lAninter attb Nioratt. PITTSBURGH, JULY 4, 1857. TERNS... 91.50 1 in advance; or in Clubs $1.291 or, delivered at residences of Stabicri. beret 9145. Mee Prbspectsis, on Third PagM REN !MAL S should be prompt; a little while before the year expires, that we may make full arrangements for a steady supply. THE RED WRAPPER indicates that we dear* a renewal. If, however, iii the haste of mailings this signal should be omitted, we hope our friends will still not forget no. REEITTARCES.—Send payment by safe hands, when convenient. Or, send by miens enclosing with ordinary oars, and troubling nobody witk a knowledge of what you are doing. For a large amounts send a Drafts or large note.. For one ortwo papers, send Gold or small notes. TO MAKE CHANGE, Send postage stamps, or better still, send for tumor* papers; say 111* for derenty numbers% or 51 for Tbartysthros DIRECT an Letters and Comaannteattont to REV. DAVID MoKINNEY. Pittabnrghs Pa. REV. STEPHEN YERKEB accepts his ap pointment to a Professorship in the Dan ville Theological Seminary. Mu. SA MS A. Inwrw, of the Presbyte rian Book Rooms, died on Tuesday morning, the 30th nit. Many of our readers will feel the loss. BEAVER CREEK, VA.—ln this church, under the pastoral care of Rev. A. L. Hogs head, fourteen persons were recently added to the communion on 'examination, and others were expected soon to follow. REV. HUGH W. GUTHRIE, missionary Of the Board to the Indians at Little Traverse, Mich igan returns, on the 4th inst , from a visit of some we eks amongst, us, with his lady, to the distant and lonely field of his labors. • THE FAMINE IN MICHIGAN, the last win ter and spring, was very severe. 'lt was in the new settlements whither families had moved the previous summer, and had not raised a sufficiency of food. OXFORD FEMALE COLLEGE, OIIIO.—The Third Annual Catalogue of this institution gives us a list of pupils, as follows : Resident graduates ; 5; Senior class, 17; Junior, 17; Middle, 26; Minor, 40;"University class, 89; Preparatory Department, 79 ; total, 208. THE JOURNAL AND THE PROHIBITIONIST, temperance papers, have become united, un der the name of the former, whieh will hence forth be issued monthly, as before, in the city of New York. The Journal is well worthy the attention of the friends of tem perance throughout the whole land. Tin Brims CLASS.—Such an Association should be in every church, and it should embrace every youth. If the pastor cannot conduct it, the duty falls upon the elders. Let the one, or two, or more be selected for the work, whom the brethren deem most competent, and let such duly prepare to give instruction in the best manner. Prepara tion is needed by every man, and the impor tance of the duty demands it. To aid both teacher and pupil,- we are pleased to see such works as those of Drs. Jacobus and Hodge. The "Questions " -of the latter, on his Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, recently publish ed, will be received with interest. Degrees Conferred The College of New Jersey has conferred the degree of D.D., on Rev. William Henry Green, of Princeton; Rev. Daniel W. Poor, of Newark; Rev. Peter Lorimer, of London; Rev. Thatcher Thayer, of Newport; Rev. George Cummings, of Washington; and Rev. David D. Demarest, of Hudson. . Princeton Seminary. The demand for ministersis so great, that of the recent graduating class of Princeton, twenty-six in number, two were engaged to the Foreign Board, and twenty-one to places of labor in the Church at home, with a view to settlement. The Seminary also has received, from a donor whose name is concealed, ten thousand dollars, as we see stated, the interest to be appropriated to the sustentation of poor young men, while engaged in their course of study. We rejoice in these evidences of fa vor toward this worthy Institution. Payment of Debts. We are pleased to see it stated that the Spring Garden bhureh, Philadelphia, is freed from debt. The congregation was formed but a few years ago, and the edifice erected through the great industry, and per sonal acceptability of Dr. John Recently a venerable ruling elder, being sick and anticipating death as near, expressed a strong desire to leave the house of God„ in which he had worshipped, free from pecuni ary obligations. To make his wish effective, he proposed to give $4,000, in case the con gregation would raise what more would be needed. The work was done; and pastor, elder, and people now rejoice 'in having a sanctuary, which is unencumbered by work men's' and lender's claims. Should not every church do so? South Carolina College. This institution has been beset with diffi culties, and is not likely easily to escape them. Recent disturbances have been se rious, and been continued for weeks, as we learn by the Southern Presbyterian, and Carolinian; but the statements do not em brace particulars. The Board of Trustees have held a meeting, and " exonerate - the President from any imputation on -his char acter." They also " perceive no grounds for any charge affecting the honor or integ rity of say one of the Professors." They also, by a vote of 15 to 8, pass a resolution requesting the President and Professors forthwith to resign. The request is,prompt ly Complied with, and a part of the Professors are reelected. The exercises are suspended till the first of October next; and a com mittee is appointed to re-organize the college. Funeral Sermons. A desire to have a sermon preached on the occasion of a funeral, is, in some portions of the Church and country, exceedingly preva lent. This desire may not always be the most pure, and yet there is something con nected with it which makes the request not easily to be resisted by the pastor. How can he refuse ! To preach is his duty, and when Providence collects the audience and reads to them such a lesson, how can the messenger of truth hesitate to improve the occasion ! And yet there are objections made to the having of a funeral sermon, as a uniform and invariable habit. Ought, then, the practice to he discontinued ? We think not. Espe cially do we think that the minister should exhibit no reluctance. He should rather fa vor the desire to have this to be the estab lished order of things; modified, of course, by the extent of his charge, the scattered situation of his flock, the character of those among whom they are dispersed, and other circumstances indicating need of the in struction which may be given. In a minis try of greatly over a score of years, in the pastoral relation and otherwise, we cannot recollect that we ever declined a call to preach a funeral sermon; and we have fre quently regarded an opportunity thus pre sented as being one of the most favorable 'hick we enjoyed for preaching the Gospel of-Salvation; and, with tbe most earnest ef, forts at fidelity, we do not know•that serious offence was ever given. We take the liberty of making, briefly, A FEWINGGESTIONB on the manner of discharg ing the duty. 1. Always found the remarks to be made, on a portion'of God's own Word, plaihly cited. One verse of Scripture has more power than thousands of man's words. The labors of the speaker are useful to bring the truth fairly and favorably in contact with the mind of the hearer. 2. Let the effort be to make a substantial improvement of the occasion. It is an op portunity given—yea, it is a call in God's providence upon his ministering servant, to make ready a people to meet him in judg ment, and so to meet him as to have an ap proving award, and to enter into rest. View ing it thus, the preacher can be at no loss for a subject, both impeirtant and appropriate. The deceased may have been young or old, wise or unwise, the event will still help to enforce a Scriptural theme—the importance of being prepared for death; what follows death; meetness for heaven's joys; the cer tainty of a speedy and just award; rcgenera-, tion ; saving faith; repentance; the eviden ces of Christian character; holiness; peace with neighbors; confession of faults; repar ation of injuries done; charities bestowed; provision made for a widow and orphans; business duly arranged to be left—a hundred things, form proper subjects of discourse; all of which will then be listened to more seriously and benevolently than at any other time. 3. .Always preach to the living. 4. Avoid laudations of the dead. They are removed beyond the reach of praise. It can do them no good, whether it be truth fully or falsely uttered. But if the praise be undeserved, the utterance of it will do an im mense injury to the living. Judicious hear ers, who may have known the, deceased, will despise the minister. Their confidence in him will be lastingly diminished, if not utter ly destroyed. Injudicious hearers will draw the conclusion that if that man was, in the opinion of aminister of Christ, a Christian, and is gone to heaven, then religion is no great matter, and the path to glory is- much wider than the Master' represented it to be; and a foolish heart will likely lead them to a false presumption in their own case. Let not the minister, by any stretch of charity, nor by any impulse of tenderness, intimate a belief that the departed is gone to heaven, only as there h'as been evidence of unfeigned repent ance toward God, and a genuine faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and the unmistakable fruits of holy living. Be honest. 5. Note any thing specific in the history of the departed which the speaker knew well from personal intercourse, and where all will accord approbation, and where the deceased was truly an example to be followed. The righteous, being dead, yet speak. Suppress not their utterances. s 6. Avoid harrowing statements as to the misery of the person called hence, he having given no decisive evidence of experimental religion. Leave him in the hands of a right eous God, who will do no injustice to any of his creaturea. But be, at the same time, faithful in warnings and admonitions. Who would be willing to die just as that man died; would willingly take a chance to be where he is—would like to be summoned so suddenly and with so little prepaiation, into the pres ence of the Judge, and to have his eternal state fixed just in accordance with the deeds he has done in the body!. Would it not be desirable to have more of faith, more of re pentance; more of holiness among those deeds done than could be found at the close of such a call? 7. There may occasionally be a direct ex position and comment setting forth the causes, and their character and results, which led to the dreadful end of the unhappy mor tal whose obsequies we mournfully celebrate. We may note the infidelity, the bad compa ny, the forsaking of parental precepts, the Sabbath-breaking, the lewdness, gambling, drunkenness, Ste. which destroyed a spirit otherwise noble, and blasted the bright pros pects of early youth and a religious educa don. But, in all such cases—and we think they are but few, though to be fearlessly as well as kindly handled when taken up—in all such cases, it is prudent, and a duty also, to consult the relatives who may be present. They are not likely to object, when they know that the matter is in the hands of a wise, as well as a godly minister.': We are not ruthlessly to inflict additional pain upon. the sorrowing. We mourn with those that mourn. We are the ministers of consolation to these upon whom'God has laid Ilia heavy THE PRESBYTERIAN BANNER AND ADVOCATE. hand—faithful still to him, and to all the ME And there are REASONS, many and weighty, urging the pastor to preach a funeral sermon, always, when requested. 1. It is a season when consolation is need ed. The presmee of the minister is then expected; and, not only for the good hemay do at the time, but for his lasting influence with the family, ho should sympathize in their sorrows and gratify their desires—those desires being, in the case supposed, for spir itual instruction and comfort. 2. The mind of the mourners, and neigh bors who will collect at the funeral, is then more than usually tender; their attention will hence be more particular, and the im pressions made will be more deep and last ing. To preach then is like sowing Seed upon the moistened earth. 3. There are, ordinarily we think—cer tainly there often are—persons present at funerals, who but seldom, if ever, go to bear the Gospel preached in the house of worship; and to whom the minister can, at no other time, obtain access. For their sakes, there should be a sermon. 4. There are many portions