright; Dr.
'aid Mrs. McCeitee, and Mis: Nevins would soon
embark on their voyage home. :Mr. and Mrs. Nev
insha.ve consented to , ,this -temporary separation,
under a deep sense of duty in view of the missionary
work at their station, but yet feeling tacistleanly
'the trier. She have the enrol/any: howeVer, of
her-missionary-friends , on board the ship ; and it
is ,hoped the voyage will remove the bronchial
,complaint, so that she may soon go back to Ning
po v ‘ otheferise, Mr.' Nevins will
_return to -this
country.., Dr. MeCartee's health. has been so
much impaired by his long residence in China,
that a, visit to this country could . mot longer ho
-deferred witheafety... Mr. Wright's health con
;timies,to be feeble, yet he was able. to do, some
work, .. and would not, leave. his station if he
_could remain; his return was nod decided
On, though hiS physician adviked it These dis
:conraiemitite in the Missions to China :fall upon
.the Church, perhaps--to rebuke her past bike.
Itarmness, and at any rate to call forth her prayers.
In the end it will appear, we . trust, that
poorpurPoseln them is . a gracious' one to'the
'poor Chinese. - May the - peeple of Ood be led to
thel'a deeper concern , for their salvation I
''DONATION to the -Board. in , Jetruthr y, $22,285 ; in
December, $9,586. • '
PUBLICATION.
This Board is devoting its energies, with
commendable alacrity, to the• impiovement
of, its ,stock of Juvenile- books, including
Music books. In our Literary Notices, from
week' to week, • may be found 'their names
,
and character. We de not ask' the Board
to do everything in a day, but • trust thatt
the time. is not far distant, when we shall
be furnished with a neat,' < cheap, and good.
edition of our Confession of Faith; also, with
, . ,
a Commentary, cipecially on the New Tes.
Lament, adapted to our Church's wants;'raki,
with a truly excellent,Reference Bible,suc
ae some industry and a sound judgmen.
could readily furnish. ' These are a few O
II
the,,clesiderala, at :present . _ - ,
DpNeTtoys from .Tanuar , #.lsth to February 13th
$1 . ,457 ; proceeds of sium in:J'anuaiy; $2,031
CHURCH EXTENSION
The one page in the *Record, allotted t
this new.but important Agency, •is well fil
ed.' We wish every Christian would givq
something—it may; be only 4 little—but
something to build houses where God an
men may meet; to his praise'-and thsir in j
struotion, and regeneration, and growth, an j
JoY
RECEIPTS in Asuery, at st. Louis, $451 at i'hiL
adelithis t $801; at Pittsburgh, $172,
An Improvement.
- A now ,Apiscopal church. has been or; ;
ganized-,in.. Philadelphia, to .be under th; t i
`pastoral charge'of Raw Dudley A.`. Tyug.
notice of the projected building says :
4. To afford permanent accommodations to a is
'enterprise 'e`ommenced 'under inch ifavoiali , ;
auspices, it is proposed to erect church in ti
Western part of the city, capable et c9mrta:tabi
seating about ;three thousand, persons. No„aq
tenipt §e made, at arelitteetnral display,tan
the' lauds usually 'expended ',in oiimmeritatiet
brill ` be disposed in making' the building:equall;
-attractive all :parts, and to preserying a largil
portion of the seats free.' "
•
.• •
ThII3WO 'rigar4 -
as quite , an imprdventen
in church anihitatture=—Vrovided'anly Oa
.111 E- SB V T.: . .iIiTA:N - 77131N7N.k.k - AN - ii"005010 kl:
the size and arrrangements shall be such
that all may sit comfortably, and hear dis
tinctly. Splendid churehes—" first class,"
if you please se to call them—nurture pride,
cherish alienations, exclude the poor, and,
prejudice the masses. There should be,
always, good taste and arrrangements `for
comfort; excluding meanness and parsi
mony ; but things
: should , be so ,that_ the
poor and the rich would Meet - together in
true Christian fellowship. We are not so
much in favor of baying a Vasa of "free"
seats, but neither shoUld there be " pur
chased" seats. • The bttilding - Should be a
frze-will offering to the Lord, and the expense
of maintaining the worship 'should be duly
apportioned, that each -might give as the
Lord bad prOspered• him. A oerifenie4
way, and liable to perhaps as feiv objections
as any o her-which is practicable in our ina
'perfect state,
.is, to have' the necessary an
nual cost of Maintaining the ordinances, as
sesied on the seats; the' amount varyiiig
from a pretty high rate'en a few, to a very
low rate on many.;
'or'tho Preibyterian banner axid•Advocate
The •Prinoeton Review on Infant Mem-
bership.
[We 'give' a large portion Of ourr editorial
columns this week, to an article of vital im
portance: Does our correspondent rightly
.
understand the reviewer? If he does, an.
erior`laa leen broadhect in a high quarter.
But, whether 'there be in the Review. or
not,' , there 'error in a qixititer still higher
--error ln'; the Church, •in the pradtical
treatment and woful 'neglect' of. her baptized
-
children Discussion is needed. It Inky,
lead to an - awakening.=:;En.]
ME. EDlToll:—The:importaitee of this subject, ,
and the idea of theChUrch in the article before ur;
takerr 'connexion With , the source from'whiek
it emanates, make it worthy the special attention!
of your i ceders. If Eunderstand the doctrine, it
is .that-the children of believers are not merely
members of the visible Church, as"" born within
its"-pale,", but are presumed to be ." members of
the invisible Church," and are so to betreatect, and
taught to regard themselves—" receiving Christian
recogniiina" .as> such, &c.; p. 22. That their
status of Church membership' is quite the) - same
with , that of any professing= Christian, 'that is,
they are to be "presumed to be regenerated'snem
ber's of the invisible •Church, until theipriive by
their conduct the contrary`; p. 22. And this is
'distinctly argued' on the principle that "'member
ship,
in the'
visible Church is founded 'on a Pre
sumptive membership in the invisible, (the case
with adults) until its subjects, by, acts incom-:
patible therewith, prove the contrary. The
case is precisely analogous to that of adult pros:
'lessors ;" p. 23.
But, 1. Can that be fairly said to be,:the pre
sumption_ of the case which, so often is disproved
by the facts ?
2. If 'they are presumed be regenerate,
when: and how did they become so?'By Bap
tism ? This leads to baptismal regeneration.
This is not held by the writer. But 'holding, ths,
first position, we. might be driven to the second,
or 'might have to accept; it as substantially ;in
volved.
8. What is to be the;effeet of teaching our chil4
Aren that they are presume& to - be members of
the - instate Church; as - truly as -their Christian
parents, or any' other` member, *holm:pier/oozed-to
'r;generate f Will they not; infer: "We Wive
'Abraham to.dur father," and spurn the the/light
of any neceesity for_a_change of heart? le not
- Jutiaizing ? Is not the whole tendeney''of
thin doctrine to bring them to the Lord's table
'with no other 'qualifiCationg tint a knowledo'of
the Catechism and' Creed, and a decent ex.:
Whir ? The aniraus of the article to this effect is
observable J p. 16., '',Our fbeology has tasked;
and often exhausted itself on topics suyeetive, re-
Alive to regeneration and - conversion, While it has
been more , meagre in''reference to the objective,
Divine and heavenly truths, which are -the ali
ment of, faith-and-love." Have w's then, gone too
far in questions of regeperatiOn and conversion,
and does the, article propose to find out an, easier
way, relaxing these vigorous,requirements?
- Hence the, training here-held to be due to, our
children, is to educate them to this Idea, that
they and the children of God, and not " by nature
children ;of wrath," (p.• 24;) "to think,-feel and
act as the children of God "-=---" to bring them to a
"conscioustual or their rank, obligation's and,privi
leges• as -Members of the family of - God,- and-in
moulding their habits of thinking, .feeling, - and
acting into, harmony 'therewith," (p. 25.).. The
ldeu'of the Church to Ofs . setae effect, is striking
ly presented on p 22. "That'the true Church
of God 'is 'made up of those whom he has
chased with his own blood, And that:those who,
to the eye of a jadicious charity, are of this num
ber, are visibly of this Church, i. e. are the Church
visible." Are then, all thoie who are in charity,
reckoned to be regenerate; to be set;down as
members of the visible Church 2 Where, then, is
the .outward pale ? Where are the ordinances ?
Does " a judicious charity," Then constitute men
menihers of ,the visible, Church ? This does, in-
Aced, ignore the visibility with a witness. And
how are 'church meMbers unmade by this same
idea of the Church We are •told if this pro
feasion of religion- (adult) -be, accompanied by
heresies or scandals, which render the profession
of it .unworthy of belief, theti it does not•render
those whomadeit,- visible Christians, or visibly :mem
bers of the Church of "God." Is, then the -visible
membership, that the connexion with, the
visible Chui'eb, unmade , by, heresy or 'scandal,
without' any formal action of the :Church ?. Then,
indeed, Church meinbership is made by: judicious
charity or unmade by scandal; .without any
Chureb:'pale,• or' Chureh ordinatthe, and•ihe Idea
'`af the 6:lure/ale redueed tortlie Church as an Idia!
But furtbec Obi point; it is held, (2)`" tbose
incapable of such. credible profession may be
visibly members of the Church by virtue of God's
revealed Covenant, or promise to be their God."
But is this prBmise so absolute, that we are war
ranted to draw from it the conclusion, or even
the " presumption,", that all the children of
believers are members of Ihe invisible Chitroh?
Is it not rather that these infants are born .tutint
hers of the visible. Church, and are infant members
of the outward body, with promises of God specially
made to them, which are to be regarded as their
,peculiar inheritance and, Christian - birthright;
promises of God's blessing on their Christian train
ing ;- of God's Special favor •to tliem,-,heash)g
their early cry to hini, and speciallyready to:be
sought' and found of .-theral And -is not the
saving`resultmadw'to depend so.nraoh: MI the
parental .fidelity during the: years; ow to
make our - presumption able 'dependent gretitlyTon
their faithfulness. (Bee the 'Doctrinet of ;`our
Church.) By the right^ use ofthie E4dinanee,' the
grace prombied is not only 'offered. bid really
exhibited-and Conferred' by the HolY 'Ghost to
eueh (*fiether of age' or infants) as - thgt'atace
beiOngeth unto according tot7ee counsel of 'pod's
in his appointed brad." Csinfesti, CIL 28. •
question at isine - as to theiteituB, is quite
the same as in the controversy witVadvoe a ,t s of
baiktisinal feget(eration." It ''iiaition
whither the' . ref4i4 to, are (spit / 40' m
k orient/id, or wi l etliii; 64 are to
taught:and trained with a view to their becoming
so Y Now,
_if we are to hold them, according to
- the whole presumption of the case, " okildren of
'God," as well as children of the Church," we
shall not teach them to seek a change of heart, for
that , fir already epreiamed..-tWe shall mot-need -to
grey for
_thejy„ E regeneration, for, that has,prel,
sum) tively taken place: • '
The writer of this article does not tell us
-uhether. this-f .presumptivetnembership" of the
'C'harch. hue come from the bap ism, or
from the parental connexion. If, from the bap
tism, then, as we have seen, it inferehaptismal
;regeneration, or: leatis• directly to it. = But this is
not taught. But, a doctrine more mischievous,
baptismal regeneration, if we under
stand it, is to be barred, for then they are born
" Children of God,"Farei are not 1 4 by nature chil
dren of 'wrath; 'evenus ethers.”. But does not
GNPs • promise to onr.,ehildren in ,their highly
favored position„ ctil i for the parental fidelityin
regard to the ordinance, and in regard to the
training which - theiAlxisinie engages: "Iknow
Abrahain that he Will command his 'children and
ids 'household after liiinouid they shall` keep the
way of the Lord to din justice,andjudgment; that
the ',Ord maybring. : upon •Abraham all ;that he
hath proutieed.! 4 , Wei find on p.; 7; a very accep,-
table statement Of : 401, aloft', though not at 'all in
keeping with what fellows
" These covenants and promisee are, that God
Will be their'God ; that he will so put the blcss
.
ings Of salvation within their reach or possession,
that they cannot fail of them, without first spurn
ing and disowning their, birthright.". But this
correct idea of the, status.at once becomes, con
fused with the Other„ and, erroneous one that we
ha;re noticed, addk, theee Children . are de
clared 'tidy, which'implies that in their visible
Standing and' external treatmhnt, they are to be
accounted such,f till :t,hey prove , theinselies other.
wise, and that ,henee' they are to ' be baptized."
Does the' term ",holy!'. here, mean spiritually
holy, as the author ,plainly understands that
they are , to be accounted, or does it mean federal
ly " " as, opposed to the contrasted term
" unclean.?" The denhision appem4 again on pp.
23,'24, " All' tidal iniPerts nothing lesS than a
presu4tionthat ttgiii Children of the March. lin,
AND with. rnovs..ro ..2in ,, THE 'HEAL- CHIL,DREN 'OP
Goo, until they dispel that presumptionby their
own misconduct." *nt : on p. 24;. it would seem
the. Presumption is, that the things sealed:lynx
also be'"bestowed and aeceited—tili the contrary is
shown-this is a different thing. Hew ddes'this
future tense "win agree - with qbe present,
"ARE, and will , prove be-Y" And isinot the
i!„presumption," after all,: this, that God will bestow
the blessings, no,t,thnt,,th.ey, have been bestowed and
that the children aux regenerate—members of the
invisible Church ? Of course it is not supposed
that, the &latrine of from grace;' can , be
held 'by the auther,"iis 'lteeMinting for the fre
quent disproof lof this••prestiniption • abeut *the
spiritual ,membershiP of infants. -
On p. 3 we find "itlie view of the ritual school,
ineluding Remaniats o and Romanizing Protes
tants," stated as follows:.."Whoever is regener
ate, and baptized, is a member of the Church, vis
ible and invisible, to all intents and purposes.
Il• . • ,
He is to be aCemined - and dealt with as such. He
is `fully bound to' every duty, and entitled to every
privilege inthe housed God, of which his age and
eircumetance,s, •admit," Strikingly, like this,
however, turns out to be the author's own,view,;
that is, whoever are presumptively regenerate
(as' the infant childrenothelieving parents) and
baptized, are meinhers of the Church, visible and
invisible, to'all intents' purposes. ' "They' are
to be accounted and'thialtwith is such.'They are
entitled.to every Privilege,:and bound to .every
office of obedience,-&e,,, - which are appropriate to
their age and cironmstances, as members of the
Church ;" p, 22. author's position is hold to be
supported, (1) ' - "liyithe l ftdmitted fact that the
chiltlien - ot - ecor s'peopie;: Wh'e irrrancy;
members of the ChitioiC: invisible, and- heirs of
salvation." But, -if .this argument means any:
thing, it proves too much.. It 'litres that; inas
much as all the ehildren of believing parents if
they die in infancy, are. Jtayed, ; (heiFs
, of salve
tion,) therefore, all" children' of Believing
parents must bemetniciers 61 the invisible Cherch
e., regenerate.' 'Nit,- if thin so, 'Marty of
them, who do not comet° Jive as, Christians in
adult life, must .have fallen _from. grace., And
this is precisely tie .shift to which " the ritual
school "'are are driven, to, itivid, Die absurdity of
baVismal regeneration—or on infant measure of
regeneration—" according to age and eireum-
Th. author;: in; t aosistr , ', piiisiagee ' interspersed
throughoutEnliAtb, ~lhpidit:•rfgc n orrect views.
But they are mixed throughout with 'very crude
and incorrect notions, as wet7fink , as though he
were writing on' both tides' of "'tie question. We
are willing to take high views of infant member
ehip,Ahlt they . are-" children of the Church,"
awl** parental ; fidelity may be expected cer
inhdi. to become "the children of God." We
are willing to hold that in their minority they are
*kded and treatedin their
,parents, and that
*here' they die in infancy they are saved in the
"covenant relation. Bid this hi' quite a different
thing from the presumption Of4their being mem
bers of the Church invisible;,the. same as in 'the
case, of any Christian,..i.,;.&, i . etigenerated: The
presumption of this would lead in the wrong di
rection, both in case of the child and of the
parent"; leading both to settle detiii upon the idea
of the status, as presumplfivekreette already, in
stead of leading,te,mast he - pail; and earnest . la
bor, to,that end, j: Our.,Standt
i tida declare that
they are " bora loiV/ir/ : fts oak of the,, visible
Ohureh." Thiti
This articl e hOlds
ble Church—that Vs; ittliese profeasing parents
are believers. And' to 'evade • the , natural conse
,quence of administering to,them the,Lord's Sup
per, it is held (p. 22,) that they
. are ,memhers of
"the invisible Church only after thpir.measure—just
as they are members of " civil society " without
yet being entitled to vote • Of t e,o&-Sei then,"ib4
'come to the- i)faduie ineinbeisbip
by'oge,' and 'corne to the Lord's table at mattirit3i,
not because, of a change of heart, but:because of
a change of age. . ;
. .
• This is the naturalism of this doctrine. The
writer takes the
° declaration of our Confession,
that thoiare'honi Within 'the i?istible Inds, as „tire
supposing that they are' born Witfibi the invisible
Lpale ! p.'22. That is, their' viable membership
implies, presumptively, their • invisible member
ship'; and.they. aro baptized .beequee• they' are Tre
s/Ted to be regenerate;" or, rather ! holy by birth--
nRt federally holy; but members of the invisible
'Church !' Instead of teaching regen
eration; it would 'seem, at timeli;tilat`the Church
.visible, •and 'its ordinances; do not enter into the
writer's Account ; and the idea, ?of-the Church
is, therefore, that of, the Chnrckinvildble, which
is quite a different ," idea," front,,that found in
our Standards, on this subject., ;
. 0 4 1 ‘otteir , AtitfOrY '
(it; p. 2to more oleixl,T the
:Eame .l 136i411.418;'i;'
• assertinrit46 . dutY; &rid priiilege', , 'on
reaching, the yews, .of discretion, to come to the
'Lord's table, • ,nnleas by heresy,Agnorance, or
scandal, they, rebut this prefflunptio,V'r „Bat look
at the paragraph . Children born Ttildn the
pale . ' of vzsintx Ciruice, and to
,God in bap - tiara:l:re under the itiaDectiai - and
itivernTent• of the Church, and are to tukaubit
: to read, and repeat the Catechiste, the APostle's
gie,Lord's Prayer ; ,ta ; ,pray, ami•to
abhor el.niit?.teitrAilool, and obey the t .Lorcl i 4esue
°bruit. And ariwn
• they come to years of &sore-
Vett, triey from oceillial; ippiar
sober and steady, and to Harr, SUFFICIENT NNOWL
!MOB TO =SW - RN THE LORD'S BODY, (not Cate
ohetical knowledge alone; - but eiperiMental, of
course, he s me as is required:of adults,) they
ought to be informed it is their duty and rzivi
lege to. come to the Lord's Supper?' — Dees the.
Directory presume any such , thing as that they
are - menibers of the invisible Church by birth?
It presum:fs no such thing, bht rather the con
trary; ; and direct to such,hopeful training as
shall' make them to bdcome each with God's prom
ise I blessing. To this end it regards the seal- of
his covenant, as the precious encouragement of
the belieirer, confirming to us his prthnise as good
for 'our c ildren, if we be faithful and believing;
Mid regarding their position `bi - thiliostun - of the"
visible Church, as of the highest benefit for this
end, and 'warning us against any such , tg presump
tion "- as that they are born members of the,in
visible Church, it warrants, us to ,expect that God
bless our Christian training, and even the
ordhance, if he please, for their satiation.
'The doctrinequestion' is notthat Which Irma
taught by ''D ~
ootor'' Miller. (See Miller on Pres.
and Baptism, p.4s.)'And we are constrained to
say, that it makes out the status of the, infants of
believers to be the very same as is held by the
"baptismal
.regeneration" school, with their
,
practical proviso for the presumption of the case,
Ora falling fromgrace: 'Only; instead of treeing
this. presumed membership. of the'invisible
Church to the ordinance of baptism, it broaches
a still more nn-Scriptural and absurd" theory;that
it comes try birth. What next , A. 8.. ,
I'. S.—Since writing the above, we have
'deed the inquiry; of ‘" M.," in the Preabiterian of
Feb. 21st, expressing tite — sante' sUrpritie as Our=
seitres, at the ilectrine of the article. Andin re=-
ply to this inqttiry, lave 'just' read. in' the
Presbyterian, ; of ~ F eb. -28th, it:most remarkable
"Explanation," by the Amnon. It shows awon
derful facility of taking both sides of a question;
or else of writing With astonishing ambiguiti.
SUrely it'is net 'thus that we'are tc; git light'ort
solreat a subject, 'When a loie'article is needed
to expound the terms' of `the first, so•that they
shall not convey. to the common reader, , a thictrine
the Very opposite to, that which the:writer. holds,
But this attempt is utterly futile to explain away
the position of the first article. In . the Review,
,
(p." 28; last-line,) he says, " All this imports
nothing less thana„PrasuMption, thatthe children
of the Church ARE,, AND. will; to-be,,the real
children of:God; untirthey dispel that presump
tion by their-own misconduct. The "Explana-
..
flan" says, at the outset,, that "the article in
the Review founds the membershiP of the children
of Christians in the visible Church', on the pre
f3umption that they are;'ds, will proire to be the
•children' of God, or - members of• the invisible
Church." Are these positions identical•? Can ;
the author have failed, to apprehend the differ
ence?: Can he have eld V
h, both He probably
holds`to the latter. But it is perfectly plain that
heWrote his article establish the former—con.'
trary to the true doctrine of the Scrip't'ure, anii
of our Standards, and to the plain . facie of the'
11. No one doubts that . Anfants are capable
of Regeneration:, But the _author's , grievous
error is in presuming them Yo be'regenerate by virtue
of their believing parentage ; in, holding "the
presumption that they air, izndwilt - Pito*E'them.`" -
eeivee TO -BE the real children of God." " M."
drew. a correct inference ; • because, if -they were
born sinners, though of, believing : parents, the
whole presumption is, that they continue so, un
til therels some evidence to the contrary. For
their iegeneration; therefore, we lahoi and pray,
present theth in baptism;and plead God's prom.:
ises`to the, children , of 'the covenant," in the
hope, all along, that they uriabecome regenerit
but not in the " presumption that they ARE, AND
will prove themselves so." lirs do wit hold themes
aliens, but as, in the' pale of the visible Church,
3 0t,h_ s p ec i l 4 sidvautames-tizidiAligatiens.
111. The burden of the explanation, however,
•
tarns upon the antlior'a "logical" '
use' of
the terms, " prestniptive," and " . presumption."
In his usage; the word "presUmption" is not cor
respondent in meaning with the verb "prettime;"
that 35, the preauetirt,g ,of:;anytking' does not
amort , to the same thing as the presuTption,
it; saki that is,,we are to understand by his pre :
snniPilcin, (in thia - alum) oily "
men(." But hoW muck'doeethiaineid the doe- •
trine of the R,evieta 1 which" is "nothing less thin
the presumption, (or: charitable. JudgmentAl)
that the children •of the Church axe% AND wutl ,
PROVE TO BE, the real childjen of God?" • T,i4
is not merely the slip of a conjunction mad" .;
for' : " or ;"" feir herein' tke vertpoint of, the
first article. He itiote'i Dr: 'liittis; *(To: line
four,) to show that by " presninptiOn," , he mean
".supposition." Le:this, then, we ask;the ." pre
sumption " s or.-1 , . supposition," that these children
Aix, and will preys to be, regenerate, That the
author has seen hilmistake, and would explain it
away, is apparent in the labored exposition of the
language used;. wherein the•dieVidue'Of' the Re=
view is, if possible, to be explained away with the
terms. Now,. "the presumption." means "snch
a charitatile,,judgment as shall lead us. externally
to treat and deal with them, as if,,upon theproper,
discharge of parental vows in , due Christian training
and nurture, THEY • WOULD, ' TLIBOUGHI6HABE: '
form to -the principles of Christiatirti, till' the
contrary appears." This is certainly a very difl
ferent ,doctrine from • that maintained in the
view, which makes the presumption of member
ship in the invisible Church quite the same, in
case 'Of theie infants, as of professing . adultsi
that is, , of course, a presumption, ("II Charitable
jinignient,") that they ARE REGENBEATE until they
skew, by their misconduct, the contrary: • And,
strangely enough, this is re-asserted-in the,Explana
tion !
,
Query-W hat status of the " author," on
the statu.s'of • •"" A. B. •
For the Presbyterian Banner and Advocate.
'Testimonial. ' • '
. .
4EII cEDITOIi: —On the' occasion of 'the- recent
.diatkof, b , student of the. Bit. Union- Seminary,
the Prof essors and students appointed a Commit
tee to draft the following Obituary notice, forlhi3
oolunms, of your paper's
Dten--:On February Lit, 1857, of consumption,
it 'the residenCe of her father, Mr: Moo* of
Milton, Mahoning County, Ohio, Mrs: . Mani 'J.
Turrasrox, in the twenty-third year of . her age.
•
Mrs. Thurston was the wife of -Mr. Thu rston,
who also deceased some 'two years ago. Shelad
been married only eight months, when ,she vitas
left a sorrowing widow. Thus throirn Upon. her
own.resources, she diligently'and Conecientionely
sought an education, so that she might not only
maintain herself comfortably and honorably by
teaching, but also be the more useful to'tlie youth,
that interesting portion of, sooiety,,who are v t.he
hope of our country, the Church, and the world.
She succeeded in the pursuit of seience, a de
gtee satisfactory to her teachers and friends,:and
encouraging to those , of limited • means . or of
trembling heart ; and had success4dly discharg-,
ed the duties of a teacher, when .disease of th'e
lungs consummated its insidious ravages, and her
regenerated spirit, long since dedicated . to the ,
Lord, was dolled-home-to alriunion with kindred
hearts gone beforef, „,•-•
While a•meniber o f the 13eminury, she wiiiihigli
ly-resfeoWd by her tetiChaitilikr-fellovi;ititchiroti,
who now deeply sympatkife with her friends and
relati:es in their bereavement •
' -She was a faithful 'and, consistent mem - bei.'
the, Presbyterian Church, and died in the! tri
,umphs of a living faith. Her confidence was
Him who said " let.thy ' widows trust in
.Almost her, last wordel4mere,,".o I Jesnis iscmy
friend,!"
Thus another aiforeditnd Witness Nas t '
teetified,
even unto the , dyinglmoinenkto the .Irntlifubieis
,of the. Christian Religion, which alone eanslualify
ne'fo Hie rationally, and to die in the h op e a a
- better , resurrection. ' • 3 6 .111
E.
,Sec'y. , J. G. Wnsav o glivn,-
21rt. Unidn Sonftittry, Pe - 6. 28d, 1867.
=a
For the t Preabytertan Bander and Advocate
Revival at Canibridge,.ohio.
•
Mirg.N.NEv tr . reshyterian
Chureh of re ambridg6 4 llits been; and we
trust is still enjoying some manifestations of
ihelfteiallffeWertee God,
which, we are happy to communicate, if it
will be any cause of rejoicing, or ground of
encouragement to Christians in general.
This congregation erected a church edifice
during the past year, and assembled on the
third Sabbath-of January,l.Bs7,. to dedicate
it to the worship of God. We were , led to
continue meetings through the week, in
view of a communion season on the follow
ing Sabbath, -at which limoi•perceiiing a
growing interest, we protracted the meet
ings until the evening,of the first Sabbath:of
February,. Which ;resulted in the receptio n .
of twenty-six persons into the communion of
thOehnich; 'twenty of whOrn'were received
Upowthe - profession of - their faith in' Christ:
The dedieation sermeu lvas 'preached by
Rev, ,J. D.,„Smith„ of Columbus.,. , During
the meetings, we, were indebted to, Rev.
Samuel VindleY, Jr:;' and, Rev May=
for'valnable aiii. Some are - still
quiring "what tl3ey, ,muk to be saved ;"
and we rejoice in ,this evidence that the
work still, progresses.:
For tie PielolBlllli Banner and Advocate
- .
M. EDITOR :“ . -Permit ice, through ,
the medium
of your paper, to acknowledge, the receipt of a
Certificate of Life-Membership of the Domestic
Board of Missions; by the 'contribution - of 'Sid
Second church, of Pittsburgh. 'Apart from, the
imporpance of the objects contemplated. by this
valuable branch' of Christian enterpritie, theta' is
great, pleasure,
„especially as:we grow
being remembered by others, and inhaving i our
Barites. `;.` associated with' efforts pit: c oinote' the
Maetees cause..? .4 - AvD.-Castinnt.n.
Aral* Grove, Marsh. id, 1857.
Ecelesiastical.
MR. G W. :31.icamiz was ordained and in
'stalled-osta' ortheuriited congregations
of. Glade Run and Concord, by the 'Pres:
. .'bytery of Saltsburgi at Glade Run, on
the, 20th, of ,February. Rev. , J.
rti ,
thers presided, proposed ,the constite 7
tional
A uestions, aria delivered the charge
te 7 the borigregatiOns."' Reir: Alor=
gan- preached- the rsermen; from lank. v
5,6., Rey. F. . Orr gave: .the- charge to
the pastor: 4iis Post Office address is
Dayton Pa.
Rev. Wm. MAYRARD's Post Office address
is changed from Carnbridge Ohio, to Co
lumbus, Ohio.
Rev. JF N.vrcra - was installed pastor of
Fall Creek 'lila North Hendertien chrirciP
es on'the'l2th‘ arta
' ter,.1856; hy Conitoitteeof
, I Presbytery, ,to wit.: Rev.- 1 1. N. , •Candee,;.
D. D anthßev. Thomas S Vain. :
Rey. ,W. J. ALEXANDER'S ,Pofit OffiCe ad-:
dress is changed from ;Perry Venango
County, Pa., to .Canonsburg, Washington
County, Pa.
gaiters Oorreafiondefice.
' -
NEW Youß, Feb. 28,. 1857. -
M t Enrron, :—The Burden ,case has
directed 'attention "t 6 the looieriese of the
marriage laws of this Btate, and a bill is
already .before the - Legislature for-'their `
modification. 'As they now stand, ...parties
can marry themselves by simPly, declaring
their :purpose to be man .and "wife 'in the
presenbe 'of 'a witnes s. This provision . was
intended to <legalise mock. marriageb, , where
they have%been .performed, as they- some
times are, for deceit and injury; butit may
bo_queStioned whether it does net open , the
door for graver evils than it Was designed to
obviate. The latitude; `too;` that the law'
gives to clergymen and• magistrates, or the
difficulty of ' oomplying. ; With :some of '.its re
quirements on this , subject, calls for its,
modification.`
•preseribes, for exempla,
that clergytoen shall be 'satisfied as to the
identity of the parties who offer theniselVeg'
for - ;maniage, and that, on ' , request, - they
shall, give a certificate, specifyingt.among..
other things, that, they,were known to them,
or were satisfactorily known, on the . 9tzth of:
cr4ersoit kittrioo "Mem, to" be the persons
deacribedin the certifies* Suf.' Theoleigy-.
man, , however ; hag r no. power-to adraitiiiter,
an oath, and, therefore, , ,en, •this, r point the
law requires of him arimpossibilify :l ,
proVislon is; indeed, 'most important, the
identity of the parties oughfleLlie blinked'
on bat, the s , law has nullified' itself by with
holding hew him the requisite authority ; to,
enforce it, and he n ce. it
,ought not to hog
him responsible for its omission w
There is a disposition to; eengiiiii- Rev. Uriah 'Marvin for his - ceiinexion4ith-the
Burden marriage, , and also btherClerbnient
of the city, as though; they. mere heedless, of
the law, on the subject. .7hey,,have ,been,
charged with performing "fleet marriages;" .
that is, such, marriages as were performed n
hundred' yeara ago about the 'Fleet l prisonin
London, by 0 profligate clergymen; a scan=
dal, to religion, and. disgrace to their order,•
who, married without license, or ~ q uestion,"
any one` who would pay them . for . . their
Servieeti. Now, though the 'aiglit'ef false
whiskers, and 'the manner of the giiisoin'oil
the' ocettsion; might have' suggested caution
to Mr. M., the presence of tip daughter , al
Mrs. ~Ctiimingliera_, was ,calenlated-to allay
inispiciOn. At any rate howcould he,,,or any
Other clergyman, Ymen, compel a wit acts' testily
on oath as to the identity of the parties ?
, might,' as ii3:often .done, hive refused to
marry th9Dl L op the ground, that,, they were
etrangers: BUt to such a practice, as a
general rule, there are Serinus objeetiOns r 'as'
,"
many`Wiriest people:in wo uld
thust precluded:front :marriage. ' at i.4the
hand of any clergyman. Ale-. remedy,sag
gested not It,return to, the publication of
ff the bans," which' `Bas heen, done away,
even` law 'whiai shill re
quire *parties .seeking Marriage to establish
their - identity - ibefore a' civil officer, whose
certificate_ shall; be the clergyman's .warrant
for, performing the ceremony. Clergymen
wouldpre er zs to the authority / to a,
sinister oath, since it would release theii
from unnecessary responsibility, and throw
it.on, the, State•where it belongs, in so. far:as
it is a eivil contract. : Secret marriages si c
rarely celled for, and are fruitful of evil
facilitating `'fr`aud, deStroying, thelee'ee of
families,-and detracting from' the soleninity
.of the' engagement. While' such. is' the
sanctity of marriage, its:, relation to the
purity,orsociety,,,, and the security of pro
perty, that it ought„at least; to be guarded
by such' restraints as are' now required in
thetrinsfer;of a honseor of a' piece of grotind.
-In such. a transfer the. parties lutist establish
thOil-xj.s4ll(ftlekeforen offmer,4id
!Ipreb , - , 9 3 isskn9htoß W l 9h, , demand of
aboutparties to enter into t he arriage -
tract. . Pro Posed, firther';`,td',nilfity
our registry law, so as to reqiiretlieveifyin
spector to . 'publish. marriages. 41 - 81 . w e if a8
rirecord tli A nt ". Rad t,hie.ii)eo.4 l done :) inthe
B Y urdell case, the true Iron r.fpt'iketran
vv . 'sae
ituis.nove peen obleovered. The fact
that ' it Wan teceideiVai IWfaw required;
didriot'priv-entitsheiirg }re"pt'searet. Many
clergymen,4indeedi ia t- flitoieport their mar
.
j ) . 1 1" *Pugh igooratt inadvertanee
1 ( e
i the Burnish Pp
eets utterly:refuse
t o , ecipl
Willi tile ttlittrii in this respect, - on
Abe plea that the ,Bishops, or Church, forbid
it. In this, as in the matter of the Con
Lessional, • tberset the civil authorities at
'fiance, and-surely with less apology, since
the registry law, which is limited to this
, citycand 'applies , to than as strictly as to the
Protestant clergy, can hardly be said to
interfere with any one's civil rights or
scruples of conscience. It is time some
thing,,was dons. to secure uniformity an d
ffi
eciency hi its. obseriance; irits expected
benefits are to be realized. Its statistics are
now incomplete, and, therefore unreliable,
while it can ,be of little avail in settling
questions of property, and much less in
.surrounding .marriage with those restrainfa
and guards which its vital importance de
mands.
The..marriage' are not: the only laws that
need Modification this great and prosper
ous State. A Select Committee, appointed
to - viiitthem, report to the Senate that the
County Pooi;or Alms' Houses not connected
with the city of ; New York, are generally in
a most deplorable condition. Were no
their testimony founded -on , actual inspec
tion, and: beyond, dispute, from the character
of the Committee, it would be asking too
much to credit - the cruelties, excesses, and
abuses they report... After the labors of
Howard abroad, and, of Miss Dix in our own
land, with the intelligence, humanity, and
religion, that are supposed , to mark , the mid
dle of the nineteenth century, : such abomi
nations as are tolerated, would seem to be
impossible, : Much, of the evidence the
Committee collected, is_not,.they state, of a
proper nature to be giveo to the public in
detail; and if some.ef their statements are
specimens, it might well be withheld from
general pernial, though it is time it
should be made. -known to , the proper au
thorities. The physical .cmdition of pau
pers appears to be most pitiable, - The poor
houses, generally, are badly constructed,
illarranged, ill-waymed,,and ill-ventilated."
Their ordinary rooms, are crowded, and their
sleeping apartments become so noxious as to
be almost insufferable. The want of hospi
tal accommodations for the kick, is more se
verely felt thaw prevision .for, the . . comfort of
the healthy. Where-:physicians- are em
plbyed they are poorlypaid, while in some
eases inmates; sicken... and die without any
medical attendance, . 4,diots, lunatics, deaf
mutes, and blind persons„ are found mingled
with ordinary paupers. Thereis no attempt
to classify the : pane...and •i7igorous, or if at
...tempted, the-construction of the houses ren
der it impossible,and, as a consequence,
the - reheat IndilioriniiiiiifeaSiadoirithin of the
depraved and the virtuous, the old and the
,young,: di•of. 1:4,11., t4.,F,ciqEfliA.xri#g the
day, ivithont . exception, and ; in Many in
stances also" night-Taiiiied fish and
ftrearareireported as the dint of one of the
honses, with iiisuffieientfael and bedding,
which resulted in extreme suffering to many
of the initiates an4,,,the, freezing of two fe
miles, ,Who are thereby crippled 'for life.
Lunatics and idiOtis are'treated like wild
beasti', rather.; than , hriman beings, whose
misforttincii.should, call :forth special tender
:nee& and sympathy. They , are confined in
;loathenmenells, bound wity.phair!B, whipped,
and in "inest else& female lunatics have
male .attendants." - I'" , ln one County,
i*liere;.eleven lunatics were Confined, six
were in, Chains, some Of whom were females,"
not because ; they were. violent, but because
- their keepers were ignorant I. Others were
loUnd in a 'State of nudity, both male and
female,'" cells' intolerably' offensive, lit
tered with the long accumulated filth of , the
occupants,•ind.with ;Straw reduced:J.o,olllff
by; long use as ..bedding, portion& of which
adhered to,the peraots of the inmates, and
forined.their only covering." Conld any
thing be more inkiiirian;diagraeituf dis
griating ?'Atniv -are' we explinvi - adch
spots :upon; ourmitgization. arid Christianity ?
It is not surprising th a p with !mph treatment
and,.arangernenMthe.montiflity of paupers
should 'lie' excessive: ` ;
averaging one hundred and' thirty-seven in
mates, there'vere - AhirtyWit deaths during
the. pack year, yet-,. none of :them from epi
demic or, contagions diseases., Inthe whole
fifty-five the State—that outside of
ew
.;
or an , .d- n nties—an whose
. s, ou
average •
'Sit thousand
fear :-hundred;: and .-twenty,a4the mortality
for: ; the ; year,, reached-. Plen-hundred and
seventy--,,,Pu j t their. immoralities • are still
Mere Marked' and ''dePlerable. , ' Ignorance
ra'nee ernil 'indolence, the - parents 'of vice,
with ititerenurse,' , and little or
nnieligiousiinstruationi.degrade and defile
their loulanaere,effeetually than cold, hun-
Mr; anihpakedness,,pineh, and destroy their
Thinit, 'too,. of 'the two hundred
Mid children horn' during the
pastyearriiiider these circumstances—many
of them.the offipring -of gidit,and reared,
tbev; ; must ,be, unless 3 some Airovision is
made
. .. - for their ,retioval, 'under ; these de-
What; in all probability
can await them but - life of : Crime, and death
Of: infamy? 'net lb State -indeed put
'a- premium on; crime, :by. the superier 'advan
tages.eliediffords,;eriininals in her. prisons,
compared, with paupers in her Alms-houses?
Is it wonderful virtuous poor should
Stank* frniclhiii' f forni' of public charity,
when itexPbse&them to such inhunian treat
ment and vile.asseciations? It most sin
cerely,te , . lipped the State..of New York
is alone xn ,thiscoridemnatien , but ,might
net n snarilar investigation lead to equally
disgtatifil diSidesurekein the porirbouses of
other' States ;"Certainly •New -7 York is not
behind any, State, or nation, in the multitude
and
,niagnitaide of her . Charitable Institu
tions, nor in the . skill and - care.with which
most . ct them are Conducted.: County poor
hOliid iire 7 ati'eireePtion;, it is believed, and
as. 'nay iiiliovin-perhapia - in some future
communication.
•
_ The; Committee suggest as remedies for
tiaeseglaring eVils•nork houses, out door re
lict; after 'the' example of the-alms-house de
pirtzetni et this city, With a more careful
sitpervistoir on the part of the appointed of
ficers., si Luhatics And idiots should be sent
their ; respective asylums while as the
most important
,meastu:e„ they desire that
the thirteen hundred aiildren growing uP
inf'the Petisotintie arid Polluted atmosphere of
these alnis-hoitses,l3hould be transferred to
existing; orpltatoasylums, or to a special in
at_itutdn'n blished for their support and
• 611n ni:tiCqn . -,1114 suggest the indifference
of those whereside in the immediate neigh
' borhOod'Orthese poor-houses as one reason
for - their tWretched condition. The reaper
' tableiatui benevolent seldom visit them, and
area iporant, therefore, that almost at
their doors, lunatics and idiots are starred
iitiikheaten, suffocated in Summer, and fro
fen int Winter, in cells. unfit , 'for the lowest
animals; while thesged sickervand die with
out attendance,, and the yoUng grow uP
poorlyfed, or, clothed, And altogether unin
structed. Surely Where these sad things
exist, theie is a 'field for the plulanthropiat
and Christian.; The mere" pbssibility should
arrest his attention, and constrain him to per
-1 sonal efforts for their relief, though the State
neglects her duty,
The meetings fOr prayer for children and
you' h `lietii iii this city, on Thursday, in ac "
•Cordaneelttitli'the resolution of the General
-Assem—hly,4ere Largely attended and deeply
.interesting,, Blzasercily l inure )