D. VEINNET J. ALLISON S. LITTLE
DAVID" ACK an IN d Prop rietors.NEY & CO.,
Editors
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(Selected.] -
The Sabbath. - • .
With silent awe lima the sacred porn,
Which slowly wakes ,w 440. all the fields are
A soothing .calm on eyery,breeze is borne,
A graver murmur gurgles.frotn the rill.
An echo answers softer from the hill,
And softer sings ,the liniltet, from the thorn—
The skylark warbles lice tone less shrill.
Hall! :Serena: - Hail! sacred Sabbath
morn.
The rooks tont silent, by in airy droves ;
The Bun n placid yellow lustre shows;
The gales that lately sighed along the groves
Have hushed their downy wings. in sweet re
pose ;
The hovering rack of clouds forget to move;
So:smiled the day when the first morn arose.
For the Preebyterfan Banner.
The Men and Doings of the Late General As
sembly.
Another General Assembly of the, Pres
byterian Church in the United States of
America has met, deliberated, voted, and
dispersed, and delivered its proceedings
over to the critics and historians of the
Church.. 1,40 not propose to perf'onn the
part either of a critic or an historian ; but
having jotted a few sketches of prominent
actors,.
and a few reflections on certain in.;
portant proceedings, I hand them ' over to
the Banner, hoping they may not be, de
void of interest to its readers.
It was an oft repeated remark, during
the sessions of the Assembly, by those who
claimed to know, that since the beginning
of General Assemblies in the United States,
the
,Rochester Assembly was the largest in
numbers, and the strongest in talent, that
had ever convened. Perhaps they knew!
Perhaps they did n't know ! It was cer
tainly large enough for convenience; and
. _
perchance wise enough to do no serious mis
chief; while there is room for a division of
opinion as to how much good it accom
plished: There were ii► this .Assembly
home men of mark ; some working men ;
and some talking men. In speakidg of the
men, I shall select a few who may be taken
as types of their classes. I shall begin
with the Moderator, Rev. J. W. Yeomans,
D,D., whose position on a platform of con
spicuous dimensions certainly made him a
man of mark. The ability with which he
presided over so large a body—composed of
men of diverse temperaments—his gentle
manly bearing, and the impartiality of his
decisions,commanded tbe unqualified respect
of the Commissioners
.and secured him the
distinguished honor Of conducting the Ai
sembly through its deliberations without au
appeal from
.any of his decisions, or a
single complaint of partial dealing.
Dr. Yeomans is a Man of medium
stature, of symmetrical form, and may be
close to sixty years of age—he has a finely
developed head, and his countenance beams
with.intelligence; when you look him in
the face, you cannot resist the impression
that you are gazing on a man who thinks
profoundly; and when you hear him, either
on the platform or in the pulpit, you are
constrained to admire the beauty and force
with which he expresses his thoughts.
His profile strikingly.resembles that of Dr.
Duff, the distinguished 'Scotch missionary
at Calcutta. There are few men in the
Church superior to Dr. Yeomans in in-
tellectual endowments and attainments.
Another man of mark was Dr. Charles
Hodge, of Princeton, New-Jersey, He is
also a man of weight, both bodily and
mentally. Age and professional toil seem
to set lightly upon him. He looks no older
than he did fifteen years ago, and has,
within that time, increased considerably in
physical dimensions. He, as all who read
his writings must know, a man of vigor
ous powers of mind and great intellectual
attainments. He wields a powerful pen ' •
but is not an impressive or, finished speak
cr. His writings are remarkable, both for
their philosophical clearness and logical
conclusiveness; he is a master in dogmat
ics, and seems to regard, what the Church
has always believecfas paramount in set
ling a Theological controversy. He is not
what is now-a-days called a progressive
man, and, on that account, is made a mark
for the shafts of those who think the
Church might, with safety, remove some of
her ancient land-marks, and set up new
ones. Dr. Hodge is a man of few .words;
but every word he speaks has a meaning
applicable to the subject which occupies
his attention. What he said in the As-
seinbly, hp was compelled to say in defence
of the theory of the Church; which he is
known to hold and to teach from his Chair
in the Seminary at Princeton. His speech
was published in the Banner, and its read
,ers may therefore be supposed to know
what his theory is. It is, perhaps, the
prevailing theory of our Church at the
present time; but to some intelligent and
thinking ministers and laymen it is not
satisfactory. They think it is too meagre—'
that it reduces the Church to too simple a
form; that, while it makes the presence sif.
the Holy ;Spirit the essential idea and life
of the Church, it, in a great measure, ig
nores the organizing tendency of the Spirit,
and compels the Church to be a debtor to
the world for the mode and means of ac
complishing her mission.
The opposite of Dr. Hodge is J. H.
,Thornwell, D.D., Of South Carolina. He
was a talking member of the Assembly.
He is above the medium stature, of thin -
habit, and dark complexion; and may be
abdut forty-five years of age. He is fluent
of speech, and maintains a manly bearing
toward those who differ from him. He is
a man of theories, and has an abundance
of zeal and earnestness in maintaining a
cherished idea; but he has not that philo
sophical clearness of 'conception which
leads captive the judgment of an audience.
The logical development of his mind great
ly exceeds the philosophical; his powers
are not nicely balanced; his logical knives
often clash and out into each other, because
of the absence of the guiding p6wer of
philosophy. We thought he explained the
cause of his misfortune in the respect of
which we are now speaking, when he stated,
in a very appropriate connexion, that he
had in his library, and has carefully per
used almost all the books on logic that have
ever:been published. He has taken in too
much of other men's logic; it has dis
turbed the, natural logica equanimity of,
his mental ;powers.;' men will listen to him
when he addresses them, but they will not
he convinced.
Dr. Thornwell's speech before the
Assembly was long, though not tedious.
ft was listened to respectfully; but it
tailed to gain him adherents. Hit theory
of the Church is more than the ex
treme of Dr. Hodge's theory. He holds
that the mode and rules .of Church organ
ization and governinent are as plainly laid
down in Scripture as are the articles of
faith, and that the Church has no more
right to adopt an organism such as a Board
of Missions, by which to aconlplish a por
tion of her work in 'the world, for all the
details of which she cannot' point to a
" Thus saith the Lord," than she, has to be
lieve a doctrine for which she cannot point to
a" Thus saith the Lord." With Dr. 'Thorn
well were associated others in maintaining
this strange theory, all of them from the
South, wlio, although they did' not` . indi
.
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VOL. VIII, NO. 40.
vidually occupy so much time, were distin
guished• as talking members. It is obvious,
at first glance, that this theory is impracti
cable and visionary; even those who were
not satisfied with Dr. Hodge's theory, could
not adopt it;' and it was rejected by a large
vote.
The report of a Committee appointed by
the Assembly of last year, to inquire what
changes it might be expedient to make in
the Board of Domestic Missions, was made
the occasion for discussing theories of the
Church, subjects quite foreign, indeed, to
the purposes for which that Committee was
appointed; hut which served to occupy the
time and exhaust the patience of the As
sembly, and thus to prevent the accom
plishment of the changes in that Board
which a large number of our churches de
mand, and without which they will not be
satisfied. Nothing was done to improve
the condition of the Board of Domestic
Missions ; our talking brethren prevented
all efforts to accomplish such changes as
would be satisfactory to the churches, by
discussing points ad. 'nauseam, about which
the churches care nothing, The two. Se
cretaryships still remain, and with less oc
casion for them than ever,- since' another
Advisory Committee was ordered to be Con
stituted, similar to that at New-Orleans,
for the'Pacific Coast, having its centre of
operations at San Francisco. It is greatly
to be regretted that the Board was not re
stricted to one Secretary at Philadelphia ;
which would prObably have been 'done, had
it been possible for those who were anxious
for such a change, to get the subject before
the Assembly at the proper time. After
the long speeches on the different theories
of the Church were heard, there was no
temper in the Assembly to do anything
but the ordinary routine business, so that
not one of the agitated subjects, which it
had been hoped would be wisely disposed
of, was definitely determined. The Revised
Book of Discipline, like the Board of Do
mestic Missions, remains where it was, and
must agitate the Church another year.
The working members who were prepared
to do something with respect to the Board
of Domestic Missions, satisfactory to the
large number of contributing .churches
which demand a more economical adminis
tration of its affairs, were prevented from
acc'omplishing their laudable purpose by the
talking members. It will be found before
the expiration of another fiscal year, that
the churches are not satisfied with the
present administration of the Board of
Domestic Missions'.
While the talking members occupied the
time of the Assembly in discussing theo
ries of the Church, the working members
prepared and carried through the items of
business which were dote. These items
were numerous, but all• of the ordinary
routine. More would have been done by
this class of members, if they could' have
possessed themselve's of a reasonable share
of the Assembly's time. They were indus
trious men ; they came from their Presby
teries to do the business of the Church,
and neither cared to make speeches, nor
allowed themselves to be influenced by the
speeches that were made. I cannot, per
haps, select a better type of this class of
members than. Wm. A. Scott, D.D., of Cal
ifornia, the Chairman of the Committee on.
Bills and Overtures. He is v, man of few
words, and those are always well chosen; a
man of action, and his actions are guided
by sound judgment. The business which
passed through his hands, as Chairman of
the above-mentioned 'Committee, was im
mense; and it was, for the, most part, re
ported to the Assembly with admirable ju
diciousness. Dr. Scott is the representative
of a goodly number of men in the. late
Assembly—men less conspicuous than him
self, but equally industrious and energetic.
Had it not been for this 'class of members,
the Assembly might have continued its
sessions to the present time; for there was
a burthen of , speeches yet undelivered,
which would have occupied many days, to
the exclusion of the business required to
be done. It is fortunate for the world, and
especially for the General ASseMbly of our
Church, that God has not constituted
all men alike—that while there are some
naturally loquacious ones, there are also
some whose, natural propensity is to act
without much speaking. If the Re
vised Book of Discipline had been 'pa
tiently,entertained by. the Assembly, and
opened fbr discussion, it would require
a prophet, to . predict when the subject
would have been disposed of. There
were those who had objections to every
change made in that Book, and who
were prepared to support their objections
by long speeches. By the way, would not
the Church be better off with the old than
with that Revised Book of Discipline or
any other that could be, produced ? There
ought to be no real difficulty in-conducting
business according to the old Book ; the
method of proceeding in all ordinary judi
cial cases is sufficiently determined by 'de
cisions to be found in the Digests of the
Assembly, to relieve Church eourts of all
embarrassments, and the Book, as a whole,
is founded upon sound, Presbyterian prin
ciples. OBSERVER.
Thoughts Upon Sextons.
MESSRS. EDITORS you should deem
the following observations suitable for, and
insert them in your columns, I shall feel
honored thereby; but if otherwise, I shall
feel satisfied that you know best your own
business, and how to act in such cases.
Tam a Sexton and have profited by a
perusal of your short'but valuable sermon*
to us •
many
I hope that its suggestions'will
reaci ' many of those to whom they are par—
ticularly addressed.
When you say that the Sexton should be
a model of politeneia, you say nothing
but what is true;'yet, who is there who
does not know that in this respect, :as a
class, we are, very defective. That there
are some who are all `
that can reasonably be
desired in politeness, and also in other
characteristics which make up a model Sex
ton, cannot be denied ; but the majority
need, and it is to be hoped that they would
be benefited by an occasional sermon such
as furnished in your paper of the 7th of
April. '
I need not inform you that there arc
p ers o u s who visit some churches in prefer
' ence to others; this is perhaps the case in
all large cities,. particularly. They visit
these churches, chiefly because they are
i kindly and 'politely invited to a seat, and
I assured of 'no intrusion on their part.
The visits of this class of persons are more
likely to be repeaied, by, such a reception,
on the part of the Sexton, or some one else,
than if treated coolly,The fact is, they do
repeat their visits, again and again, and in
the end become many of theni, fixed and
settled as useful members of said churches.
There is also another 'class of . persons,
who loiter about our church doors, outside.
They want to come . in, but so modest are
they that often, unless invited in by the
Sexton or some 'One else, they 'will:walk
away. To such a class of:casual or occa
sional hearers, a Sexton can, evidently, if
he feels as he should, be of considerable
* The reference is to an extract published by
us 'some time ago. The-above has - been laid
over several weeks, on account of the , press of
(44q.120401;.• ,
service; and in serving them, would also
serve the Church. Every Sexton may have
his own way in seating strangers and
others, but, he can, if he will, temper his
peculiar way with a smile, se as to assure
the visitor, in repeating his or her visit,
they can do so without a risk of rudeness+
on his part. When confidence is thus in
spired, there is encouragement to hope that
the result , will be a good one. Better have
a Sexton who is not over tidy in his habits,
than a rude one; both are bad enough, but
of the two evils the former is the lesser
one. Nevertheless, it is true that dusty
pews and a slovenly Sexton, which, always
go together, arc evils of some consequence,
inasmuch as they tend amongst other things,
to deter persons, particularly ladies, from
chnrch and the lecture-room. They cannot
be atoned for or covered up by politeness,
but will always stand, as obstacles in the
way of his acceptableness with,any, church
of taste and nicety in this respect. One
thing is certain, be never would be es
teemed as a model Seiton. Politeness is a
jewel, but it, would add • . to its lustre if' its
possesSor was orderly, clean, and neat.
Every one can see that to possess these
qualities, with a good share of intelligence,
is to possess not only What are in them
selves good, but what should be esteenied
by all churches as indispensable to a model
Sexton.
The Sexton should, however, no, more
than the preachei, - be - expected to pleasie
everybody; till's it is presumed- would. - not
be expected; and as he should' know what
his duties are, he should know also who it
is that are authorized to enforce those duties.
Ignorance upon these points have sometimes
brought' parties into a `collision; hence- it
would be wise for those who are appointed
by the church, t., employ a Sexton, to define
his duties, 4,,i1C1 employ him as they would
any other officer of the "church, - with refer
ence to his fitness for his work. Churches
are apt to think that any ignoramus will
make a Sexton, and that for a small, salary
they can secure all that they require in
this respect.. Perhaps it would suffice for
those who have but little to do, and less
ambition to present a pleasant and inviting
house, but it would be a suicidal policy to
ruirsue by a respectable congregation, or
one that desired to be so considered.
For the Presbyterian Banner
PITTSBURGH, SATURDAY,i, JD NE 23, 1860.
If, to the other duties of a Sexton' be ad
ded that of collectin,g the pew-rents, he must
not only be polite, but patient and perse
vering. These are very necessary qualities
in any kind of a collector, but essentially
so in 'a church• one:"' As I have devoted ten
years to general collecting, and for several
years past never had less than three or four
churches to collect for, it may be presumed
that I have had some experience in this
kind of business, and as .a result I venture
the assertion, that a church-collector should
be wide-awake, courteous, and respectfuli
and'never discouraged. .But enough upon
this point, and now a few thoughts upon
Ventilgtion
I agree with you that pure air is an es
sential, and that it is next in importance to
the Spirit of God and' his truth, in the
sanctuary. There may be, various ways of
obtaining it, in different churches, .according to arrangeinents for this purpose; and
perhaps no church is so badly constructed
bdt that by a little judgment on the part
of the. Sextcm, it could be, tolerably ven
tilated. But, unless he knows and feels
the importance of pure air, as a 'sustaining
principal nf life, it is not likely that he
will supply a congregation with inore than
they'need, exaept to turn it in upon' them
in such a way as to 'endanger their health.
This will be ofte'ner done thaii may prove
desirable, unless prevented by some one';
and, unquestienably, with innocence on his
part. The fact is, the church should be
well ventilated before meeting., always and
care taken to prevent the lighting of
matches, and the throwing of cigars and
other refuse of tobaceo, or, anything else
that would tend' to make the atmosphere
of the house unpleasant, down upon a hot
furnaCe, as is sometimes done. And when
the, windows are 'closed, except, perhaps,
one, or two at the top', a few inches, on- the
'off-side from where the wind would enter
the church, it'will soon resume its. former
temperature, but with a ,
purer air. When
we consider how disagreeable a smoky, a
cold, or a badly'ventilated church is, it will
undoubtedly be conceded that a leasant
one,fakd with pure, warm air, hut dot op
pressiVe, is an important attraction 'to 'an
intelligent audience, on a cold Sabbath
day;'equally so is a polite and inviting
Sexton, who has made it his' endeavor to
bring about so desirable a result..
In the sermon, early fires are recom
mended, and, I think, with great propriety.
It seems 'to me that, too much cannot, be
said in favor of this practice ; while late
fires are the cause of many great evils,, of
which even some . Sextons are not conscious.
in,the first place, the Sexton often fails to
secure a comfortable temperature, and con
sequently puts' it out of his. power to ven
tilate after he has warmed the' house well,
at least so `far; as •ventilating before morning
service is concerned, which should always
be done thoroughly. A room thus fresh
ened r not only lets off the smoky smell
which often follows the warming of a
church, but makes it much easier to keep
the house comfortable during service.
Another consequence of late fires, is the
coal air currents which we . sometimes feel
in churches, and; resulting from this, .not
unfrequently, cold feet. Also, by late fires,
we are often
,compelled to force them, in
order to get up a tolerable teinperature, and
in °doing this, as a regular thing;'a furnace
will not last long; hence it is. that some
Sextons will use up a furnace in half the
time that others will; But the greatest
evil of all, in forcing fires, is, endangering
the church: Many fine edifices have been
destroyed by - this - meane. - I care not how
safe 'a; building:may be regarded, in this
'respect,'Uone are fire-proof against a lazy
and careless sexton: Early, but 'steady
fires, With a good supply of pure air, to the
hot air chamber, is best, because always
safest, and because it affords time for ven
tilation. • ' INQUIRER.
Family 'Prayer.
The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob; wherever in their pilgritimees they
fixed on a place of residence, erected an,
altar to God for family devotion, and called
on the name of the Lord.
Joshua resolved that, as for him and, his
family, they would serve the Lord; that is,
Worship him:
Job practised family Worship. "Ile sent
and sanctified his children, and rose early
inthe Morning and offered burnt-offerings,
according to the number of them'all. Thus
did Job continually!'
. David, haVing spent one day in bringing
the ark from: the house of Obed-edom to
the place he had prepared for it, and in
presenting peace-offerings before thelord,
returned afrii,ght to bless his household—
that is, to pray for blessings upon his family,
or to attend upen family devotion.
Cornelius, 'the centurion, it is said,
"feared God with all his house "--Mean
ing worshipped him with his family.
In the Lord's Prayer we have a command
for family devotion. "After this manner,
therefore, pray ye : Our Father whick art
in.heivert ,'illinforniof prayer is, plural.
. ,
It mist, therefore, mean social.prayei, and
if social, then family prayer; for a. family
is the most proper place to engage -this
devoCon
Paul, in his Epistle to the Colaisians,
having pointed out the duty of lißsbands
and wives, parents and children, masters
and servants, adds: Continue in .prayer;
watch in the same with thanksgiving."
The subject upon which he Was speaking
leads us to conlude he meant fr. ily prayer.
In his Epistle to the Epheliana r te en
joins it as duty to "pray . always with all
prayer ;"—that is to offer prayer 01-every
.kind, and in every form, and at:eVerY Proper
season. Family prayer must, therefore, be
included in the injunction. 11.,
EFROPEAN CORRESPONIINCL:::
GARIBALDI'S EXPEDITION AND ITS Son
FRANCE AND RUSSIA Ix THE EAST-A CO
BECHT= OP. FRENCH PROTESTANTE-TIIE
ASSEMBLIES-DR. CUNNINGHAM'S S ri
PRESBYTERIAN Sma-In COMMENOR
CENTENARY OF • THE SCOTTISH REPO
DB. ANDERSON'S Snion ON THE
TISII REFORMATION-ITS OWN Dina -
DEBATE-THE LORDS TS. THE COMMON: 4 .]
-REASONS FOR THE TOTE-THE CUNHA , 1
POSTSCRIPT. * 4
LONDON,
GARIBALDI'S EXPEDITIO
ued 'to absorb the attention i s
Europe, almost exclusively.
on the 19th inst., came a tel:
" official "—indicating -tha,
manufacture--announcing's,
volunteers had been attack.
of the bayonet, by the Ki
had been routed, after sever
one of their leaders. The,
paper, favorable to liberty
confirmed the truth of this
bo*ever, tint the ,
effected their retreat in g
that by the last accounts t insurrection
was being organized, and ixtended in a
great many directions. An her statement
appeared in the Times, to 'the . same effect,
adding that the
.aetion with the King's
troops wes by no means of. 4:decisive char
acter. Other (" mnigrantsr) volunteers
were landing on the coast of Sicily, and
when, all were assembled there w,ould be,
twelve thousand men, well as and well
provisioned. It 'further ;appeared - that
several thousands of the - ative Sicilians
had joined the liberators4and that the
Neapolitan troops found thpniselvesl much
embarrassed, and virtually, Ahut up in the
large towns, where doubtless the Mass of the
population hate the with Oltensest hatred.
Probably ere these. lines appear' in print,
Sicily will. have been wrested from the
King of . Naples, and its virtual independ
ence secured. It remains to be seen
whether the Bourbori dynasty, as repre
sented by -yhung 13outba, nlay not en-tit - ell
be' 'swept"away. The sooner this -is the
case the better, for the sake _of humanity,
liberty, and truth. Such a Government is an
outrage on mankind, and an insult to high
Heaven. ' "
THE DESIONS OP FHAI4IM AND RIISSiA,
on Turkey, are now beginning to come to
light. Russia complains;-hypcicritically, of
"the unbearable" wrongs donee to the
Greek Christians, bbcause , of the non
execution of that famous ;diet of toleration
and protection, whiele4ati Secured' by the
niver'-tozbi-forgotten' ea dons - of Lord '
Stratford de Redcliffe , en
de Ambassador
at Constantinople . ; Its tj.k9 ncy was em
phatically.potestant, anaatlierefokip inim-__,
icall6 the seCret designsk , of the - Greek and -
Latin Churches in the. East. - Had Nicholas
succeeded in the Crimean. war,' religious
liberty would have perished i Bible circula
tion would have ceased, and the American
missionaries would have been driven away.
Andes to the present Czar, he' has prohib
ited--notwithsta.nding hopes toy the oon
trary—the Bible to be- printed and circu
lated in the Russ language, he has so • per-,
secuted a body of his subjects who had
adopted a simple Bible faith;as to compel
them to emigrate from his dominions; and.
he has also banished and exiled the Jewish
population of the Crimea. \ And yet this is,
the Power which cries out on the . Sultan,
because of " unbearable"" - persecution,;
through connivance or negligence. ' No
doubt there are fanatical'PaShas"in distant
Provinces ' and' Christians - do suffer at
times. No doubt- the Porte is °Mimes:
powerless to carry out its own law of reli
gious, toleration. But for' the Russian
Ambassador to convene' the Diplomatic
Corps; and make . a. great Cuitcry, and - then
propose; joint action, is a piece of glaring
hypocrisy, masking designs which have
long been•cherished, and which Muscovite
tenacity; in spite' of checks, will .continue
to prosecute, if possible, to a successful
conclusion-. ' ~ -
What shall we say. of France, in this
business France,.. each. of -whose . mon
archs is " the eldest son of:the Church,"
has
,alwayi affected the championship of the
interests of 'the - Latin Church in the last.
On' liliundy-Thursday, at Rome, there is
an annual "'cursing performance,' in
which not only " heretics ", are duly de
nounced, but "schismatics," i. e., the ad
herents of the Greek 'ChurCh, are con Signed
to' And once a year, too, at :the
Easter Festival;'in the church of the Holy
Sepulchre, at Jerusalem, Greek and Latin
monks have > been wont to come into
such fierce collision that Turkish soldiers
have been obliged to intMpoie. Neverthe
less here we find the -two. Powers• which,
representatively, are Greek and Rondsh, in
their protectorate and sympathies, joining
Each is a propagandist,' and the
priests of the respective _Churches 'uses
each to do their work. France. makes her ,
Consuls missionaries for Rome, and she has
thus succeeded, by promises of 'Protection,
in bringing over `to the Latin: Church a
-goodly number recently. - But one of these
Powers is insufficient-it-,cannot carry out
its political designs alone—and so "the
secret understanding" between France and
Russia, "which has been — in existence for
'More. than's Year, is now beginning to. bear
Truit. -The result would be, if. successful,
either the entire dominance of Russia in
Turkey, or the sharing of the spoils of
'empire with France, and thus the Crimean
'war would have been waged in vain, and
the Mediterranean would become a joint
lake for the French add - Russian, or for
one of these Powers. Fiance persecutes
Protestants—the Turkish Government never
.
'persecutes. Russia-, w
as e- ,
have seen; is' in
tolerant, and yet both are now in accord,
and, under professed zeal for Christianity,
are developing their political and dangerous
deal gas.
That French Protestants pre still perse
cuted, let•the follOwinv recent ease: estify
A widow, born in the Catholic faith, but`since
converted to Protestantism; and one of the most
steadfast and respectable members of the _Evan
gelical Church . at Macon, recently tint with an
accident. tier clothes took fire; she' was severely
burnt, and-taken to,the hospital. Her vouTide,
though severe, were notmortal;• nevertheless she
summoned her pastor to her bedside. - Being-ab
43ent, hiswife 4minediatelyrespond
ed to the call of her husband's parshioner. The
sick woman no sootier saw her than she implored
her assistance Co . try mad- get herr out - oP the hos
'pital; that she might breathe her last among her
friends. She asked MdMe. D..to raise th€blanket
and see how she was treated: Mdme. D. didso, and
to her horror found.that the patient's arms andlegs
were so tightly strapped to the bedstead. is to
preient,her frommakingany niotion. Mtne. D.
immediately .withdrew, and returned aeon after
•
with a litter &rid fourmen , 'to lake the poor wo-
Man away, but the Catholic Sisters of Charity pre
vented her entrance, and since then neither her
?MU, her 'husband; the nor. any member
of the Protestant, community, were allowed, to
enter the hospital. A few days after, the poor
woman died, and was buried in the 'Catholic
cemetery with ,the rites and • ceremonies of the
Rornish Church.
M. Schmidt adds that a com Plaint was made
o 31.1 e Prefet, but it is too probable that, but
for his ; boldly publishing this scandalous instance
of religious freecloin - in France, ,nothing would
have.been allowed to transpire., , It is impossible
to say,how manysases of the same kind occur
in every establishment of the kind under Cath&,
cor Government control. The matter is qiuiet-
ly hushed up, and as de non warentibii3 et
.nos
ezietcatibus eadens est ratio, the French Govern-
went piques itself• on the !tmount of religious
liberty which its subjects enjoy.
A countercheck is now being presented
to the designi of Russia, by a joint decla
ration by Austria, England, and Prussia,
that all three insist on theintegrity•of the
Turkish-Empire being recognized as a basis
for any, r possible negotiations, and, have, re
fused to take the assertions of Russia about
•
PP-DZOIOND OP
• OTTIMPOZNERp.'
UNITE])
.tr- 7 4tAvre4 OF
OP THE COT
- ORIaT PARTY
VICTORY
.etpFr;cl3--
the'sufferings of the Christians in Turkey,
into consideration ; or even, to recognize
their truth ; •unless they are placed side ,by
aide with the reports of their;,own repre
sentatives
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLIES, of the Es
23,1.860
tablishedM ld
and Free Churches, are "now sit,
k:;" wer
2atlaigiasotlica
Assembly. The Lord,High Conimissioner,
the Earl of Belhaven, eame to the : Assem-
t.BIO4RA.
oniMples,
; .'am, marked
as of Royal
at Garibaldi's
bly Hall ,in procession from Holyrood
Palace, made the usual announcement of
the Queen's determinatiOn to protect the
privileges of the Church, and of the usual
Royal grant of £2,090 for' religious pur
poses in the Highlands and. Islands of
Scotland., There , is very little. interest
taken by the public of Edinburgh, or by
visitors from other countries, in the Estab
lished Assembly. The Hall in which it
meets is.a noble one, but there is a formal •
-
ism about the proceedings which proves
that Moderatism is not dead, and the popu
lar heart gravitates' toward the real repre
sentative of evangelic life----the Tree Church
Assembly..
o.t the point
a troops, and
ass, including
trie, a Paris
substantially
.tatement,
aunteers had
order, and
Dr. Cunningham opened the Free Church
proceedings with a sermon froin Gal. iv : 6.
As the subjects discussed Were Scriptural
views - of the Atonement; as contrasted with
the'new Or insidious• opposition to them now
current, the -diScourse was. preeminently '
word in season, and that fromrthe lips of ~a',
Master in leracl. He remarked that " the
Rationalism which prevails so extensively
in the preSent - day; the setting up of man
himselfias the great standard, tends power
fullytto discountenance ;such views of the
Divine -character und moral • government,
and of the ,conditions and capacities of
man, as the doctrine of the Atonement as
sumes." .
The love of mystic vagueness and ob
scurity," be added, " which is also a pecu
liar characteristic of the present day, is
adverse to the formation and expression of
distinct and definite conceptions upon this;'
or upon any other'great doctrine of :revela
tion. '
These remarks' are as just as' they are
suggestive and weighty: I See proofs of
their necessityincreasingly every day;
specially in .connexion with a book recently
published by an .Independent minister, in
London, Mr. Brown, entitled "-The Divine
Life of Man," in which the juclioial char
acter of • God =is swallowed up !in 'his pa
ternl • character ; and yet the author main r '
tabs, and others at-the press. and in Pulpits
hold precisely with him, that this is not a
real departure from the old landmarks:
Add to this' the influence of Professor
Jewett,' at Oxford, and •" Essays"
late
ly>'published'.:by Oxford men, .and the,
danger is most, imminent. Satan• having
failed in Romanizing us through Tracta.
rianism, is now bringing in upon us 'a flood
of Rationalistic-heresy, , although I believe
and .expect that here'also the Spirit: of the
Lord shall.lift up a standard against him.
The Olowing is the remaining Outline
of Dr. Cunningham's' discourge---1:
_The
'connexion bet Ween the perion and the work
Of _Christ, his proper -Divinity and his.vi
carious atonement. IL The necessity ,of
atonement, and satisfaction for, forgiveness
of sin. ~111. The reality and true nature
of an atonement or satisfaction as effected
by . the sufferings and death`of Christ;
The extent - of the atonement: -
Her concluded by urging on the fathers
and brethren the necessity, of definite and
clear views, on the subject, and warned the
young men, *mitt,* to beware 'of two
things. " First, beware off attempting to
-make the cross of Christ more attractiveito
men-- r -to-make your representation of the
scheme of redemption better fitted, as you
may 'fancy, to encourage and persuade Men
t 6 come to-Christ, by- keeping' baek or ex
plaining autay any thing God has revealed
to us, by failing to bring out in. due place
and order, and in its right relation, every
part of the scheme of revealed truth.
Second, beFare of underrating the val
ue and effieney of Christ's blood; as if fit
ted and intended only to remove legal ob
stacles, and open a door of salvation, for
•all," [This is, I .fear, the general theology
even of Evangelical Dissenters here, always
excepting the Baptists.] " and not to effect
'and secure the salvation of an innumerable
'multitude, as 'if it did 'not contain_ certain
piovisions and effectual security f that Christ
should see 'of the travail of his soul and 'be
satisfied.' - ,
Dr. Robert Buchanan, of Glasgow, au
thor of " The Ten Years' Conflict," was
unanimously and by acclamation, elected as
the new:Moderator, and _delivered a length
ened. abd. =appropriate •address. As usual,
the . crowd- at the opening of the Free
Church Assembly was very great.—includ
ing many Strangers and no doubt the
- American friends, whose presence and do
ings:in London-I have recently indicated.
In Glasgow, .Dr::-Murray:-has been preach
ing, and Mr. G. H. Stuart, has been -giving
an:account of the American Revival.
Loin BROUGHAItt'S 'ADDRESS at his in
auouration as Chancellor of the University
of Edinburgh, was delivered a few days
. .
ago, under the most interestmo. circum
stances. The Moderators of the. Assem
blies, and of the U. P. Synod,'the Profes
sors, Lord Provost, and a brilliant audience,
were present. The address occupied two
hours in the delivery,.and was a truly mar
vellous and felicitous display, of intellect
and. power. It also contained beautiful
tributes to the memory
as
Washington and
other patriot, heroes;'as contrasted -With
ambitious 'conquerors. It Set- forth- great
- andimportant lessons as to - patient study,'
as to the value of• classical literature, as to
the study of Greek rather than the Roman
models of oratory, and pointed out that
while in oratory, nature, under strong mno
lion; was -always eloquent,.that the orator
must be a student of his best -passages,. tak
ing carpi as is . quite possible, to conceal the
art, and to give_to .his. most
_powerful .Pas
sages anair of unprompted and impassioned
'power. •• -Isio orator has, given greater-411in
trations of this than Lord.-:&himself,-in -
his- great great parser: His oration. also ,paid
homage to re,vealed.religion, and maintained
that natural `theology must he studied. too.
THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD
=held its annual meeting, on the week:pre
e,edino. the, General' Aisemblies. Dr. Hai.
"lief, ontir'of'the'-theological Professorsovaa
'43 ;.1
WHOLE NO. 404.
chosen Moderator. A sepFrate commem
oration of the Tricentenary of the Scottish
Reformation was held by this body in
the MUsic
Reformation,
Edinburgh, on Wednes
day, the 16th instant, in. connexion with
which, together with devotional exercises,
addressesnwere delivered, by, leading minis
ters, on "The Causes of•the Refermationl,'
"The Scottish 4eformation," '/ The Influ:
ence of the Reformation"• " Its '• Defects,"
and on " Our. Present Duties in Relatiun to
The speech on "The Defects,"
,was by
Dr. Anderson, of Glasgow, an eccentric .
and gifted man, and was eminently charac
teristic of him. Her instanced matters as'
" defects," , doubtless therein- overdoing this
theme, and misrepresenting unintentionally
the B.eformers of Scotland, as well as Free
Church men now. For example, Allele
held ordination and the imposition of hands
to be thoroughly Scriptural, the -said " oUr
Reformers prostituted to ends of, great, cler
ical, assumption," and ".especially so in
limiting ,the diberty of prophesying." That
taint, he said, was found even in their own
`Syturd to a certain extent: -- -
Again. " Our Reformers importedt from.
Rome, not a little ~of the doctrine of-the
mysterious, as to the sacraments," and very
rashly ventured to say of " the deliverance
of the Westminster Divines," on the sub
jeeVef----Bantisni;t:that,.he t had ,‘ never.' seen
that deliveiance front the charge of teach
ing Baptismal, Regeneration. The best
answer to such a statement, is, first an ar
gumentunv ad h,ominem-'—why sign a Con:
fession embodying a dogma you do not
believe; and, secondly, that. as Dr.• Cun
ningham. pointed. out to a ,querulous Bap-,
tilt minister, at,-Sunderland, who had left,
the Established Church 'on
,account of its
teaching baptismal regeneration, that` our'
Catechism and Confession, in their' defini=
tions of Baptism, are not dealing with the
ease 'of infants at all, or teaching aught
like an opus operatulp,, but are speaking of
the baptism of , adult believers. ,
There was better reason in Dr. affirt'
mation that the Scottish- Reformers went'
too,far astto , minuta.eonformity on a great
number of topice as necessary for ministe-,
vial: and Christian communion; though even
here he spoke with rashness, and threw ob
lbquy on the " oPinionativeness "'of Luther,
Calvin', and Knox as well as on""-creeds"
composed' by.." dead: men," as requiring
"frequent review." .
Dr. ..Anderson had more reason for com
plaint as to "defects" as to the peeler as
serted by the Scottish Reformers 'on behalf
of the civil magistrate, which in its devel
opment must ,necessarily destroy toleration
itself..: The eccentric speaker maintained
thatthe TJ'. P. Synod was the only Church
in Scotland that could or would protest
against'" defeets like' these, in the SeCtJ
tish •Re.formation. -Het also put forward'
the extreme, "voluntary!'s views of modern
Seceders, and went so, far. as
,to find : fault
with the Evangelical., Alliance, as having
" had a most deadening influence on their
Witness-bearing," attacking the inenidry of
Chalmers for-an opinionativeness !' (kin
dred to that of Luther, and„Calvin,),as to,
the Establishment principle, deploring the,
defection of his own Synod from its old
ground, and that they were now a feeble,
faithless,' un-Protestantized "generation."
Had they been " faithful," they would. have
gained over thre6-fourths of the Free
'Church to. protest, 'against the endowment
of Irish Presbyterians, and so have turn
bled - d'o*Ti the Atayfick . oth: gralitl"
is mere rhapSody, en thug asmy folly; and
marvellous self-conceit. These • are. the
kind- of speeches which are. sure, tto„keeP
asunder the Free Church, and the Kinited.
Pre.sbyterians, and also to damage :a&
hopes of a Union of Presbyterians in Eng
land: The audience tc,heered this speech
loudly;:and this indicates the awakening
of old antipathies. . „No doubt the; ;
Synod
as. a -body did not endorse these views,
Dr. Anderson said, he, knettv that it would
bring odium upOif him, and he wished' the'
reporters for the'press•to send it forththat
he alone was:. responsible—" I fecht for. my
"
MU hand. ,
IRRIO
A .GREAT PARTY STRUGGLE has just
ended, and its; issue is a wictory for
,the
House of Peers: In my last I referred to
the Prospect of a' colliion 'between the
Peers and Commoners; and to the speech
of Mr. , Bright.-on behalf of the Paper. Du-
ty Bill, and against:the' proposed action .of
Lord Derby and his friends.. His Lordship
received' a depu4tion on Saturday last,
from the ,rueetin4 at, St2Ma'itin's ,and
"assured its members that,he intended only
to, treat the question as one of revenue,
while Yet affirming that even as 'a money
questiorythe Peers had i,right to stop;a
,measure -passed by ;the. Commons. . -In the
great. debate of Monday niceht Lord. Lynd
hurst (the son .of Copley, .an American
artist,) speaking'on his eighty-eighth bilk&
day made a brilliant legal oration? iii 'sup
'port of. Lord Derby's views: :When, the
division . came, many of ; the. Whig,. Peers
voted against the, Cabinet policy, and the
bill was rejected by the very, large Majority
of eighty-nine. Thus' in the prospect of a
, deficient revenue next year, with' feelings
of.,antipathy to Mr. Bright and .his plans
• of increased direct taxation, to gratify,
and doubtless in the main, with a convic
tion that the dangers of a European war,
as well its the 'certainty (for it is such now;)
of another with China, demanded thelius
banding of our yesources, the Lord's haVe
delivered their verdict. The Cabinet, how
ever,:keeps in office. They will pot resign ;
neither will they, by a dissofutionappeal
to the conntry. This ,in the piesent'state
of Europe, to say nothing of , the interests
of trade and commerce, would be madness.
• The accession, too, of a Derby Cabinet to
power would be, calamity; as it would
give heart and hope to 'the despotisms of
the Continent, 'and the Pope and all his
myrmidons . would be ready to sing a
• The two Prize fighters have made up'
their disputes, Each- is to.-have a, belt of
honor. Sayers retires from the' iirig.
Groat evil his arisenl - from the boxing
mania. Lord Palmerston hqf'difends - it,
and he-needed-and-deserved-a-rebuke, such
as has now 'been administered.
A writer in.,the Missouri 13c735tist o,roues
five classes . under this title,: 2
(L There4re , some brethren so physi
cally weak,:that they • cannot raise: their
hand' as high up us their pockets, and
some not Cluiteso 'weak but thatthey,could
do that, who, are not ;able, to lift.. it out
again.
2. There are Berne 'brethren; so Weak
from the labora of Inisiness, that they hive
not. strength• to Walk to:A . l ; l7ll'mi the Sab
bath, and some not
.cprit4' .weak; who can
get there only once that day.:
There•are-soine-so .weak after the
of the'day; that they _ate-riot -able ;to
walk to prayerzmeetrog,;,and then , again;
others who can get there,*ho are Po.,iy9;*
to' speak or' pray: :::.
Theie-are some' brethren •so weak;
as to. be unable to rise early; enough to have
family.worshitihefornb,usiness hours ; then
there are.othere who do,, rise -early, bu,t;are
too weak tn-reach. 4 down *the old family
- A . .
' " 5., There are some'brithren so,Weak!irk
Weak Christians.
INE
.THE-EIESBn.EIM
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DAVID 111 9 KINNEY
. . , PR9I:ILLItrjFE, 4,74 D
~ „ .
talenta,,that ,they, •are: not :able to: teach.. a
class in Sabbath School, but who are not
quite weai. Wl:mu a political meeting is
on band!' '
Laughing Ministers.
LETTER FROM A SISTER.
My DEAR EDWARD :—You solicit criti
cism from the whole family circle, " the
girls included." Is it that you really de
sire to profit by our sagacious hinti, or are
you merely curious to know what people
are likely to think ofyou when you shall have
`arrived at the full dignity, of a minister ?
-Upon the first supposition, I am quite at
=your' service, and engage to furnish my
quota of admonition with all sisterly fidel
ity:, You do well to include your sisters in
the listmf. your mentors, for we can make
some suggestions which your theological
teacbers may not deem within their prov
ince ; and representing, as we do, a no in-
considerable class of the subjects of minis-
,terial irluenpe,, out' yiews, may ,be of as
much conseqUence as those of tai *leer
people. . Moreover, as the daughters of: a
lmiuister we have some bits of experience
, •
to whisper in your ear.
Leaving - the things of theology to those
more Skilled in that department; I shall
confine myself mainly. to matters pertain
in 4 ,4,,e w theott.L . tAp„, ,hstieying o as,
ittat-faiiffingyth'eataiclti mon ittaite
•zi .8 •1
what sl o ol.inad . the' suceeli of a
preacher, hi's personal 'rumriers, bah in the!
pulpit and out of it, are of no small lid
portance.' ,•
In the first place, my dear Edward, I do
pray you notte come into„the plass with
those who may be denominated par excel
lence;`'" laughing ministers." ' Let serious
ness be your , prevailing mood, and laugh
only in the proper time, place, and way:
Laugh only when you are really amused,
and ,not for the sake of being a " good
fellow," or for fear of being thought unap
preciative 'of the ludicrous. Clergymen
have as 'good a right to laugh as other men
if they will be, governed by propriety in
their merry-making„ as, L am sorry to say,
is not always the case. A gentleman will
not throw back his head, and stretch' his
mouth from ear to ear, and stamp his foot,
liken bar-room roisterer, lei, him he ,where
he will, or have what he will to laugh at.
Neither wilt a 'person who means to 'take
life in serious earnest, and lives for high
and exalted purposes, however mirthful his
temperament, be always peering about, like
an idle school boy, for something to laugh
at, or,given to uproarious demonstrations of
his" appreciative ability *hen' cause for
laughter shall chance to present itself. Of all
men, I: would,•liave, my minister dignified, .
manly, and gentlemanly. I would
• wish
him social, cheerful, genial, but not one of
your habitual laughers. You knoW me too
well,•Edward, to suppose me an advocate of
long faces ; of an owl-like gravity, .or least
of all, of anything ovhich savors of the
sanctimonious.
.I ~,would
,never condemn
wit of pleasantry, when spontaneously and
properly timed, per the laug,hter which it
excites; but it is " this eternal guffaw
about everything," as. Douglas Jerrold ;has
it, which heartily disgusts me, in a minis
tey.• If, I were a Professor in a theological
institution, I should be disposed to treat
this ' 'species of 'bad manners as a barrier
to "ministerial success," in the best sense
of••that termi, quite as serious as wrong
views. of t the origin of evil, or of natural,
and. moral, bility. •
j DO you ask if I think you especially in
need of counsel on ilia 'point ? No, not
from' the natural bent of your mind and
. feelings; but_l fear the contagious influence
of a prevailing style of manners. In min
isterial gatheringa,laughing would seem to
be the order, ,of day. Recently, at a
,minister'e Meeting held at our house, the
i peals Oflaughter which occasionallyreached
the kitchen,. pled Bridget to declare with one,
of„ her• Catholic a,sseverations, that " our
Yankee ministers were the greatest cases
for that ever she daiv." Of
course, I reproved her freedom of speech,
and •-repelled the uncharitable suggestion,
but felt, nevertheless, that she had spoken
the truth..,
It does seem even on great and impOrtant
Public occasions, as religious anniversaries
and the like,' - that the grand element of a
successful achievement in the speech
making line, is its special adaptedness to
raise, a laugh. Mr. A makes, it may be, a
brilliant speech, with some really laughable
things in it. Mr. B. follOws with an at
tempt' not to set forth-some important
principle, or to elucidate a great truth, or
to
,do any good whatever, but simply to, be
as brilliant and as witty : as Mr. A. Mr.
C., in his turn, though henever originated
bow mot in his life, feels goaded on to be as
funny as he can; and so each successive
•speaker fearing to rely upon .his own pecu
liar gifts or upon the power of, truth,, is
s4nply-tryingto be, as smart as, those who
preceded him, and seems to feel, amply re
paid he achieves an equal amount of
laighter. This is saddening, as well as
`disgusting 'to all the more sober-minded and
-considerate of a respectable audience.
On occasions, of publiebanquets, the case
is still worse. 'People Come together to
eat and drink and laugh, and the ministers
are there,'not as the conservators of good
taste and morals, not to introduce what will
elevate; or enlighten, or refine, with a due
admixture, of such genuine wit as may beat
,
hand but to bring on such materials as, by
compaasof sea and land, 'they have made
out to gather, of a •sort to be effective in
the line of explosive demonstration. A
speech.withouLanylaugh,in it,would be a
downright_impertinence,. One may be bom
bastic,. nonsensical,. or absurd; he may
dekeend to the most puerile wit 'or to the
'coarsest vulgarity, but he must, at all
hazards, make the people laugh. These
things ought not so to be.,--Boston Re
earder.
Intimate With Christ.
Are you intiinate with •Christ? There
no, impropriety in,- the phrase, intimate
witlp gitrist. • Christ wishes to have men
intimate _„with with hini. When on earth,, he
was accessible toall—to publicans and sin
ners:'' He ;Said if a man love me, my Father
will losre him, and we will come unto him,
and make,. our, abode with him. Proof
enough that he wishes to have men intimate
with him.
ISE
The Spirit of Christ ean'be acquired
only by'iritiniaoy with him. 'The degree
.of one's intimaey. , :may.lbe. determined. by
aplo.llllt Of MOWS 814,1#
_NOLCIII4O'
,pOSROSSp. and exhiyi:ts. ,
Judging by this Stanriard, what is yous
intimacy with 'Christ? How ranch
'Christ's spirit do'ionmanifest in yourin
itereonise4ith others ?
,-;:i; .m -ftf2.v.rifuirdlitri
Ari:e'x'ehaUg iitv:44;ahy:cto
'rernarkkthitvgedn after Paul was isonv6rted,
he deelarethhimself ‘turvinirtliyito
Jan .;A:PQ§t/e/:.
grev ipgrana, nsferiq t . am[ .less
than the leait of a ll saints.' And 'jUsi)e
fore rdehed
the stature. alliiiiirfeetmiarCut /Christi:2)os
egelamiatibri .+ as; ~~1 edu. the eliief.of
Atuue% tiee ed surs.,s
ME
IDA