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Frosbytarlan Banner, Vol. Vl4 So* 11.
Presbyterian elalvocirto. Vol. 7LI, Ao. g.
DAVID MeKINNEY, Editor and Proprietor.
RERNEL-IN ADVANCE.
OtiOrtiii ... :.Vttirg...
Lines,
Suggested by the death of Mrs. Mary Banks, wife of
Hon. Ephraim Banks, of Lewistown, Pa.
A severed link in the household band,
A spirit flown to the better lend !
A. tender mother, a faithful wife,
tins passed from this world of sin and strife.
A CAristiTn, who loved the Church below,
.Now dwells where praises unceasing flow.
tOne who made God's servants her special care ;
'With prophets on high their joys shall share.
was she called ? So needed here,
A loving family to cheer;
That by her walk, so meek, divine,
Religion's light should clearly shine.
Why is it thus? Ah, none can tell,
But He 6, who doeth all things well "
Mali nobler work for her above,
And friends may chasten in his love,
To draw their hearts from earth away,
To treasures which can ne'er decay;
And He who heard her fervent prayer,
Dear stricken ones, for you will care.
Earth's ills are o'er, life's duties done—
The Jordan cross'd ; the -victory won;
And though you faint beneath the stroke,
Death's sentence you would not revoke ;
But pray that God will you prepare,
Her death to die, her joys to share.
Pacific City, Mills County, lowa
For the Presbyterian Banner and Advocate
The Training of Children.
BY REV. DR. SCOTT, OF SAN FRANCISCO
The proper training of children is a sub
ject that can never be worn out. Even
when nothing new is elicited, it is impor
tant to bring old truths again and again be
fore the public. The Bible and the history
of all nations, ancient and modern, concur
in recogeizing the formation of character in
youth as the foundation of a country's wel
fare. As in building the pyramids it was
by stone upon stone, and course upon course
the huge pile arose, until at last it was fin
ished from the top downwards; so it is iu
education. It is by line upon line, and pre
cept upon precept, here a little and there a
little,
the work is done. And what is this
work? It is to educe the mind, and
strengthen the moral affections. The well
being of society and the permanence of our
distinctive institutions, depend upon the
moral and religious character of our chil
dren. This subject is of yeculiar interest
to us. Because the United States is gov
erned by young men, many of whom gradu
ate from no other University than that of
the hearthstone of their father's house, this
is the greatest and the best University in the
world. But many of our young men leave
it too soon, or are but imperfectly trained in
it. Our new. States, and our cities, are filled
with young ruen exposed to peculiar tempta
tions. Not only are they recently front
home, but many of them are without proper
female society. They are in . the period of
the passions. They are anxious to sum ed ;
to wake their pile or their mark in the
world, in a short time. The dangers that
surround them are many. The fascinations
of vice, the engrossing cares of life, and the
absence of home restraints. And not the
least danger is the weakening of the moral
sense by the irreligion and infidelity that
prevail in society around them. Now to
protect and save the young, is surely an ob
ject worthy of the most liberal, persevering,
and concentrated efforts of the community.
Schools, both day and night, and papers and
books of a proper character, should always
be within their reach. But after all our
lyceums and leeturings—after all our cheap
publications, and Bible Classes, and Sabbath
Schools, "Ragged , Schools," and Young
Men's Christian Associations—are we satis
fied with the result? We are not. We say
honestly, we arc far from being satisfied.
The results attained are not commensurate
with our hopes, nor with our efforts. Crime
is still on the increase. The clouds of igno
rance are still dark and threatening. The
present course of a very large number of our
youth—l dare not say how large a propor
tion—is not hopeful. The future of Amer.
lean youth, physically, mentally, and so
cially, is not hopeful. The prospect is one
of diminished stature and strength. The
hastening to be rich, the excess and extrav
agance, and dissipation of the present gener
ati n, are likely to entail feebleness and lux.
- Wry on that which is to come—nor is this
true only of theists who have had vicious pa
rents. The ranks of such are every day in.
creasing from the thresholds of piety. Are
there not now among the profane many that
were brought up in the homes of industry and
prayer? We do not read aright, if violence
and forgery, intemperance and lewdness,
profane and obscene language, robberies,
murders, divorces, and suicides, have not be
come so common, as hardly to awaken our
surprise. Society is diseased. It is corrupt.
It is rotten. A tearful malady is at work,
and sad coesequences are to be apprehended.
Thinking men, earnest minded, large-hearted
men are sad, and some are even despairing.
How is it that so mush parental love and
care, anxiety and toil, labor and money,
produce no more fruits? In the next gen•
crafters, who arc to be our successful mer
chants, our legislators,
statesmen, and learn
ed and great men If the morning of life
is neglected—if the young are physically
debilitated, and morally depraved, and their
minds dark and ignorant, how can we avoid
a rapid movement in the downward road ?
To have any fears on such a subject, is
painful to a well-disposed mind. it fills us
with horror to think of the calamities that
are always sooner or later measured out to
corrupt communities by a retributive Provi
dence, As parents and patriots, and much
more as Christians, we should consider the
dangerous tendencies of excessive devotion
to money-untkibg and sensual delights. If
parents are su devoted to an increase of
stock and dividends as to neglect the mind
and the social affections—if their ambition
is to occupy a palatial residence, keep a
superb equipage, and deck their daughters
in the staffest crinolines, richest furs and
most costly silks, and have their sons drive
the fastest., horses and drink the most costly
wises; then what will their grand-children
do—ir they have any? Will nut the spirit
of the lathers became stronger and snore
sordid, and more injurious as it descends to
the children ? What, then, can be done?
let Why a more healthy, vigorous pecies
of literature can be put in the hands of the
young. In popularizing science, our school
systems are almost emasculated. Our chil
dren are fed on nambypamby stuff, when
they should have honest ; bard bread, and
sound meat.
In making a royal road to scholarship easy,
we have denied them the gymnastics of the
mind, and too many of them have stumbled
over the as? bridge, or stopped still on it.
The Peter Parley literature of our schools
should be exiled to the islands of the
Southern Pacific,
2d. Our children should be taught every
where and always, that knowledge, mental
power, discipline of thought, and not a mere
recital or parrot examination, is the thing to
be gained by going to school. Dr. Johnson
sail that it was a great thing gained when
a child knew there was such a place as
Kamtsohatka. All knowledge tends to profit.
3d. Family government and training must
be resumed. It seems to us, without in
truding ourselves into the pulpit or into the
peculiar province of a religious journal,
that one of the sources of the evils of the
times is in the relaxed state of family gov
ernment.
As the common schools and Sabbath
Schools have prevailed, and have been made
to take the place of family teachings, so the
influence of parents have diminished.
Now, if the common schools and the Sun
day Schools are made substitutes for family
government, then, it were a misfortune that
they were ever established. It is not their
vocation to take the child altogether from.
parental training. Their true place is aux
iliary to the parent. They are to help the
parent, but not to supersede him, or in the
smallest degree weaken his influence.
4th. In the family training of children
there must be a more earnest, simple incul
cation of moral precepts. In becoming en
lightened and liberal, we must distinguish
between a proper regard for religious truth
and absolute indifference. Whatever the
religion of the families of a nation or of a.
country may be, in regard to morals and
mental activities, that same characteristic
will distinguish its population. Hebrew,
Pagan, and Christian history confirm this
statement. It was education that made Mem
phis, Rome and Athens what they were.
Bagdad, Canton, Paris, and New York,
respectively, are the results of educational
efforts.
. W. H
To save the young, we want an increase
of earnest family religion. And parental
authority must be regarded, and, respect
rendered to the aged.
sth. And a more kindly and reciprocal
fellowship should subsist between parents
and children, and between employers and
the young under their control. There
should be greater mutual confidence. They
should share more fully in the common pur
suits, associations, and amusements of life.
The old are in need of the glee, hope, and
fervor of the young; and the heat of youth
needs to be tempered by the soberness of
age. If the young are thrown off wholly
from the associations of those who have ex
perienced wisdom, there is great danger
that they will give loose rein to their pas-.
sions, and open the door to every enemy,
every temptation, and every vice. The per
fect year has its four seasons, each in its
place. So the best society, and that which
is: in every way most hopeful for the repub- '
lie, is youth with age, and age with youth,
each in their proper place serving their
country and their God, in serving each other.
For the Presbyterian Banner and Advocate.
Board of Education. 7 -Urgent Need of
The pecuniary affairs of the Board of Ed
ucation have reached a crisis which requires
immediate measures for relief;• A loan of
five thousand dollars was effected, in order
to pay the November appropriations in full,
so that none of the students should be com
pelled to abandon their studies near the be-
ginning of the session. Although, in the
ordinary course of Providence, this sum can
be repaid before the next quarter, (February
Ist,) the Board cannot possibly pay the op
propriations due the students on the ap
proaching quarter, without some special
interposition. The Board do not think that
the loan ought to be extended, it being
necessary to close the financial year free from
debt The question is, therefore, left with_
the churches, whether many of our students
shall suspend their studies or not.
Is not every Presbyterian, who recognizes
the implied pledges of the Board to candi
dates for the ministry, and who values high
qualifications in the sacred office, virtually
committed to assist, to the utmost, in supply
ing the needed funds? Our appeal is made
in the name of Him who has said : "inas
much as ye have done it unto one of the
least of these my brethren, ye have done it.
unto me."
SECRETARIES OF THE BOARD
Presbyterian Education Rooms,
November 23, 1857.
A Forgotten Injunction.
In 1854 the General Assembly passed the
following resolution :
" Resolved, That we recommend to the
Elders,. Deacons, and Trustees of our church
es and congregations, to meet together on
some day before the Ist of November next,
and yearly thereafter, or oftener, if necessa•
ry, and institute the inquiry whether the
minister or stated supply is properly and
Fully supported; and if they find that he is
not so supported, to take immediate measures
to increase 1 is support, and report to their
Presbyteries at their next meeting."
How many Elders, Deacons, and Trustees,
have done this ? And how many pastors
ate there whose salary supports them? If
this duty has been neglected, let it be done
now, and Christmas may have Bless gloomy
aspect in many a parsonage than it has now.
—Central Presbyterian.
THE LANGUAGE -OF EXPERIENCE —He
that can tell men what Uod bath done for
his soul, is the likeliest to bring their souls
to God; hardly can he speak to the heart,
that speaks not from it. How can a frozen
hearted preacher warm his hearers' hearts,
and enkindle them with the love of God ?
Hut he whom the love of Christ constrains,
his lively recommendations of Christ, and
speeches of love, shall sweetly constrain
others to love him. Above all loves, it is
the most true of this, that none can speak
sensibly , of it but those who have felt it.
"ONE THING IS NEEDFUL:" "ONE THING HAVE I DESIRED OF THE LORD:" "THIS ONE THING I DO."
Funds
PUBLICATION OFFICE, GAZETTE BUILDING, FIFTH kTREET, ABOVE SMITHFIELD, PITTSBURGH, PA.
FOR THE WEEK .ENDING SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1857.
From our London Correuuondent
Significant Tokens of the Indian Calamities—The
Duke of Cambridge, Lord Granville, and the
American Ambassador at the Mansion House—
The Martyred American .Missionaries—The Cour
age of the Survivors—Lord Shaftsbury on India—
His Alleged Influence with Palmerston—Church
Patronage—Woodlands and Romsey—The Pre
mier's Country Seat, and his Pew in the Abbey
Church—The Sexton and Church Architecture
Palmerston and Short Sermons—The " Catholic
and Apostolic Church"—A High Day at Gordon
Square—The Seven Angels, Prophets, Apostle,
Evangelists, Chief Pastor,
4-c., and their Robes—
The Communion Service— Intoning and Reiponses
—The Epistles to the Seven Churches Read—
Chanting the Prose VERSUS Singing in Rhyme—
The Book of Liturgy—The Communicants—The
Pastor's. Discourse—The Four-Fold Ministry—
Tithes and Oferings—Registrar General's Returns
Failure in the Launch of the Leviathan—Other
Failures—The Future—Postscript.
LONDON, November 6, 1857.
Connected with the INDIAN MUTINY, two
features are almost daily revealed in the
Times. First, advertisements appear, ILTEE
ionsly asking for any information of missing
officers in India. Among these was one,
the other day, seeking to ascertain the fate
of the brave Lieutenant Willoughby, who
blew up a magazine (not the principal one,)
on the day of the outbreak at Delhi. Burnt
and injured, he escaped into the country,
but has never been heard of, and is believed
to have been murdered. Second, heading
the Obituary column, are two or three each
day, announcing as killed, at Cawnpore or
Delhi, gallant officers, tender women, and
sometimes civilians and their families. Their
names are now ascertained as of those who
have perished, and family affection thus em
balms the memory of the lost ones, and claims
a nation's sympathy. Here is one speci
men, as it appeared yesterday :
"Killed, at Cawnpore, on the 19th of July,
1857, Brevet Colonel George A. Smith, of the
Tenth Bengal Native Infantry, after 'forty-three
years' service in the Indian Army. At the same
time and place, Mary, his beloyed wife, aged 45."
Let your family readers only think what
wounds, almost incurable, have thus been
inflicted on thousands of our English homes,
and bless God that Columbia's sons and
daughters are exempt from such woes.
A sword of honor, and the freedom of the
city, were presented, this week, to the DuscF.
OF CAMBRIDGE. He was afterwards enter
tained at dinner, at the Mansion House.
The Duke is Commander : in-Chief, and very
p ,pular. His speeches were very sensible.
Lord Granville, one of the Cabinet, &tend
ed Lord Canning against the "red tape "
charges, denied that there was any discord
between Sir Cohn Campbell and the Gov
ernor General, and justified the orders sent
tb civil magistrates in India, against indis-,
eriminate punishment. Dr. Duff and friends,
;" groaning under red tape," are better in
formed than Lord Granville. Mr. Dallas
spoke strongly, at the Mission House Din
ner, in approval of stern punishment of
crimes in India. Their perpetrators were
deserving, "from the whole human race, of
summary and peremptory extirpation."
Detailed accounts have appeared, of the
INSURRECTION AT FUTTEHGURH. It ap
pears that, unable to hold the fort, the Eu
ropeans tried to escape in boats, but were
mostly all killed by muskets and cannon, fired
by pursuing Sepoys. One hundred and
sixty five went down toward Cawnpore, on
the river, and these were all, or nearly all,
murdered by Nena Sahib's band. It was in
this last band, three American Missionaries
were included. A fourth, Mr. Freeman,
whose name I have seen in an American
paper, as haVing perished, is not in the
printed list. Mr. McCleod Wylie, writing
from Calcutta, makes special mention of the
noble perseverance of Mr. Butler, of the
American Episcopal Mission, who came to
Bareilly last year, as the pioneer of an
Indian Mission. Driven away by a dread
ful insurrection, (in which .many perished,
among others Mr. Robertson, the Judge,
his generous supporter, as well as the son•in
law of Dr. Vaughan,f the Lancashire •Col
lege,) he writes to alcutta, iu undiminished
courage and faith. So is it in Burmah. The
missionaries suppose that the King of Ava
may, in the absence of English troops, at
tempt to seize Pegu, in which case, they
and their Karen converts would be sacrificed.
But "not a man has quitted his post. The
work goes on as before, and the American
brethren and native preachers labor precisely
as aforetime."
LORD SEtArrsumahaebeen speaking, at a
country meeting, with great earnestness and
force, on the Indian Mutiny. Shaftsbury,
as you are already aware, married the
daughter of Lady Palmerston, by a former
marriage, and therefore the step-daughter,
now, 'of Lord 'Palmerston. The latter is
said to take the advice of the former, on his
Church Patronage, and, right or wrong,
Shaftsbury is believed to have great infiu
ence with him. If we are to have Church
Patronage, it could not be in better hands
for the interests of Evangelical religion.
Not long ago, I was at Romsey, in Hamp
shire, on behalf of the Tract Society. Wood.
lands, the country seat of the Premier, is
close to the town. There is a fine Park,
with its ancestral trees, and a large mansion,
with a colonnade in front, looking out on
the lawn and meadow, through which flows
a beautiful river. I saw some very old
cedars among the trees I visited in the
early morning the old Abbey Church, once
the possession of Monks and Friars, in con
nexion with a Monastery hard by, but con
fiscated by the orders of Henry VIII., in the
beginning of the Reformation movement.
This church is of rare beauty, and of Cathe
dral dimensions. It survived the shock of
the civil war, and the iconoclast rage of
Cromwell'a soldiers. The cavaliers seem to
have covered the shafts and buttresses with
ugly plaster, to conceal and protect them. I
saw the gross looking, broad•shouldered Sex
ton of the church, who began the work of
cleaning and restoration ; and from pure love
of architecture, and without pay, he worked
on at it five years. Since then, an Archaeolo
gical Society has completely restored the
building. This is Palmerston's parish
church. There is the old square pew,
right opposite the pulpit, and in the centre
of the church. Enter, and sit down. The
cushions are old, the Prayer Books, the has.
socks, and the small carpet, all old. In this
corner sits Lady Palmerston, opposite her
hisband, and at her side Lord Shaftsbury,
when he comes on a visit. The Rector is
Evangelical, but not powerful or popular;
and it is whispered that he gets a bait not to
be so lengthy in his preaching as usual,
when the Premier comes to Romsey I Well,
that is no harm, I suppose.; not certainly, if
bis Lordship likes the Evangelical teaching,
and prays devoutly, and has, by tbis time of
day, got more orthodox on the question of
original sin, than when, 801110 years 11.0, he
told the Romsey people, addressing them on
educatibn, and kindred topics, that "all
children are born good," and that education
and parental influence moulded them for
good or evil; probably he did not mean all
that his words would seem to imply.
From Romsey and its quietude, the Pre
mier comes to town to attend Cabinet Coun
cils; but, as I was told, he - always returns
home, by express, on the same day.
The "CATRorac AND APOSTOLIC
CIIURCEE," as the adherents of what is popu
larly known as Irvingism love
_to call them
selves, continue to exercitp considerable"
influence in London. In epinpany with the
Rev. W. Graham, of Bonn, l l went to their
Cathedral, in Gordon Squire, this week.
I had paid a visit to this place once before,
but it was when but few were present, and
on an ordinary ocoasion q . But this time, I
had a thorough insight into the working of
the system. It was a high day. Once a.
month, and on a week day, the Seven
Churches (for such is their number in the
Metropolis, and limited to this number in
harmony with the symbolic character of the
system,) assembled at. Gordon Square for a
full choral and Eucharistic service. To ob
tain an entrance on such an occasion, was a.
rare privilege, and I owed it to the fact that
one of "the prophets" bad been for
merly a fellow-student with my friend, Mr.
Gral am, who now invited him to be present.
Arriving at the church at ten o'clock, we
passed down the cloisters, and winding
through a small door, we found ourselves in.
the-nave of the lofty and beautiful building.
The tesselated Mosaic, increasing in richness
as it extended into the chancel,,,was under
our feet. Above were the arches and fluted
columns, the side-aisles on either side,
with the great altar, with the thrones or
seats of the apostle, or others of the sacred
order. These last, the apostle, (for there
is but one,) the prophets, the seven angels,
the chief pastor, the four evangelists, the
deacons, together with various attendants,
and all variously robed, were beginning, as
we entered, to take their respective places.
We were shown into a side-aisle, and the
service began with a voluntary on the organ.
The Seven Angels entered in procession,
and took a prominent seat. Behind them
were two other orders. These seven angels
at once arrested the eye. All were portly
and fine looking, : evidently persons in the
higher walks of life. Most of them were
fifty years of age, some still older. Each
was dressed in a long, white silk garment,
edged with satin, with a girdle round the
waist, and embroidered with gold near the
ankles.
The Prophets had each a-whito 'stole, or
surplice, with a loose, black seige jacket over
it, reaching to the waist. One class who,
as I was informed by a lady, were attend
ants on the respective pastors of the churches,
wore jackets of purple silk. The Apostle
had a garment, profusely embroidered witlt
gold on a white ground, and in various
figures, with a golden eireulary plate on his
breast. • The Prophet of the day, and the
Evangelist also, as well, as the Chief Pastor,
wore gorgeous dresses of the same descrip
tion.
It is the Communion service which is
read to-day. Prayers are intoned by a priest
from the altar. The Liturgy, or usual morn
ing prayer, as well as this ,Communion of
fice, bears a ,general resemblance to the
kindred services of the Church of England.
But the Sacramental service is more
lengthened. The responses are sung by the
people, led by the organ and a choir, and the
part the people take in the service, and their
evident familiarity with music and singing,
is remarkable and suggestive. Every time
that the glories patria is sung, all turn to
the East.
One feature -was characteristic. The
" Seven Churches," so called, were here in
one body; The Seven Angels, therefore,
have their special vocation to-day. Ere the
service has long begun, one of these leaves
his place, and steps into a reading.desk,
overshadowed by one of thearches in the
body of the church. Immediately he reads
aloud, and with great distinctness, the first of
the Epistles to the Seven Churches, as it is
written in Rev. ii. Leaving the desk, a
Collect is intoned and responded to, and
then a second angel takes the desk, and
reads a second of the. Letters to the Seven
Churches. And so, with a prayer or Collect
between each, the whole of the seven Epis
tles are, read, the seventh angel closing the
whole •
Part, of the service was the chanting of
the Psalms, as they are found in the prose
version, beginning at the Psalm cxx., on, to
the cxxvi., and also the Psalm cm.
With all my' educational associations With
rhyme, I could not help feeling, with 4 the
English translation before me, printed' in
separate lines, as in the original. Hebrew,
that this mode brings out best, the meaning
of the Spirit; and that this was surely more
akin to the service of song in the house of
the Lord in Solomon's days, than is our
present system of singing, with the Procrus
tea construction of rhyme, and often very
bad rhyme. - I hope this is not heresy.
Some High Church Presbyterians would
call it such. I despair of the singing of the
Psalms, as they are in the prose, in Presby
terian churches, in my time. Perhaps the
levity of choristers and the associations of
the past, between chanting and formalism,
may account for this. But can any one
argue that there is' sacredness in rhyme? Is
not the essence of the sacred song, as well
as its original form, preserved in the prose,
a rendering of the Hebrew more exact
than even the version of Rouse, without any
of its angularity and harshness? Let any
one take up a paragraph Bible, as printed by
our Tract Society, and see whether tie
printing there given of sacred song—given
as in the original, in measured lines—is not
the true Scriptural ideal of what the great
congregation ought to be.
I shall not dwell long upon what remains-
Suffice it to say that there is, in the "Apos
tolic" service, a prayer of consecration, not
Popish in its substance, nor, formally, en
dorsing transubstantiation,. yet suggestive
both of the one and the other. The bread
and the wine are consecrated separately,
and over each the priest makes the sign of
the cross; and the prayer (whilelit recited
Christ's words, "Do this," &c.,) was to the
effect that they might " become to us the
body and blood of Christ," for the spiritual
nourishment of the soul. This is very like
the language of the Scottish Episcopal
office, which Evangelicals so earnestly de
precate. Before the partaking of the cool.
munion, incense was burned, end accompa
nying the ascending cloud was chanted,
by the whole congregation, Mal. i: ii.,
"In every place incense shall be offered
unto my name, and a pure offering," &c.
After a silent pause, the altar was ap
proached by those within the chancel. The
Seven Angels walked up, and others in order
after them, concluding with the choristers
and organist. Then followed the people,
male and female, perhaps about three hun
dred and fiftypr four hundred in all.
i ,
1 • , Aftertill a iiii ken, some 0 -
lowed, and the service was cone e ith
the benediction. I neglected to m ration
that about the middle of the service, a short
homily was delivered, from a pulpit in the
body of the church.
We were about to leave, but were told to
keep our places, by two ladies. To this we
assented, as we were told that the "Four
fold Ministry" was about to be exercised.
The people all crowded to the centre ; the
prophets, &c., all repaired to the same quar
ter. First entered one of the reading desks
the Chief Pastor, an elderly man, who read
an exhortation ou Holiness, and forcibly
enough did he denounce the formalism and
idolatry of Rome. But, he did not spare
either the Greek or Protestant Churches.
The latter, he said, each were worshippers
of a text, and thus split up the body of
Christ into fragments. He then gave a
running commentary on the sixth and sev
enth chapters of the Epistle to the Romans,
displayed considerable power of analysis, all
designed to enforce the lesson, that without
holiness, no man could see the Lord.
Next appeared, in the opposite desk, an
Evangelist, a man of considerable oratorical
power. He began somewhat abruptly, by
saying that the system of Papists would not
do without a purgatory, because they did not
teach the people to walk in the Spirit, and
so not to fulfill the lasts of the flesh ; and
he dwelt on the importance of adhering t.)
the way of holiness as marked out by the
way-marks of ordinances. Next came the
Prophet,:a grave, tall, elderly man. This is
the person who prefaced the Liturgy and
offices found in the book put into my:hands.
Here are offices for the consecration of
Fonts, for the ordaining of the different
orders, for confession and absolution, &c. ;
and all these this man is suppused to have
prefaced, under the special help of the Holy
Spirit. He reads a lesson to the Evangel
ists about greater efficiency in spreading
their principles, and utters something like a
sneer at the popularity of those sectarians
who dealt " in illustrations and fulgarisms,"
meaning thereby,l presume, Mr. Spurgeon.
This discOurse, as a whole, was marked by
great, though subdued power. Last came
the Apostle, the most priest:like of all. He
enforced the doctrine of obedience on the
people. His premise was that the gifts of
rule came through the Apostle, (himself,)
the Church, and that through him they re
ceived the Holy Ghost, and that the people's
responsive recognition of this rule over
them, was a cheerful " obedience of faith."
These five discourses were embraced within
three-quarters of an hour. The whole ser
vices lasted three hours and a half The
variety made it ,not appear very long.
I forbear to offer any lengthened reflee
tions on this strange medley, this curious
attempt to combine Ritualism and Spiritual
ity, sensuous worship and sacramental grace,
with practical holiness. The fallacy of the
system—based on words, such as " Apostles,"
&c.,• and shown in the lack of proofs that
extraordinary offices remained in the Church
after that the Dispensation was ushered in
and:established—will suggest itself to every
thoughtful reader. The near approach of
the Second'Advent was dwelt upon, and the
collection of tithes and offerings was prac
tically illustrated. The tithes seem to be
devoted to the Building Fund, for the
present; the offerings go to the support of
the Apostle and his subordinates. The
machinery and its sustenance seems very
curtly. Yet, as fas . est ab poste doceri, I
thought that as to the part the people take
in public worship, and the exercise and
bringing out Of the varied gifts of men' for
the benefit of the whole body, something
might be learned by Churhes whose order is
really simple, New Testament, and Scrip
tural, like our own.
The REGISTRAR GENERAL'S RETURNS, for
the quarter ending Sept. 30th, have just been
published, and make some interesting dis
closures. The actual increase of population
in the United Kingdom is about one thou
sand souls a day. But, during the quarter,
fifty thousand persons emigrated. As a
sign of prosperity, marriages have exceeded
the average of the last ten years. The
births exceed the number in any, previous
return. ''The price of wheat is 17 per cent.,
of beef, 8i per cent., and of mutton, 4 per
cent. cheaper.
The weather, also, was very remarkable.
In the whole period since 1771, (eighty-six
years,) there have been only thirteen years
in which a July was hotter than the last;
and six years only, when the September was
warmer. Taking the three months together,
the average temperature, only; one year
(1818,) exceeded that of this year. The
Registrar holds that an increase of warmth
in Europe is salutary to man. The
condition of cleanliness, however,, leads to
this result. Undrained soil and decaying
vegetables yield poisonous exhalations. Sev
enteen thousand deaths, in the quarter,
from
infections of this kind, are recorded, and
" probably no war ever cost us so much in
the same space of time." Much more evi
dently remains to be done, in the way of
Sanatory Reform. American cities, as well
as ours, need pure water supplies, and a
pure system of drainage. These are the
first rules of sanatory science. The Chinese,
with their rivers and river banks kept
wholesome in spite of a swarming popula
tion, put us all to shame in this rerpect.
As to emigrants; of the fifty thousand
mentioned, twenty thousand only seem to
have been of English origin. Great num
bers of Germans embark from our ports.
One-half of the English went to the United
States, and nearly another half to Australia.
Seventeen hundred only, went to our North
American Colonies.
The attempte4 launch the Great East
ern, this week, has proved A FAILURE.
It seems to have arisen from mismanage- •
ment on one spot, by workmen who had
charge of a great windlass Thus, while
one end of the massive ship, under mighty
pressure from various appliances en the
river and on the land, moved several feet,
the other end remained motionless. - Five
of the men at the 'windless were seriously
injured, one or two fatally, by the revolu
tions of the windlass. All further efforts
failed to wove the " Leviathan," (this was
the name given her by the young lady who
broke a bottle of wine over ber bows,) and
the launch is postponed for another month.
Meantime, all the ordinary supporr,s knocked
away, the monster ship, twelve thousand
tons weight, lies on the wooden " ways,"
down which she ,was to slide broadside into
the water. It ist retired the pressure on
them, and the clay beneath, may sink the
ship lower than she is.
Perhaps there was a little national pride,
that needed chastisement We have failed
in several matters lately, as the Times re
marks. " Big Ben," the great_ bell at
Westminster new palace, has been cracked,
and must be put into the melting.' pot for
reconstruction. The Atlantic Telegraph -
Cable has not answered on the first trial;
and the worst, of all our failures, as the Times
remarked, has been the turning against
us of our own trained Sepoy army in India.
Still, ultimately we hope, by the Divine
blessing, for success in all, and that science
especially will continue her peaceful and
triumphant march, in bringing nearer and
closer the ends of the earth, and so be the
pioneer of the Great King, and of the
coming brotherhood of nations beneath his
sway. J. W.
P. S.—The first number of Thaokeray's
"Virginians" has just appeared. I have
read it, and predict for the work an immense
success in America, as well as England.
It is to be " A Tale of the Last Century."
It will treat of the times before the Ameri
can war broke up, and of the great struggle
too, and connecting these with fine home
pictures, both iu Virginia and in England.
A genial spirit pervades what I have read,
and Thackeray-is not the man to stand up
against American liberty. I transcribe the
opening sentences for those readers who
may not see the work, as illustrative of
. the
tendency of the book to remove old grudges,
and to bring the two nations more closely
together :
"On the library wall of one of the most
famous writers of 'America, there hang two
crossed swords, which his relatives wore in
the great war of independence. The one
sword was gallantly drawn in the service of
the king, the other was the weapon of a
brave and honored republican soldier. The
possessor of the harmleg trophy has earned
for himself a name alike honored in his an
cestor's country and in his own, where genius
such as his, has always aNpeatefur weldome.
" The ensuing history reminds me of
yonder swords in the .historian's study at
Boston. In the Revolutionary War, the
subjects of this story, natives of America,
and children of the Old Dominion, found
themselves engaged on different sides of the
quarrel, coming together peaceably at its
conclusion, as brethren should, their love
never having materially diminished, how
ever angrily the contest divided them."
The Bank of England has raised its
terms for discount to nine per, cent , the
highest rate ever adopted. This arises
from the drain of specie to the United
States, and to India and. China. To the
latter, nearly a million itMing, in gold and
silver was dispatched this week. A great
Sheffield house has failed for £7OO 000 from
the American crisis. There is, however, no
panic in England, as yet; but there is a
thick:and increasing gloom over the land.
The Winter prospects, on both sides of the
Atlantic are dark.
The Times of this day has an article in
favor of the speedy settlement of the Cen
tral American question, for which object a
British plenipotentiary has lately been dis
patched.
No telegraph, as yet, from India. The
Rev. Robert Henderson, of Sterling, lost
two sons, one an ensign •and the other a
lieutenant, in the defence of Cawnpore.'
For the Presbyterian Banner and advocate
Wants of lowa.
DEAR BROTHER :-.1. have just returned
thus far from a tour to the South-Western
part of lowa, and, at the solicitation of (301118
friends there, send you this brief account
of my observations, hoping that it may meet
the eye of some young men, preparing or
ready to enter upon the work of the Gospel
ministry.
There is a little church organized at Bed
ford, the County-seat of Taylor County.
The church is quite small, and the, members
considerably scattered, but there are a
few excellent Presbyterians there. One old
man, a Scotchman, inquired what the pros
pect was of having their little church sup
plied, and I informed him that there was
scarcely any hope left before next Summer.
The old man stood mute for a moment, the
tears standing in his eyes, and then began
giving vent to his feelings in accents and
expressions that touched my inmost soul.
"I have been accustomed to sit under the
sound of the Gospel; 1 cannot endure, to be
deprived of the privilege," Ile then told
us of a man who had come up from Missouri,
some twelve miles distant, to, inquire if there
were any Presbyterians any where in the
country, and to request of them to send him
word if any Presbyterian minister should
have an appointment for preaching."
There, is another little church at Clarinda,
Page County, Iowa; the members here are
similarly situated; scattered, few, and poor
as to this world's goods; but they, too, are
a liberal, warm-hearted people, They stand
ready to do all in their power to support the
Gospel, whenever they may enjoy again the:
privilege of regular preaching. The Clar
inda church is virtually two, several mem
bers living about Hollyville, eight miles
East of Clarinda, so that it will be necessary
to preach alternately at Clarinda and Holly
ville. This latter branch of the church is
circulating a subscription to build a house of
worship, and had' secured , about three hun
dred dollars, notwithstanding the, sparseness
of the population, the poverty of roost of the
members, and the pressure of the times.
Now, if some young man would go into
this field, he might, during the Summer
season, preach at Clarinda in the morning,
and Hollyville in the evening; dtiring the
Philadelphia, 111 South Tenth Street, below Chestnut
By Nail, or at the Office, $1.50 per Year, t BEEPROSPECITS,
Delivered in the City, 1.71'
WHOLE NO. 271
week he might ride over to Bedford and
preach there in the morning, and at Lex
ington, (five miles distant front Bedford,) in
the evening. The distance from Hollyville
to Bedford, is somewhere in the neighbor
hood of fourteen miles. These churches
could raise probably about three hundred
dollars, and an additional three hundred
dollars from the Board would sustain a young
man in that field. The country is rapidly
filling up, and must be occupied. Who will
go to Bedford and Clarinda? Young men,
candidates for the ministry, about to be
licensed to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
ponder well the question, " Is not this the
Master's call ?" It will be better to take
horse and buggy, and travel by private con
veyance, as public conveyances so far out
can not be relied on.
Address 3. 0. McCandless, Lexington,
Taylor County, lowa, or B. 13. Mutton, Page
County, lowa. W. M. STRYKER.
Mt. PlAasant, lowa, Roy. 11th, 1857.
Pine Preaching.
The curse of the age is fine preaching; it
is morbid.and pestilential. The want of the
age is plain, intelligent preaching; preach
ing suggestive and illustrative; preaching
absorbing all that eloquence can offer, but
eloquence adapting itself (without which it
ceases to be eloquence) to the wants and
states of the people;. availing itself of the
lights of history for illustration; or of science
for confirmation ; or of philology for eluci
dation, and holding all aloft that they may
reflect their rays upon the genius of Chris
tianity, and develop its superior lustre,
adaptability and power.
The attempt to say fine things in the pul
pit is a solemn sin; and fine sermons (like
all other finery) are very evanescent in their
influence. Let the fine sermon system die
out as fast as possible, useless as it is to God
and man. It devolves upon a few men to
show to those not gifted with so much moral
courage, that there is everything to gain and,
nothing to lose by the adoption of a more
honest system of instruction.—Gospel Mes
senger.
lades an Oitanings,
IF we expect to live with Christ in heaven
we must live to him on earth.
Paz breath of prayer comes from the life
of faith.
RELIGION begins with a knowledge of
man's self, and is perfected with the knowl
edge of God.
GOD hears the heart . without words; but
he never hears words without the heart.—
Hopkins.
THERE will be mistakes in divinity, while
- men preach; and errors in government, while
men govern.— Chariton.
STRONG affections make strong afflictions.
No affliction would trouble a child of God,
if he but. knew God's reasons for sending it.
—Richardson.
THE more a Christian believes, and loves,
and rejoices in the love of God, the more
unwilling he into displease him; and if in
danger, the more afraid of it.
THAT hardy rashness that many account
valor is the companion of ignorance; and of
all rashness, boldness to sin is the most wit
less and foolish.
THERE is one redemption. He that is
redeemed from destruction by the blood of
Christ, is likewise redeemed from that vain
and unholy conversation that leads to it.
4 ‘ Tun restless merchant, he that loves to,
steep
His brain in wealth, lays his soul to sleep
On bags of bullion, sees, the immortal crown,
And fain would mount, but ingots keep him
down."
Some people angle for praise with the
bait of humility. They condemn theipselves,
hoping that others will contradict them and
commend them. Rather join in running
them down. It is always best to err on the
safe side.
FAITH AND PATIENCE —The same spirit
of faith which teaches a man to cry earnest
ly, teaches him to wait patiently; for as it
assures him that meroy is in the Lord's
hand; so it assures him, it will be given in
the Lord's time.
THE bumble meek, merciful, just, pious
and devout souls are every where of one re
ligion; and when death has taken off the
mask they will know one another, though
the diverse -livery they wear make them
strangers here.—Penn.
A QUAINT IDEA.—Jeremy Taylor, speak
ing of the widow of a blacksmith, who was
constantly laboring to procure the necessaries
of life, thus beautifully, but quaintly por
trays her character:
" Thus she lived, poor, patient, and re
signed. Her heart was a passionlciwer,
bearing within' it the crown- of thorns and
the cross of Christ. Her- ideal of heaven
were few and simple. She rejected the doc
trine that it was the place of constant activ
ity, and not of repose, and believed that
when she at length reached it, she would
work no more, but sit in a clean white apron
.and sing psalms."
THE OLDEST RELIGION.—A certain Ital
ian,priest, of a social and friendly character,
recognized in his church, in the time of
mass the well-known countenance of an
English gentleman. 'Glad to see him there,
and wishing to convince him of the supe
riority of the Papal Communion, he wrote
on a Rlip of paper with his pencil, and sent
to his friend the
,following words: " Where
was your English Church before the days
of Luther ?" The English gentleman wrote,
in like manner, the foll Owing answer : "In
the Bible, where your Roman Church is
not."
WHILE we hear even , hardened Pharaoh,
under the dread of immediate destruction,
not only consenting, to let the Lord's people
go, according to the , utmost demands of
Moses and Aaron, but even entreating them
to bless him also, we may know •what in
general, to think of the confessions and
pions language whichare extorted from many
wicked men, when death affrights them,
which, being injudicionsly attested, as gen
uine repentance by some Christians and
ministers; often give encouragement to others
to procrastinate, m hope of being saved in
the same manner.--Seott.