D. IiVICINNBY .... . ........ ALLISON S. MITI& DAVlDitors M'anClN Prop tors,rieNEY & CO., Edd TERMS IN ADVANCE. . SIOGIO SUDIOnipTIOPIS $11.50 Ix Winne 135 DeltreSSlD IN llTllbn OP PUP MIPS 2.00 For Two Tiouarts, we will send by moil seventy numbing, and for Omt DeWitt, thlrty-three numbers, Nabors rendbni IM Morin onbacribero and upwards, min be thereby entitled to a paper without charge. A BAD rANCIL, MARK. on the paper, elintliset.thst-the term le nearly out and that ere desire a renewal. ~ ~ Renewals elicould be prompt, a little before the year exp" inn. • • • Bond payatouttiby rife bandit. or by mall: , - Dlrrict all letters to DAVID WILINNEY 4.004 • Plittaburgh,,Pa. [Selaztad.l Man The human mind—that lofty, thing t The palace and the throne— Where reason sits, a *!ipop' trectking, And breathes his Judgment tone. 01 who with silent,steps shall trace The borders of that hianted place, Nor in his weakness own That mystery ,and rowel bind, That lofty ilkifig=the human mind The human heart—that restless thing ! The tempter and the tried; The joyous, yet the suffering— The t 3 ouroo of pain and pride ; The gorgeous throng—the desolate; The seat of love, the lair of hate, - Self-stung and self-denied Yet do we bless thee, as thou art, Thou restless thing—Ake human heart ! The human soul—that startling thing ! Mysterious and sublime .I The angel sleeping on the wing, Worn by the scoffs of Time— The beautiful, the veiled, the bound, ,The earth-enslaved, the glory crowned, The stricken in its prime ! From heaven in tears to earth it stole, That startling thing—the human soul ! And this is man-01 ask of him, The gifted and forgiven— While o'er hie vision, theat%and dim, The wrecks of Time are ariyen ; If pride or passion in their power ; Can chain the tide or charm the hour, Or stand in glace of heaven He bends the brow, he, bows the knee— " Creator: Father I none but thee !" for the PreabyteVan Banner. Why I am Not an Arthinian. LETTER TO AN ANTI-CALVINIST FRIEND My DEAut SIR :--In a former letter, I mentioned several objections against your doctrine of the Apostaey of Samts. I now take the liberty of offering two or three more. 1. Agreeably to that, doctrine, there may be persons in the World of perdition who were given to Christ by the Father, as the reward of his sufferings I You will not deny that the Messiah, in prospect of his sufferings, received ,a promise that a seed should serve .hina ; that he should see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; that : he should justify many, Ipeanse ho should bear, their iniqui ties. As little will you dispute that the Saviours spake with peculiar affection of those that were given him as the recom pense of pain. Concerning them, he 'declared that he had received power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as were given him, (John xvii : 2,) and' that all the Father had given him should come to him, (John vi : 37.) These were " the joy set before him, -for which he endured the cross, despising the shame." CHRIST'S SHEEP NEVER PERISH Now, if there be persons, in the world of perdition who were once given. to Christ, Thy did he fail to "give them eternal life ?" Why did he suffer them to fall away and perish, and thus deprive him of part of his reward ? Are we to believe that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who always loved.the Sort with un utterable affection, would recotapense his inconceivable anguish with a gift that would afford hini no ground of joy ? Or itOuld the Son, in view ,of all the travail of his soul, accept of a gift which he'fore saw would soon bo wrested from him ? Was this a part of the' `"joy set before him," that he should number among his redeemed flock those who would finally and forever perish ? I am sure, dear sir, that you would scorn to offer any one, as reward for his services,. a consideration which you knew would prove to be of no value. And you would feel insulted if a neighbor should offer you as a gift what you both knew to be worthless., And yet you would have me believe that' tiqnsactions of precisely that slititueter "took place between the Father arid the Soll You , do not agree' with me in the opin ion that Christ's people were given him before the foundation of the world. You hold, I presume, that they are not , given to him till their conversion. According to your theory, then, when sinners 'repent and believe on Christ, they are given to him by the Father, as part of his merited reward. Then they may at any time be plucked out of his . hands ; and so as often as they are con verted and subsequently fall away, they are alternately given to Christ and' wrested from him. Now, sir, if I could believe this of our glorious Redeemer, I should, to say the least, distrust his ability "to save to the uttermost any that " come unto God by him." If he may lose one of his dear flock, 'the purchase of his dying ago nies, he May lose them all. THE SAVIOUR'S PRAYERS NOT UNAVAILING 2. Another objectionable feature of your systdm is ti that there may be persons in the pit of endless, woe for whose salvation Christ fervently. prayed ! Th4t the Saviour did pray for the salva tion of all who should ever believe on him, must be admitted by all who re ceive the Scriptures as' the Word of God. On one occasion, after praying for his disciples, he says; -" Neither pray Pfiit these alone, but for them also who shall' believe on me through - their word."-- 31flin xvii : 20. And now, that he has ascended on high, he continues to intercede in - behalf of. all "who come - unto God by .vii 25. Moreover, in his address to the Father on the occasion when he raised , Lazarus from the dead, he said, "I know that thou hearest me always."— John : 41. Now, some of those for whom Christ made supplication.to the Father, are finally lost, it •is natural to . ask, Why was the prayer of Christ not beard ? It 3,011 not do to resort to the blasphemous assertion, either that the Father refused the Son a 1'14801141e request, or that the on pre sented an unreasonable one which be knew . Could pt be granted. And yet, sir, .I see not how you can escape one or the other of these fearful alternatives. And' then, if it be true that the Saviour prayed` ine vain, what encouragement have we to race; our requests unto God ? We cannot expect our poor petitions to have More influence *ith the ather than those of his beloved`Son. FILIAL LOVE AND SLAVISII FEAR. 3. The only remaining objection I will urge against your doctrine of apostasy is, that it 'is adapted to boget a slavish fear of O l od;rather than a filial' love., You seem tO" imagine that a gratuitous salvation to whiPh no conditions of 'future obedience are, annexed, is destriietiVe of practical godliness, and that the Christian will not &dams faithful in duty any logger than he is _ciaded on by the fear, any 'hell. We beliciv this to be a miatake, :We reel as sured hat 'there is no more iieirtirful incen tive ti holiness of limit imPlife l lhan the le•Ve''t , weitiftoth qut 'fear?' • • Sap .ciiite that by same teiriap you ar into the haidir of 'a cruel Arab' astpr i s by r you: kW-kept in a 4.:‘, , .', , .• --• . . • . -tilt.,.r.i.-el ' .-'- ' - 4- . . : , t , . . ... . :'4V.::• -, . - . 4- 4Ci. , •0--• -- • ‘... . . . , ... . . .. „ . . .. . . . . . , , ... . . •4• 3 0.e.,4 4..,.... - n y •, ~,- v•I• 7:, VOL. state of the most painful and abject servi tude. There is one friend, and only one, who interests himself in your behalf.' Ho sells all that he has, and with the proceeds in his hands, encounters the dangers of the ocean and the burning sands of the desert, finds you out, and parts with his all for your -redemption.ou are overwhelmed 'with joy and admiration; and your 'first impulse is to inquire,' what is the condi tion, what the compensation he demands for such unparalleled kindness? But he tells you that as to'any pecuniary-considera tion you can offer, it never once entered his mind; and that he will feel amply compen sated for his toil and sacrifices, by seeing you restored to liberty and happiness. What, I ask, are the feelings of admira tion with which you will ever regard that devothd friend ? Will you not be bound to him by ties of everlasting gratitude and affection ? Would you esteem any sacri fices too great, any Services too hard by which you could gratify his slightest wish es ? On the other hand, suppose he had exacted of you, as the condition of your re lease, the refunding of the whole, or a part of your ransom price, to be paid in instal ments, extending down to the day of your death, with the„ understanding that you were to be returned to your old master in 1 case of your failure . to meet any one of the payments. In that case would your, feel ings toward the man be .the same ? Cer tainly net. YoUr admiration of his char acter, and your sense of obligation would - be comparatively small. And hence we may bee how it is that the doctrine of a gratuitous salvation has so blessed an influ ence upon the sanctified heart of _the be liever. " The love of Christ constraineth " him. He feels that he is redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the •precious blood of Christ; and with a heart overflowing with gratitude, he falls at his feet, saying, "Truly, 0 Lord, I Rill thy servant, I am thy'servant;" " thou hest loosed my bonds." " Now I am thine, forever thine ; Nor sliallmy purpose move; Thy hands have loosed m! bonds of pain, And bound me with my love." L.N.D. For the Presbyterian Banner. Interesting Services. A farewell missionary meeting was held in the Presbyterian church of Georgetown, Exchangeville;Pa., March 12th, on the occa sion of Rev. Ira M. Condit and lady going out to Canton, China, under the direction of the Board of Foreign Missions. The ex ercises Were opened with Psalmody, and prayer by • the Rev. Mr. Galagher, of the ; Methodist Episcopal church. The pastor of the church preached, a sermon, on the sure success of the Gospel, together with the instrumentalities to be employed for securing that end. Rev. Mr. Steelman, of the Baptist church, delivered an excellent address on the reflex influence of, Missions on the piety of the Church. Rev. Ira M. Condit then presented an ear nest plea for prayer on behalf of mission ary effort, with a special request to Chris liens to pray for them that their labors in 'China might be richly blessed in the salve ction of many of the benighted heathen. His address closed with a touching fare well to the pastor, under whose labors he united with the Church, to the Christian friendspresent, and to the sinner yet out of Christ. During these remarks, almoit the - whole assembly was bathed in tears. On the preceding Sabbath, the Lord's Supper was administered, when the parents of Mr. - Condit, now aged, sat with their only son, commemorating the dying love of 'Christ, perhaps for the last time, until they meet, as they hope, around the marriage table of the Lamb in heaven. This occasion will be long remembered by the large audience present. Mr: C. is a native Of this place, and stands high in the affection of the people, both AS a minister of Christ and as a man. Mrs. C. is a native of Vermont. Her stay among us was short indeed; yet by her winning manner, mature, piety, missionary zeal, and high qualification for the work to which, vith her husband; she has devoted her life, • she failed not to take a place, side by side with him in the hearts of all who formed her acquaintance. It is earnestly hoped that these services will produce an enlarged degree of interest in the`'subject of missions, in the heart of the members present from the different churches of the community. These mis sionaries are hoth members of the Presby terian church of Georgetown; and although we'fbund it hard to part with them, to see their face no more, at least for years, yet for Jesus' sake we gladly give them up to the great work to which they alike feel themselves called. JAIIIES L. SYrrimns. Echantieville, Pa., Afarch 16, 1860. Proftesions Once Mere. "We- can live as well without them." Now, since all. Scripture is given by inspi ration of God, and is profitable for doc trine, for reproof, for correction, for,instruc tion in righteousness, furnishing the man of God thoroughly to all good works; I would scarce have expected such a 'solemn, tender command as, "Do this in remem brance of me," which was so frequently and faithfully kept by the Apostles, would be useless. Perhaps, your idea of living well is different from that of Paul. What is your notion of living well? Is it the hea then-idea of,serying your country, by being a good soldier or quiet citizen %. Is it the infidel notion, of being careful not to in jure, our own health or reputation by dis honorable vice; or is it the empty conceit of the moralist, to meet the civil and social duties of life? If this is all that is im plied in living well, it may be true, you can live as well without, professing Christ. I do not think it 'probable that you zoi.//, but it -is possible that you may. But many atheists, infidels, and persons rejecting all the evangelical teaching of the Scriptures, are living as well as you But can that be called living well, which excludes God from our thoughts; .so that we liVe "with out God in the world ?" But if living well,, is to be approved in God's sight, to have the heart and affections as he requires, then, certainly, he that keeps God's com mands,.-lives better than he who does not. Now Christ tells us, that "man shall live by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God." We live, only when in motives, in manner and objects ' our life embodies the truths which. God has reveal ed. The culture of 'the heart in submis sion, obedience, love, hope, and trust toward God, is the first aim of revealed truth; and no one, with this Standard, can think for a moment, that he lives as well when he sets up his own opinion against the. command of God, as when he cheerfully obeys. Dear friend, God says, "to the law and to the, testimony." To this he Will bring us at last. Before the "Great White Throne," our notions will be nothing, but the soul that has bowed to Jesus, and him self, "like a little child," has trusted and obeyed, however imperfectly, will be saved. " Trust in`the Lord, and- lean not- to thine own understanding!' A: ' HR . is 'unworthy to licriyrho lives only far himself. 0 1 , = For the Ereebytertan.Banner PITTSBURGH, sATVRI/VlA*QiTy.,p..il,';):s'oQ;...•:i For the Preebyterien Banner; Old and Young 'Pregbylerian MR. EDITOR :--An article in a recent issue of your excellent paper, reminds me of some friendly " chat "I once heard, on my way from church. I transmit the con versation substantially as I heard it. 'O. P.—l am happy to find that you at tend our- church seine of late. What did you think of-the-sermon,, to=day? Y. P.—l thought, well 'of it. I always like the Rreaching well, but I do not like your singing. 0. P.—Why, what is wrong ? Y. P.---Well, to tell the truth, I cannot in conscience sing anything but Scrxpeure Psalms. 0. P.—Oh, I understand. You admit that we are Scriptural in our prayers and sermons, but you think we are not, in our praises. Now, think we, are Scriptural in this part of Worship, too. 'Y. P.—Why, you don't pretend to con fine yourselves to the Scripture Psalms; you sing hymns O. think the whole Bible is, Scriptural, as well when it is sung, as when It is preached or prayed. And• we have good authority for this opinion. Y. P.-- r Some act of your General As sembly, I suppose. 0. P.—Yes ; an act that our Assembly passed -several' years since,. in Scotland. We call it the Shorter Catechism. I know, if I were to ask you what rule God has ..iven to teach us, hoW to glorify and 'enjoy him you Would answer, " The Word of. God which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and .New :Testament, is the only rule." '"'Y. P.—Of course ; but what that has to do , with this question, I cannot see. 0. P.—The person who sings God's praise in the right way, glorifies him; does he not? And there is much enjoy ment of God in this delightful exercise, 'too, 1 . 3011't 'you think'?' 1 Y. P.—Why, of course, we glorify God in this duty, and I find much enjoyment, often, in singing the song.s'of Zion. 0. P.—And the only rule for: these two glorifying God and enjoying, hint—is the Scriptures of the Old. and New Testament. Y. P.—So the Catechism says. O. P.—Good authority you allow ? Y. P.—Yes. 0. P.—The point, then,. by 'your own admission;is e'stablish'ed, on the authority of the' Shorter Catechism. The, Book of Psahns is not all'of the Old and New Tes tament, but the ligtole Word of God is ; and that is what we take to direct as how to glorify God and enjoy him, in singing , his praise. X.. P.—l am sorry to break off our talk; ...but, as our roads separate, I bid you good afternoon. :EUROPEAN .CORRESPONDENCE. DEBATES ON THE TREATY AND THE BUDGET..--THE TWO ASTMS. ONIST ORATORS—FALSE. MOVE OF THE CONSERVATIVES—THE 'POPE'S SUPPORTERS NONPLUSSED—THE EMPEROR AND CO. SAMOS or THE PRIESTHOOD—BALLICANISM AND THE PROS.. PROTS OF. PROTESTANTISM -IN FICANOD....ORAYITATiON OF FrAxer,TowArm Exot,Aarp AND .PROTEVANTISM---COMILERCE AND FREI THOLIOUIT--THE BRAND DUKE OF BADEN AND THE CONCORDAT—AGITATION AND OPPOSITION--CONCESSION TO AUSTRIA'S JEWS—ATTEMPTS ID PACIFY THE 3HAGYARS-.4C0.5. RUTH AND HIS 7.OIILY—DEOLINI OF TURKEY AS 'A MODAX... MEDAN POWER..4 . IIOORESS Or . OElllaimuirry-LTes Seising • AND HIS PLEDGES—TUREISH FANATICISM...4S CHRISTIANITY TO MAKE TURKEY NEW—ANNUAL MEETING OF.TOUNG MEN'S ASSOCIATION—ItsMAREABIA MIDINGHT METAINtik---THE SO , LONDON, .February p 24, 1880 DEBATES on the Treaty and the Budget, in the House of. Commons, are . now the order of the day. The. Opposition last week held a meeting at the house of Lord Derby, and seemed, resolved to have a fight, so RS to be able to take advantage of- any point possible to get back to power ; es pecially with the help of some apostate place-hunters whom the Whigs will not serve, and. also the , damaging yet sometimes seasonable aid of those unprincipled men, the Irish Popish members. Accordingly, on ISlonday everting D'lsraeli opened a preliminary debate on a crafty resolution to the effect, that the House should first con sider and assent to the engagements of the Commercial Treaty with France, and before it went, into Committee on the Custom Acts. The object is emphatically a party one ; and to enable all those who were in any degree affected:by the proposed. abolition of monop olies to rally round , an Opposition .chief, and help into office, D'lsraeli promised that he would not give any opinion upon the policy or provisions. of :the Treaty, and then made a great ado about constitutional precedents being violated by the Govern ment. Mr. Herman, who, was Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; some years ago, and who, it is said, is vengeful because Palmerston refusei to make him a Cabinet minister, did his , best—and he is fluent and able—to help the cause of the Tories. But Gladstone, the Chancellor of, the Exchequer, in one of, the:most bril liant of his speeches, with finest , temper, and yet with trenchant, logic and splendid declamation, made even D'lsraeli look very foolish, and the rout of the Conservatives was completed by the closing speech of Lord Palmerston, who, as Wellington would have said, cut up, the flying foe. The di vision gave the Ministry a telling majority of sixty-thr i ce, and virtually excludes the Conservatives from power for this Session, unless some unexpected crisis arrives. It also °crushes the nascent, hopes of the Pope's Irish friends in the House. Dr. Cullen is doubtless 'in dismay. " More of that same " to him and all like him 1 . As I have oftendesCribed to your read , , ers the personnel of D'lsraeli and Glad stone, I may now add the venni:tent of the Times on their respective appearances in the recent debate : "" " There was only one thing Mr. D'lsraeli appeared to have forgotten, in his clever exhibition, and that was that Mr. Gladstone is Chancellor of the Exchequer, and a man sinavlarly adapted to this kind of discus sion. There are conflicts- like ..vie s t s t oo much and too long, and t . T.. Mees with Rome, are always exactin L. tr?„*ittessided. She must have far more' , ,..' .: ilifto lion's share, and no Prince has , Iteniiliknht her aid in extremities, but 1ia.' ,, , , ,thystui pelled to repay her twenty-fold, i ~ ' hum a ; stain on his fame as an indepe -.• ;,ruler. I we could' only see a. Janse ;‘, *Orion in the bosom of the Church ~ :ft : tre----vir tually Protestant and , ' 3, . i 1R ---with men like Pascal to rout Al ; , ~.,ies of truth and expose their s " lippl irefi en: there would be good hope that jii - et s ,plys for France were at hand. It jog, 'l d, too, of great Protestant memorilirsid'the mar tyrdoms and massacres of tite, , ,,t may yet be well nigh forgotten by ii 4 ,7 . Wien of 'a living Evangelism ovirlhe 'Mpire, le The opening up of the e ec,.. tween "France and England, will be, ). 44 worm wood-lis to the priests. It lip i ll iii"Aiffuse an atmosphere of free the ' ~i', 4 l l'welJ. as creates a necessity of pea iciii_Tkii - rule, even though a sudden sto '43r\ .hitions or jealous strife should for ti ir , e diVide the two nations. .. ~ i,. , • %.,:,'ettaa 3 .. THE GRAND DUKE OF -1 , -, r pep i nally Protestant ruler, has • , la : !ft ! •1 rendered the independence . "••'-.. ,ozi r *- - by a base Concordafwith,Ro,t,e ~; . It places the Archbishop above the laws, and has lead to reaction and registatiee even from Romish professors of the strict Genev b e of l'reibourg. Two Universitilt, indeed, have risen against the Concordat. The Prot estant population numbers 'four hundred and thirty-two thousand, the Romanist, eight, hundred and ninetyznine thousand. Mixed marriages are not unfrequent, and a Protestant pastor may not officiate with out a license from the parish priest ! - More than this, all the offspring .of.such ,mar riages are to be educated, in the Romish faith. Austria has well nigh.:Terished in the fatal embrace of the, Concordat - to which she bowed her neck two or three years ago. THE . JEWS of the Austrian Empire, by an Imperial , decree, are perrtiitted in many districts'to possess anded andreal property. No doubt an: object base andpielfisli thus to be subserved, even as it 41 with the ap- parent yielding, at last, to Principal demands of the Protestantk.of HnigarY. If Austria can keep them aOkthelefapasi generally quiet—if she cap'reNiii them' in her armies --,-she hopes"tc be 'ready for another struggle. But it remains to be seen whether the independende of Hiingary; as a kingdom, is to; be grated. -That is essential to national contentment. The Selaves are sympathetic with .the Hunga- rians ; and Jellachich;ltne-Ban of "Croatia, who played a part so bloody and cruel =in _Hungary, in 1848 . , finds:his people starving from lack of food, which Austria is little likely to be able to supply. -It is, said that the ladies of Hungary are preparing mag 7 nifteent robes as a pre,sent, to the Empress Eugenie. I:have, been aISO Or that Kos- suth has disappeared suddenlyfrOna London, some suppose, with revolutionary intent. His habits of life when in London` *here his family resides ' are very' simple. Be aioids society, ',and does not appear at those • soirees in the . houses ,Of the great, where notabilities in literatnre• or politics do.congrevate... Some -membeiStof ,my own household' lately met at tho house 'Of one of our literary men,"(Capiiiolaysid,), two -of Kessuth's amiable and accomplished. TITB:KEY declines 'daily, as a "Mahomine-, dan power, and becomes increasingly ChrisL ., tian. Looked at in its 'present and pros pective religious character and destiny, it, is full of interest to the Christian'observer. How remarkable the opening up of Turkey during the list few years, as a missionary field ! There are at this moment not less than a hundred Protestant.missiOnaries of differ ent Societies and countries, most of them with families, living and laboring in the Turkish Empire. These are not confined to the sea Coast towns, but are scattered through till the interior provinces, even to the very borders of Persia. ' Within the last twelve or fourteen, years, more than thirty or forty native Evangelioal Protestant churches have been organized, in different parts' of the Tirrkish 'Empire, and there exists no hinderance from the Government to the organization of others. It has' been well and truly said, that "Not one of all 'the hundred missionaries would be tolerated in ;Russia a single day,' if "ertgaged .in the same kind of Evangelistic labors." Not. even a' form of apidication to the Government is necessary for the opening:of places for Protestant worship. If, indeed, a new church is to be -built; a firman is , re quired; but unless the• place selected is, ob jectionable, there is no difficulty. A still more important fact is, that there is a re ality in those pledges given by the Sultan, that not one of his Subjects shall 'be mo lested in any way, on account of hiz re ligion. It is a fact that baptized Miissul mans, everywhere known and'recognized as such, are in Smyrna and , Constantinople, permitted to go at large, without any pop ular 'molestation. There was , an. apparent. intention to withhold protection in the case of one old man, en Imam of the mosques, 'who being reported as having Some lean ings toward Christianity, was summoned to appear before the Minister o f: Foreign Af fairs. But he was, not proseentecl, and, by this time he is a ; baptized- and professed follower of Christ. . Fanaticism among the Mohammedans of Turkey, is not dead. Thus` promises-Lmade as to Hetet-Ms inihe State - , td England and other European powers—are rendered dif ficult of execution. " The great masts of the Mohammedans in 'Turkey, are, proba bly, at this moment, as proud, 13 upersiliotts, 'and fanatical, as "they - were a hundred yeitrs ago. Should anynircumstance occur to set fire, to their religious. zeal, and stirs up the war-spirit. in them, the blood of Christians must flow as rivers; though , nothing could sooner hasten their own .doorn. It. would' be just one last and desperate struggle, and then the Mohammedan power in Turkey would he forever at an end." Such is the opinion of a most intern gent writer from Constantinople, who sees "only one probable solution of the, prot lem with regard to Turkey, namely, that the Mohammedan religion be displaced by the Christian. The prey would thui be snatched, from the very, Jaws of the ibis sian Bear. Turkey would stand, forth 're generated, ,her immense internal .resources would speedily be developed," A religiOus' change is really begun. Turkish Men and women are found in PrOtestant chapels eighty Soldiers and seven 'ill'MO hammedans, have been attending a weekly reading and`'el.posithin , of the Seriptuies, "it really does 'seem as though - Ged's , set time to favor thiti nation' had come, and !the American missionaries are 'doing all in their power to enter the doors Which Provi dence is thus opening around them:" „ `The LONDON YOUNG MEN'S CURIO`IAN ASSOCIATION held its annual meeting in Exeter Hall, on Ttield"Y . 'evening' lhst. There - we& an- iiinionse.gathering; Mord Shaftsbury presided: This' Society reachedAhe fifteenth year of existenee; alld!fclnided:ilk.feitik:tand . ..preyexi-by. not af:,the tbiELeinglis fnken;'..bar the :t it , t , , had 'conferred'Priceleisblessings on jralfog, ; men who edme to the metropo lis from all parts of the kingdom It is a Literary In stitution, has an eicellent liWry and reference, and also classes for foreign languagee, and' for Latin. It has a noble newS-roOm - aid* coffee-room in Aldersgate Street; antralfra - Lectilte - ma there. It is a ..kind. Of Centre!. , ' attraction ' . ;to young men, who are naturally gregarious, and who in`evening hours are here 'shieldedAnd sheltered from a thousand evils to which the young men 'of the departing genera, tion, and for one hundred years past, were almbst helplessly exposed. The Bible 'classes connected' with this. Association;'have been of the greatest pos sible valve.: They have been conducted with marvellous -spiritual. results, by the two successive Secretaries. The .first was Mr` Tarlton, (now a laborious and popular Epis= copal clergyman at Stroud, and who was received with enthusiasm on Tuesday night, as a speaker'on "The Work and the- Workman.") The second:and present Sec retary, is Mr. Edwin Shipton. American gentlemen visiting .London, should call on him, and see the Institution at,Aldersgate; ' The 'Association has :ten branches in different parts of the metropolis, each with ,its eif i l,e% ) ,Aenretnryi and suitable rooms * istf#o. *4 1 :1 3 .0)NP*4114319*.0 1 41, r, been, t rongh this , instrumentality, in op. eration for some time, and is powerful at present in the Western branch. A number of the young men have devoted themselves to the Christian, ministry with . success, and the year before last ,I was one of the ex aminers of candidates furnished'by the Asso ciation for a prize for the best answering on the Romish controversy. A MIDNIGHT MEETING, of A Very ; a pecu liar characternd altogether novel in, its 'aim and 'end, yet truly Christ..like in its conception"and conduct, was held this week at SC James' Restaurant, Regent, Street. No where is'the great social evil more fear ful' than in. this Metropolis, 'and hitherto-- with the exception of Penitentiaries being upend for female penitents, and also a some-, what aggressive movement made by, per 'sonal interviews, by Christian persons, with the "unfortunates "—there had been no direct' ffort made to bring the Gospel of 1 Christ in its loving, melting power, to - bear i, on their: hearts. A gulf impaesable seemed !Ao,Separatethis class from ; hope and -heav i_ en.: Now, Christian philanthropy, ,guided by ", the (wisdom 'and discretion of experi= abed Christians, seeks to throw ;a bridge over the' gulf across' which this class may make their escape and ,be.restored to so _ ciety and to God. - About , three, weeks, ago a -fast- experi r ment was made. Gentlemen connected with the Monthly-Tract Society, the, Coun ty Towns' Mission, and various Refuges and Homes, discussed -the feasibility of gath ,el'ing together a number of the fallen in the West ' End, by invitations ,put into, their handq on printed cards on the streets, at the Cafes , and other places of resort. The ' attempt was made, and with such marvellous success, that a second was 'held on the night of Tuesday last. I was 'one of the' feW present, along with the - Hon. and - Rev. Baptist Noel, the Rev. Wil • Bala Brock and others, including the Officers of the' Soeieties and Homes already referred -to. About midnight began to gather around the tables of a spacious hall,• groups of poor -creatures, each. of whom presented one of - those 'eards.which had. been distributed that, ixery.ev,enirig.E 'For= nearly one -hour there , wad tt; eonstantlateeeilsion . of theseguests,: and theywere . supplied by Christian that rens and gentlemen, with tea and coffee, and food. Opportunities :were thus furn ished of speaking kindly words, and, of ask ing about " the old, house at home," and causing the • tear to start by reference to livina , and heartbroken, or dead mothers and fathers. The vast majority present behaved with the. greatest decorum; a stranger coming in, would have seen noth ing in their quiet, lady-like aspect, to in dicate throUgh what scenes they had Passed. A. few Showed - signs of vicious mockery at . things sacred ; but when Mr. Noel, a most ChristLlike men,loving, noble in , the beau-* ty and dignity of his features, and in his sweet voice spoke to all as " his young friends," and went on to invite them to come to the: compassionate Saviour, and pointedout the possibility of their being restored to friends and home, and becoming pare and' - happy wives: and mothers, the effect was unmistakable. As on the first occaSion, so then at the close of the ad dresses and prayer, an invitation was given - to - remain and go Fdirect! to Homes provided for them.; and' a number obeyed the loving aunimons, While others teerfnlly went away, half resolved, and some pleading, that they could not leave their property, clothes, and -in some cases, rented houses just then. A similar meeting is to be held, ere long, in 'the East End of London, and 'if God give his Holy Spirit in pewer, to aeconapa ny this truly missionary work, Satan's kingdom• will tremble, and i' a reactionary influence will be exercised on many of those who are now betrayers of innocence. As in the days of Christ, .as in Ulster, so in. London and -other great cities, it shall be' seen 'that the very worst can be saved, and that once more his blessed feet shall be washed with the tears of those, who " love nuich" because " much haw been forgiven." A renmrkable diaplay of the power of bivine' grace among a heathen'• People, has recently taken place in, the island • of Celebes. Some missionaries of the Neth erlands Missionary Society' had labored there for some years with but little apparent success. One of .these missionaries how ever, now describes the, wonderful shower of mercy, with which they are visted. A native, preacher wits passing through a vil lige on Saturday,to his preaching appoint m.ent on. Sunday, when he saw-the heathen priest, who had been bitterly opposed to the Gospel and the missionaries, , with a large crowd about hint. Trembling with fear, lie inquired what they wanted, when he was told, greatly to his surprise, that he and the people had resolved to renounce idOlatry and become Christians. The, movement spread from village to village, the people casting away their idols, and seekinc , instruction from the mission aries, Thepeople say that they had come to the knowledge of the truth chiefly by the instruction their children had received in the mission-schools. The missionary mentions three districts, containing at the beginning of the year, not less than ten tlionaand - heathen, and adds, " hut to all appaiitaieeand•with the help Of God; by the end of the year there-will not be one left there!' Some one has finally said : " It is retail:4 'of Thidias, that in constructing the statue of Minerva, at 'Athens, he, so wrought ki,a ounvinfage into her" shield, 'that' it could 'nut, he' removed' 'Without .disiltying the statue itself. Thus—ineffectually .does. the mother- engrave her 'mental liketiess,iher =oral cluwactercuport the soul of the child. 400 1 41 tho Jattor.shalthaye4hemkannilti -Jatedzwill therMaterAalAnner.be. ramo_ved.7. A Nation Born at. Once. Maternal Influence. ~.WHOLE-.NG,..5a,92. =I Frian the prosbyterian Herald: PNiture in Prayer. . he;Peneray, -pad.acxeral of the lower judicatories of the Church have repeatedly taken action on the subject. In 1849; and 'again in 1859, the Asseinbly . passed the following paper, viz: " While the posture bf-.'atanding in pub-. lie prayer, andlhat of kneeling , inprivate prayer, are indicated by examples in Scrip tare, and the general ,praetiee of the an cient Christian Church, the Posture of sit ting in public prayer is nowhere mentioned and by no.usageallowed; but on the, con trary, was universally _regarded by,. the early. Church as heathenish and irreverent; and is still; even in the customs of modern and Western nations, an attitude evidently Wanting in the due eipression - of rever ence ; therefore, this General Assembly re selve that,the, practice in question be con sidered grievously improper, whenever the infirmities of the worshipper'do not render it necessary; and - that ministers be required sto reprove it with earnest and persevering ,admonition." - Schaff, in his History of the Apostolic • Church, page -533, says "'Respecting the , posture of prayer we -find nothing preseribed. in the cases of our Lord'm agony in, the gardeni_ Luke ki4;lo4,Agettfil.mitgs44B4 and of the sorrowful, parting of Pauli the Ephesian Elders, Acts as: 36, knee - ing is'mentioned. And' this is best suited to 'express that, which here of course, has chief prominence, - viz.: the humble sub ;mission and reverence. of the heart before ;the holy God, and the sense of entire de ,pendence on him ; whilst the erect posture and the lifting up of the hands, (compaie 'l. Tim. ii : 8,) are peculiarly proper for 4hanksgiving and the expression of solciun joy, and were,accordingly used in the ancient 6f/tura on Sunday, the joyous day of the Lord's resurrection." The same author, in his History of, the Mistier' Church, page 324, says ".On Sunday, the standing posture was adopted in 'token of festive joy over the resurrection from, sin and death. But there we'd' no uniferrn law in regard to these forms. Origen lays the chief stress on lifting the soul to God and 'bowing the heart before him • ;and says that where circumstances require, one, can worthily pray sitting or lying, or 'engaged in busi ness," Dr. Coleman, in his" Ancient Christian ity Etemplifted," has an entire section on the subject, fivin which we extract the fol loWing : , "1. Standing. In the Eastern Church. dt, was customary, as it still ,is with Me larninedins, Arabians, and the Parsecs of Persia, to stand in prayer. Many 'eiani ' Pea of this custom occur, also in the Serip lures : Gen. xxviii: = 22, .xix 27; r 2. ,Chrort.xx : 13; 1. Sam. : 26;; Job xxx : -,20; Luke xviii : 11-13;.Matt. vi: 5 ; Mark xi: 25. And from the .writings of Basil, ChrySostom, and the Apoitolical Constitutions; it wonld seen). that this was -the tesitaZ attitude, and not am exception to the general rule, as has often, been assert ed, but an established custom from the earliest ages of Christianity. The ~Counc il of Nice, A. D. 325, formally ordered that the churches everywhere should ob serve- the, custom of standing in prayer. According„ - to Origen, the eyes and the hands should:be lifted up, to -heaven, that the body may indicate , the elevation ; of =the 'Seul. Butallows''eXeeptions elise-of-linfirreity,- and according to' cireuni startees. also insists that it is neces sary for one to knee/ whembe prays for the forgiveness of his .sins., But he is .here speaking not of public, but of, private yrayer. The'author of It uestions and An s*ers to the Orthodox, which some erron .eously have ascribed 'to Justin Martyr; as ,seits that, the custom which ,is observed through the days of Pentecost was of apostolic origin,- and refers to a passage frem Irenaeus, which is lost, in proof'of 'the assertion. -Epiphanius,.Jerome ; Augustin, and Basil, also. concur .in, sanctioning the custom of standing, in prayer: And it is particularly worthy of remark, that peni tents were denied this privilege, it being the, prerogative and right, only - of' believers and:consistent professors of religion. Li singing, this , was regarded as the only; proper and becoming'attitade. "2. Kneeling.--Abundant authority'for this is also found-in the Scriptures : Gen. xvii. 3, 17; Num. xvi. 22.; Josh. v. 14; 2 Chron. xx. 18.; Luke xxii. 41; Acts vii. 50; 60 ; ix. 40; xxi. 5; Eph iii j 4. The a6t: Of kneeling was thought peculiarly to indi6ate humility before God; to exhibit a sinner who had fallen away from him, and In:need of -Divine grace and mercy.. Ac cordingly, it, was uniformly required.of all who had fallen under censure of the 'Church fort their offences,-as an - indispensable con dition of their restoration to their.fonner covenant relations. • Basil denominates it the. tosser penance, in distinction from prostmtion, which was called the greater penance.. It . must, indeed, be admitted, that it was; very common both to kneel and to stand in prayer.' ' But the assertion that , kneel ing was, the unifoim- posture in prayer in all•acts of worship, except on the Sabbath and. festive occasions, is an unwarranted assumption. The most iMportant authori tie's from the ,fathers are. given in the in dex. . 3. ~ Bowing. the hea4.—This was a -kind of intermediate 'attitude between standing and kneeling : Occasionally the inclination of :the body, is also mentioned. The bow ing of the head was • especially required in connexion waft intercessory,prayers and the receiving of the benediction. "4.,Frostrationupon the, ground.---11;iik is 'occasionally'meritioned, but was • not re, quired 'as a rule-of:Worship. It was chief. ly appropriate to deep humiliations and ex pressions of shame