Presbyterian banner., December 15, 1860, Image 2

resbßitrian
PITTSBURGH, SATURDAY, DRUBBER Ib, 1860.
Sir Having purchased for our office the "Right" to use
Dick's Accountant and Dispatch Patent, all, or nearly all,
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tect It and have it corrected—a honm alike valuable to the
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Thus tend to perpetuate their important relationship.
%IP Those in arrears will please remit.
The State of the Country, concerns every
Christian. Knowledge is indispensable to
prayer, as well as to wise action. Read the
Message, the letter to a Member of the
Cabinet, and the letter of J. R. W.
Western Theological Setuinary.—The stu
dents of this Institution have invited the
Rev. CHARLES WADSWORTH, D.D., pastor
of the Arch Street Presbyterian church,
Philadelphia, to deliver the Annual Ad
dress at the close of the session.
Concert of Prayer.—We invite attention
to the request which we this week publish,
of the Pastors and Seminary Professors in
Pittsburgh and Allegheny. God is the
hearer of prayer. And great promises are
given to united prayer, and to earnestness
and importunity. In this day of need,
let ministers and people pray.
The rtails.—Never has it been our for
tune to have so many complaints made
about the arrival of our paper at its places
of destination. We can only say, the fault
is not ours. The Banner is placed in the
ttsburgh post office with the utmost reg
ularity, and at the same time as formerly.
And our Postmaster, Mr. DUNN, has been
uniformly so obliging, that we cannot be
lieve the fault is in him; but that there is
gross negligence or inefficiency somewhere,
cannot be doubted.
SYNOD OF SOUR CAROLINA.
This Synod met in Charleston, Novem
ber 28th. The condition of the country
would, of course, be a topic of considera
tion ; for however much our brethren in
that region may oppose an ecclesiastical
notice of State affairs, the present ,crisis,
with them, affects interests too important
to be ignored.
Rev. W. B. YATES, seconded by Rev.
STATES LEE, offered a paper stating that
the action of 1818 relative to slavery, re
mained unrepealed by the General Assem
bly, and that the North had s'howu its
fanaticism in the election of ABRAHAM
LINCOLN to the Presidency, and that fidelity
t 3 the South required a separation from the
Northern churches. It recommended as
tbllows:
Believing, as we do, that fidelity to the South
requires us to dissolve the connexion with the
Northern portion of the Presbyterian Church,
therefore be it
Resolved, That the period has arrived when it
becomes the duty of every minister and elder
South to let his position be known.
Resolved, That fidelity to the South requires
us to sever all connexion with the Northern por
tion of the General Assembly.
Resolved, That we recommend to all Pre_sbvte
rielfferscrwiEffGiii—SylicTdro—lik-e—steps to
their connexion with the General As
sembly.
Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to
correspond with Synods and Presbyteries South,
with the view of forming a Southern General As
sembly.
This paper was, on motion of Rev. Dr.
ADGER" laid on the table, by a vote of seven ty
seven to twenty-one; and the subject was
referred to a Committee of nine. The re
port of this committee was adopted unan
imously, as follows: '
" This Synod is one of thirty-three, which com
pose the Old School Presbyterian Church in this
country. From our brethren of the whole
Church, annually assembled, we have received
nothing but justice and courtesy. The act of
1818 was adopted by the South of that day as
well as by the North, and has since been virtually
rescinded.
"Our General Assembly in 1845, in Cincinnati,
took action with almost entire unanimity, which
has been ameptable to the South, inasmuch as it
declared that they had no authority to make any
laws on the subject of Slavery, not found in the
Word, of God, and which has resulted in a bar
[Deny of our whole Church on this subject, un
broken in the least degree to the present time.
"It is not for us, then, to inaugurate as a
Synod, any movement toward a separation from
the Northern branch of our Church. This is not
the time for such a movement, which would be in
advance of the action of the State. Nor are we
the proper body to take such a step. It can only
begin in rho Church Sessions, where Presbyte
rian sovereignty lies, and must issue forth through
the Presbyteries.
"With regard to the political duties of our
churches as composed of citizens of this Common
wealth, the Synod of South Carolina is not called
upon as a Synod, even in the present extremity, to
give advice or instruction. Political intermeddling
by professed ministers of the Gospel, and espe
cially of bodies of professed ministers, has been
fraught with evil for many years to our country,
and has contributed, perhaps, more than any
other cause to bring the country to its present
condition. This Synod, composed of ministers
and ruling elders, would not now be found imi
tating tbe,bad example so often set us by eccle
siastical bodies at the North. But there is now a
grave and solemn question before the people of
this State, affecting its very life and beint , as a
State, and that question, of course, has its reli
gious aspects and relations, upon which this body
is perfectly competent to speak, and if its deliv
erance therefore should have a political bearing,
that is a result for which we cannot be held re
sponsible.
" There is involved, at this immediate junc
ture, a duty to God who gave'us our rights—a
duty to our ancestors, whose blood and sufferings
procured them for us—a duty to our children,
whose precious inheritance we may not waste nor
defile—and a duty to our very slaves, whom men
that know them not, nor care for them as we do,
would take from our , protection. The Synod has
no hesitation, therefore, in expressing the belief
that the people of So uth Carolina are now sol
emnly called on to imitate their Revolutionary
forefathers, and stand up for their rights. We
have an bumble and abiding confidence, that that
God, whose truth we represent in this conflict,
will be with us, and exhorting our Churches and
people to put their trust in God, and go forward
in the solemn path of duty which his Providence
opens before them, we, Ministers and Elders of
the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina
Synod assembled, would give them our benedic
tion, and the assurance that we shalt fervently
and unceasingly implore for them the care and
protection of Almighty. God."
This action of the Synod will be noted
with deep interest. We rejoice that they
were not 'precipitated into divisive meas
ures. If they feel it necessary to leave us,
let the separation be deliberate and frater
nal. On one reason given for not separa
ting from us, the brethren, will find that
there is a difference of sentiment. They
may regard the action of 1845 as "virtu
ally rescinding" that of 1818. Others
may think differently. The Assembly of
1846,. regarded the two acts as consistent
and -harmonious. That Assembly adopted
without a division, the following,:
.Rerolved, That in the judgment of this House,
the tietion.of the General Assembly of 1845 was
not intended to deny or rescind the testimony of
ten uttered , bY the General Assemblies previous
to that dote.
This, we believe, is still the opinion of
tbe past body of the Northern nintrett
REV. FRANCIS HERRON, B.D.
Some three weeks ago we announced the
return of this venerable and beloved ser
vant of the Lord Jesus Christ, from his
Summer residence with a daughter at Tar
rytown, New-York, to his well-knoWn home
in this city, in excellent health and spirits.
Warmly was he welcomed; old and young
repaired to his house to take again the
aged patriarch by the hand. But scarcely
had that number of our paper reached its
readers before disease seized upon him,
which at once prostrated him beyond the
reach of recovery. The most careful nurs
ing, the most considerate attention, and all
the skill of the physicians were in vain.
He gradually sunk until the evening of
Friday the 6th instant, when he calmly
fell asleep in Jesus, having accomplished
an honored pilgrimage of more than eighty
six years on earth.
The Rev. FRANCIS HERRON, D.D., was
born in Shippensburg, Cumberland County,
Pennsylvania, June 28th, 1774; graduated
at Dickinson College, Pa., 1794; pursued
his theological studies under the care of
the Rev. ROBERT COOPER, D.D. ; was
licensed to preach the Gospel by the Pres
bytery of Carlisle in the year 1800, and
shortly afterwards accepted a call to Rocky
Spring church, Franklin Co., Pa. In
April, 1811, he received a call from the
First Presbyterian church of Pittsburgh;
removed to this city in May of that "year;
and on the 18th of the next month he was
received by the Presbytery of Redstone,
and formally accepted the call.
The site for the First Presbyterian
church was given by the descendants of
Was. PENN. The first Presbyterian preach
ing in Pittsburgh, of which any account is
given was by the Rev. Messrs. BEATTY
and DUFFIELD, in 1766, under the appoint
ment of the Synod of New-York end Phil
adelphia. The late Rev. JOHN MCMIL
LAN, D.D. cluing his first visit to the West
in 1775, preached here on the Second Sab
bath of September. The Rev. Mr. SMITH
was sent by the Presbytery of Redstone, to
preach here, on the Fourth Sabbath of
August, 1784. In the following year, or
about that time, the First church was or
ganized, and the Rev. SAMUEL BARR was
recognized as pastor without any regular
installation, and he continued in this rela
tion till June, 1789. For a number of
years the congregation was supplied with
preaching by appointments 'of Presbytery
and by licentiates. <ln June, 1799, the
Rev. ROBERT STEELE, who had been a
pastor in Ireland, commenced his labors;
in 1802 he was formally recognized as pas
tor, and continued to be such until his
death on the 22d of March, 1810. The
late Rev. JOSEPH STOCKTON then acted as
Stated Supply until the arrival of the Rev.
Mr. HERRON, in May, 1811.
Up to this time this church had not been
distinguished for either temporal or spir
itual prosperity. But immediately after
the arrival 'of Mr. 'HERRON, a new era
opened. Principally through his exertions
the church was soon extricated from its
financial difficulties, and the house of wor
ship greatly enlarged. The attendance
upon the ministry of' the Word increased
constantly ; the Lord poured out his Spirit ;
soon new life appeared_ among the mem
bership,-and"-many were converted. And
very precious revivals were frequently en
joyed by this people during the long pas
torate of this father whom the Lord has
just taken from us to the General Assembly
and Church of the First-born on high.
Dr. HERRON continued pastor until June,
1850, when, at his own request, the rela
tion was dissolved, and the congregation
with a liberality creditable to themselves,
as well as to him who had ministered to
them so long, and worthy of being imitated
by other congregations,granted.him an an
nuity of 0,000 for life.
In his day, Dr. HERRON was a man of
note, unbounded in his hospitalities, abun
dant in labors, and wielding an influence
such as no other man exerted in this com
munity, among all denominations of Chris
tians, and all classes of citizens. His pub
lic spirit, and the wisdom of his counsels,
was acknowledged by all. His integrity
of character and purity of motive were
doubted by none. As a preacher, he was
Scriptural, doctrinal, practical, and pun
gent. His sermons were uniformly .well
, prepared, full of the marrow of the Gospel,
and delivered with convincing earnestness.
As a pastor he was deeply interested in the
welfare of his flock. He trained a most
effective eldership, and taught his people
both from the pulpit and by his own ex
ample, the pressing claims of Christian
benevolence, so that this church ranks with
the most liberal in the land. Missionary
operations in the West found in him a
warm friend, and an earnest advocate.
And the Western Foreign MissiOnary So
ciety, from which our Foreign Missionary
Board sprang, and from the beginning of
which the Board should date its origin, re
ceived his hearty and effective cooperation.
Foreign Missions and missionaries had a
prominent place in his large and princely
heart.
For many years he was an active Trustee
of Jefferson College. And the Western
Theological Seminary, with its Professors
and students, was from its origin, a subject
of heart-felt and prayerful solicitude. In
the darkest hour he never yielded to de
spair, but Always spoke the cheering word,
opened the liberal hand, and rallied . his
own people to the rescue. And in the day
of its final success, none rejoiced more
heartily than he. He loved young men—
especially candidates for the holy ministry.
No worthy student of theology ever went
to him for advice or assistance, without re
ceiving it.
It is not strange, then, that the death of
such a man, at such a ripe old age, even
after being for years withdrawn from active
life, should have made a profound impres
sion in this community. On the following
day, on motion of the venerable and dis
tinguished Judge SHALER, himself an Epis
copalian, the following order was made in
the District Court and Court of Common
Pleas :
It having been announced in open Court that
the Rev. FRANCIS HERRON, D.D., had departed
this life, and that the funeral obsequies were
about to be performed on the forenoon 'of Satur
day, the Sth inst., it is ordered that, as a token
of the high veneration and respect this Court en
tertains for that distinguished theologian, vener
able citizen, and eminent and apostolic servant
of God, and in . deference . to the public sentiment
entertained in reference to this irreparable loss,
the Court will adjourn to Mopday next.
Sit'ch an nidnr, belioe, was never be
PRESBYTERIAN BANNER.-SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1860.
fore made, upon the death of any Minister
in this city.
On Saturday morning, private religious
exercises were held at tLe house of the de
ceased, after which the body was conveyed
to the First church, followed by the family,
various ministers, and the theological stu
dents. The elders of this church acted . as
pall-bearers, assisted by elders from some of
the neighboring churches. The corn was
carried up the middle aisle, and placed be
fore the pulpit in a somewhat elevated po
sition. By this time the church was
densely filled. The choir then sang
Sweet is the scene when ChristianeL die,
When holy souls retire to rest;
How mildly beams the closing eye,
How gently heaves the expiring breast.
So fades the Summer cloud away,
So sinks the gale when storms are o'er ;
So gently shuts shuts the eye-of day,
So dies a wave along the shore.
A solemn and appropriate prayer was
then offered by the Rev. ALLAN CAMPBELL,
D.D. This was followed by the singing of
a part of the 513th Hymn, commencing
Why should our tears in sorrow flow,
. When God recalls his own;
And bids them leave a world of woe,
For an immortal crown.
The Rev. ELISIIA: P. SWIFT, D.D., who
has already passed his three-score years and
ten, revered for his age, piety, and ability,
then delivered a most eloquent and feeling
address of about twenty minutes, parts of
which were very solemn and affecting, most
of the large audience beingmoved even to
tears.
He was followed by the Rev. Mr. LEA,
of Lawrenceville, and the Rex, Dr. BEATTY,
of Steubenville, with remarks illustrative
and reminiscent of the character of the
deceased, which Were listened to with the
greatest attention. The venerable Dr. 14-
LIOTT, Senior Professor in the Western
Theological Seminary, to whose wisdom
and firmness the Presbyterian Church is so
largely indebted, and whose praise is in all
our churches, then closed by a brief but
impressive address, stating that he iiad
known the Doctor for fifty years, and that
no person outside of his own family had
been more intimate with him. They had
studied in the same College;prosecuted their
studies for the ministry under the same
teacher, were licensed to preach by the
same Presbytery, and had lived near each
other for fifty - years. He said he would
love to dwell at length upon the life and
virtues of the lamented dead, were it not
that Dr. PAXTON, the successor of Dr.
HERRON, contemplated preaching a dis
course at an early day, commemorative of
his life and character, of which due notice
would be given.
A part of the 666th hymn was then
•
sung by the choir, commencing :
, Our joulpey is a thorny maze,
But we march upward' still ;
Forget these troubles of the way,
And meet at Zion's hill. '
The immense assembly then passed in
front of the pulpit, and gazed for the last
time upon the lifeless body of the vener.
ated man. After this 'he was taken to his
resting place in the beautiful Allegheny
Cemetery. Long will his memory live;
long will the remembrance of ; his virtues
be cherished.
THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.
• We, this week, present to our readers,
the President'S Message, in full. The cir
cumstances in Which it is sent to the
country, render it one of the most impor
tant State papers issued by Mr. BUCHANAN.
It may rank also among his ablest papers.
It is drawn up with caution—perhapstwith
too much caution to. be thoroughly con
sistent, or to meet the emergency. There
are in it things which, if not the produc
tion of different minds, were evidently
meant to conciliate men of diverse senti
ments. The parts are not harmonious.
It is not univocal. It utters some very
important truths, very distinctly; and it
puts in some pleas for non-action which, to
many, seem very erroneous, and are very
unsatisfactory. The President, however,
may be prudent in his purpose not. to put
down State secession promptly and by
force. The end may be better accomplish- ,
ed by taking time and using mild means.
But we cannot regard him as either just or
wise in his very strong sectional proclivi
ties. lie, in strong terms, condemns the
North as the cause of all agitation and
trouble, while he is silent relative to the
many and grievous aggressions of the
South. Such one-sidedness injures his in
fluence „for good. A, Chief Magistrate
presides over the whole country. He
should know no sectionalism." When he
enters the Chair of State, he should leave
the partisan behind, regarding the public
honor and seeking the weal of all.
The slavery question, is the hard ques
tion. It is"the root of bitterness. It
ought to be settled. It' has seemed to be
settled several times ; but it wont stay
settled. Fanatics, ambitious men, self-in
terested men, and sensitive men, stir it up.
It is in a fair way now, as seems to us, to
be more effectually disposed of. There is
a growing, concentration of sentiment, that
slavery is not national, but 'sectional, and
that the nation should let it alone, except
to prevent its spreading. Such was the idea
of WASHINGTON, JEFFERSON, MADISON
and others, the fathers of the general gov
ernment. It exists by State laws. Let
the States manage it. Let there be no in
terference. Return the fugitives from la
bor, in good faith, as provided by consti
tutional compact. This in an imperious
duty. But' come under no new bonds.
We thank the President cordially for
his able argument against the right of it
State to secede from the Union ; and for
the assertion of his own official duty to
enforce the laws. We trust that he will
discharge this duty, promptly, wisely, cf.
fectually ; that he will not tamper with
sedition;, nor be unprepared to meet an
emergency where danger is threatened; nor
leave exposed fortifications (say the three
forts at Charleston harbor, where there are
now but ninety men) vulnerable; thereby
inviting an attack,. causing bloodshed, and
precipitating domestic war. To man those
forts well, in this day of phrensy, would be
mercy, as well as prudence. A sufficient
force in the forts and in the harbor, to
protect, beyond the hope of all assailants,
the public property, the revenue, and the
clearances, would entirely preserve the
peace.
The most lame part of the Messago is
that wherein it disclaims <authority in the
Government to enforce the United States
laws in fife df a setVling aitt4.
But such is the' President's manner of
speaking on this subject that, possibly he
may be misapprehended. He may be
right, as he would understand his own
words. The Government has no power be
yond what is granted. There is no direct
grant of power to make war against a State.
The power is over individuals. And no
State law can relieve the individuals from
their responsibility to the United States.
Hence, if one man, or many men, refuse i to
pay revenue, attack United States property,
stop or rob the mails, resist the decrees of
the United States Courts; levy war against
the United States, it is the transgressors
who are guilty. And if they do these
things under State enactments, still, the
wrong-doers, being subjects of the United
States are personally responsible. And if
all- the people of a State engage in the
wrong, the nature of the case is still the
same—they are still in the eye of the Con
stitution, individuals, a. mob, culprits, re
bels, traitors, and are,to be dealt with, not
in a State 'capacity, but as individuals.
The President's language will' bear this
construction; and thus, after all he has
said, the way is open for him, with- the
whole power, of the Army, the Navy, and
the Militia, to enforce every law, of the
United States against every and all trans
gressors, in every place, and under what
soever seeming sanction they may pretend
to take shelter.
Our foreign relations, as presented in the
Message, are highly favorable. Commerce
flourishes, and the;fend has yielded a rich
increase. The present is blissful, and the
only drawback upon our prospeots for the
future, Is the unhappy spirit manifested,
South, by the defeated party at the late
election. , And the difficulties there will,
we trust, by the fidelity of the Courts, and,
by the wisdom of Congress, and by the
prudent energy of the Executive, and by
the good sense of the People, and over all,
by the blessing of God, soon be removed.
SOUTHERN FEELING.
We have a letter from a highly intelli
gent and respected gentleman in the South,
which merits attention. Our readers, we
are sure, wish to know all facts relative to
public sentiment at the South. We or
this region, we, are sure, who gave such
a large majority' for LINCOLN, are dis
posed to do all justice teward our Southern
brethren. And, more yet, we are willing
to yield much. But we wish to live under
a govern9nent. The compact of the Co
nstitution we will keep inviolate. To the
laws of the United States we submit peace-
fully. If power, under the Constitution,
passes from the South to the North—if the
mnjority, after long yielding, choose to use
their rights, fully respecting - and preserv
ing the rights of the minority, there should
be no complaint There may be more feel
ing at the South than we apprehended.
Thit we trust that it' will yet subside so far
as to listen to reason, and then we are sure
there will be peace. The letter is as fol
lows :
AUGUSTA, GA., Dec. sth, 1860
MEssus EDITORS :—One fruitful source
'of the, present misunderstanding between,
the North and the South, is found in their
ignorance of each other's political views.
Had the-voteri-dg those States which will
cast their electoral suffrages for Lincoln,
been better informed of the real state of
publicl sentiment, in the several slave States,
many of them would doubtless 'have hesi
tated before yielding to " Republican"
clamors. They were'taught to believe that
the election of a sectional President, in a
Constitutional manner, would have the
double effect of placing a strong Northern
party in power, and of quieting, by a final
blow given to Southern hopes, the agita
thins which have so long convulsed the
country. But their leaders have misled
them. The pOpular candidate haS been
chosen ; but the likelihood is, that he will
never go into power as the President of an
unbroken Union, and the agitations of the
country are increased a hundred fold. This
would have been distinctly foreseen by the
more Sober mind of the North, had it in
formed itself of the condition of public
affairs in the South, through media of in
formatidn other than the newspapers of
New York, and Cincinnati, and Chicago.
But the election is over, and no time
need now he wasted in useless recrimina
tions. I simply wish to address you and
your readers with reference to the existing
probabilities of disunion, as the fearful
`consequence of that election; and to beg
that you all will not misconceive the state
of things here, three weeks after the elec
tion; as many of you did three weeks before
that memorable event. The junior editor
of the Banner knows me well, and he has
reason to believe that I would be the last
man to overstate an important fact relating
to a momentous subject. It is, indeed,
difficult to'be calm amid such a turmoil as
that which exists around me. 'But yet it
is possible for any sober-minded thinker to
discover the true state of public feeling
even amid the confusions of disorganizing
- political elements. I state to you, there
fore, my great amazement at'the Misinfor
mation conveyed, unwittingly, to youtiead
ers in the following paragraph taken'from
one of your editorials, in the Banner of
December 1:
"The great body of the people in all the
Southern States, with the exception of
South Carolina, is strongly opposed to the
present excitement, and even in South
Carolina there are many, as there were in
1832,Wh0 have no sympathy with the pres
ent course of things in that quarter."
You are altogether misinformed. Nev
er were a united people more immovably
resolved to alter their political relations,
than are the people of South Carolina.
The city of my residence is immediately
upon the borders of that Commonwealth,
and my information is indubitable. Scarce
ly a man or woman, or child, from one end
of it to the Other, does'hot cry disunion.
To say that the same universality of this
sentiment does not exist in Georgia, is only
to say that the population of Georgia is
much greater than that of South Carolina,
and cannot, therefore, be penetrated by
like influences in the same length of time.
But I do know; 'that absolutely a larger
number of people in this State are deter
-
'mined to seek refuge from national evils in
independency, than can be found in her
neighbor across the Savannah River. I
know, fuxthermore, that the reeling here is
as intense as there. And believe that
before the New Year shall dawn, Georgia
will, throughout her population, be as
unanimous as her sister is-throughout hers.
The same seems to be true of the other
great Cotton States. It is certainly true
of Florida. Why, there is almost no man
who does not look forward to ultimate se
cession. The sole ground of disagreement
is upon the question of time. Mr. Ste
phens, himself; the leader of the conserva
tive party, is resolved to head the elements
of resistance whenever he shall find that
the hope of getting the North to make cer
tain concessions to the South, will appear
futile: 'There are two parties only--(ir
you leave out those scattered few, who may
pEdsibly adhere to the Union until the last
moment before separation, out, of an abi
ding attachment to it as the earth's chief
glory)—the one declaring for immediate
action, and the other pleading for delay.
These two parties'are one in principle, di
vided merely in policy.
These are my convictions, not lightly
stated. I do not. purpose to argue the
question, Have these States just grounds
for secession? My own views are clear
upon this, but I need not now publish
them. My sole object is to warn those
who compose the circle of your readers,
not to be deceived into the hope that these
agitations will soon 'experience a reaction
and cease. Not so. I assure them that
secession is the sentiment of tbe people,
not alone of the politicians. It will cer
tainly be 'consummated at any cost, unless
those. Northern. States which have nullified
the Constitution by enforcim , "Personal
Liberty" bills, will immediately repeal
them, and add to their repeal certain other
guarantees of a better feeling toward the
South which they will never consent to
offer. • J.R.W.
MR. CIIINIqUY'S COLONY.
A correspondent of the American Pres
byterian says thatithe Episcopalian clergy
man from New-York, who has made such
zealous efforts to induce the people of Mr,
CHINIQUVE colony to desert Presbyterian
ism and adopt Episcopacy, and who has
succeded in creating so much division
among them, is the Rev. STEPHEN H.
TYNE, D.D., of New-York, of whose free
dom from sectarianism so much is said,
and who when it serves his purpose on the
platform, boasts so much of it himself.
The same writer states that a young French
man of this colony licensed by the Pres
bytery of Chicago made a visit to Canada,
and returned a full grown Episcopalian,
setting, up the Episcopal form of worship
at once; And the same correspondent
.gives a report which says that Mr. °HINT
QUI', who is now lionizing in Europe, has
written home, giving . up his house and
pulpit to the Episcopal Church
That Convotion.—A brother, who has
long and successfully served the cause of
Christ, writes concerning the approaching
meeting for prayer, consultation and ex
hortation : " I was made truly happy, on
the receipt of your letter, by the good
news it contained. I regard your contem
plated Convention as the most important
event in our Church during the. year. Do
make your arrangements to honor the bles
sed Spirit. Our Church is the last one on
earth to .get along well, or rather to get
along at all without the Holy Spirit. I feel
a sweet assurance, that if all who shall as
semble, will go from their proper dwelling
place the dust, to the convention, and un
der a deep sense of want, it will receive the
blessing from the Lord. * * I fully in
tend to be there."
We trust that this brother utters the
true feelings of our pastors and elders.
An Excellent Sermon, preached on Thanks
giving day, by Dr. JAconns, has been
published by his hearers. 'We may possi
bly give some extracts next week. But it
is well worthy a perusal, entire. It may
be had at the Presbyterian Book Rooms,
St. Clair Street.
PRAYER FOR A REVIVAL.
CALL FOR A CONVENTION.
PITTSBURGH, Dee. 7, 1860.
To the Ministers and Riding Elders of the
Presbyterian Church, in. Ventral and
Western Pennsylvania, North Western
Virginia 'and the State of Ohio.
DEAR BRETHREN :—The Church in all
her history has witnessed the value of con
certed prayer. She is called "bract" on
the presumption that: she is a ; praying body
—and, blessed be. God, the name carries
in it the gracious presumption that she
shall prevail , in prayer. The history of
our Zion has strikingly illustrated this
truth. The calling of a solemn assembly
has, more than once, brought together in
supplication, the Ministers and Ruling
Elders of our churches, and has roused
the united petitions of urod's people, with
most signal . success. The. Convention in
this city, three years ago, from four, Synods,
is fresh in the memory of our Western•
Church, and its blessed results in the con
version of multitudes among us, as the' first
fruits of a glorious Revival in our land,
are known to all. .
We live, moreover, in a day which God
has pleased to signalize as a day of answered
prayer. He has multiplied of late, in
every land, the testimonies to his faithful
ness—so that now, we are specially chal
lenged to come to God, believing that RE
is, and that he is a rewarder of all theme
that diligently seek him.
But " there is none that calleth upon thy
name that stirreth up himself to take hold
of thee." "The ways of Zion do mourn,
because few come to her solemn feasts."
We get no tidings from the churches in our
bounds, that, along with the plenteous in
gathering of the harvests there has: been a
gracious ingathering of souls. There must
come sad defection of our membership—
departure of our, children from the faith—
barrenness of all the, ordinances—serious
decline in all the operations of beneficence
—decrease of candidates for the ministry—
.
and all the woeful results of apostacy from.
God, if we be not speedily.visited from on
High. The one great, immediate, pres
sing need of our Church and people is
this, , A REVIVAL OF TRUE RELIGION.
The General Assembly of our Church,
in concert with other leading churches of
Christendom, hal recommended the second
week in January, (7th to 13th inst.,) as a
week, of united prayer for the conversion
of the world to Jesus Christ. After prayer
and conference of •brethren here, it has been
decided to issue this our earnest invitation
to the Ministers and Ruling Elders, in Cen
tral and Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and
North Western Virginia, to convene in the
First Presbyterian church of Pittsburgh,
on Tuesday, ; the 15th of January, to pray
for a REVIVAL OF 90D'S WORK among us.
" 0 Lord, revive thy work in the midst of
the years."
The Rev. Dr. CREIGE of Central Penn
sylvania, has been requested to open the
Convention with a sermon, on Tuesday,
evening, at 7 o'clock, and the Rev. JosrAti
D. SMITH., of Ohio, is invited to preach on
the foll Owing evening.
Ample arrangements will be made for en
tertaining all who may assemble.
Let us take with us words, and turn unto
the Lord. Let us say unto Lim, take away
all iniquity, and receive us , graciously. Al
ready we hear him saying, "I will heal
their backslidings. I will love them freely,
for mine an g er is turned away from him.
I will be as the dew unto Israel. He shall
grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as
Lebanon."
E. P. SWIFT,
DAVID ELLIOTT,
SAML. FULTON,
W. M. PAXTON,
W. D. HowARD,
W. S. PLUMED,
M. W. JACOBUS,
SAML. FINLEY,
B'. J. WiLgem.
For the Presbyterian Banner
Letter to a Cabiiet Minister.
HONORED SIR :—ln the Evening Chiron- 1 1
iele of December 5, I find your letter, ad
dressed, as we are informed by the editor,
to a prominent clergyman of Pittsburgh.
With the spirit of the introductory re
marks of the editor, I fully sympathize,
while, at the same time, I claim a freeman s
privilege to dissentfrom some of your views.
I agree with you as .to the probability
that South Carolinawill soon lead the way in
a revolution in which she may bojoined by
some, perhaps, by all the slave holding
States. But Ido not agree with you as to
the- causes of this threatened revolution.
You say, 46 conservative men have now no
ground to stand upon—no weapon to bat
tle with.. All has been swept from them
by the guilty agitations and infamous leg 7
islation of the North." You add, "I do
not anticipate with any confidence that the
North will act up to the solemn responsi
bilities of, the crisis, by retracing those
fatal steps which have conducted us to the
very brink of perdition, politically, morally,
and financially.
It would seem to be your opinion that
the sole cause of the present state of things
is wrong doing on the part of .the North.
That such should be your opinion strikes
me with surprise. That the masses at the
South should believe that the trouble is
owing to the aggressiens of the North, I
?an easily understand ; for it has been the
policy of- unprincipled politicians to in
flame them against the. North; but, that a
Cabinet officer, a gentleman of the high
culture indicated by your letter, should
agree with the masses in that opinion, is
certainly surprising. You, honored sir,
are acquainted with the history of this
Government. You know that it has been
entirely under the control of the South
for more than half a century. You know
that it has been for the South to say
.who
should be President, arid who should fill
the high offices of trust and profit. You
know that. the South dictated the annexa
tion of Texas, with .its provisions for addi
tional slave States, the Mexican war, and
the Repeal of the Missouri Compromise..
You know that by means of an united
South and divided North, the Executive,
Legislative, and Judicial Departments, have
been under the - control of the South. Now,
if the South has any thing to complain, of
in regard to the action of the. National
Government, they have themselves only to
complairt of. The North have never been
able to defeat a single act of Southern
policy—previous to the election of Mr.
Lincoln...
Now, with all the power of the. National
Government, the army, the .navy, the treas
ury, at the command of the South, can a
few hundred or even a few thousand
Northern abolitionists, not fifty of whom
ever set foot on , slave Territory, inflict on
the South an injury so grievous as to jus
tify a resort to revolution ? There have
been, we admit, irritating and fanatical ut
terances at the North, and so there have
been at the South. The former have not
dictated the policy of the North ; the lat
ter should not be allowed to dictate the
policy of the South.
You speak of the infamous legislation
of the North." What are the facts'?
Some of the Free States 'have passed laws
conflicting more or less with the provisions
of•the Fugitive Slave Law. That law,
being Constitutionally passed, became,
" the supreme law of the land," , and has
been so regarded by the great majority
of the North. Its: unwise provisions, de
signed to humiliate the North, caused the
enactment of the. " Personal Liberty Bills."
Had the. Fugitive Slave Law been designed
solely to carry out the provisions of the
Constitution—had all its requirements how
ever stringent, been directed solely to that
end—no such laws as are now complained of
would have been found or placed among
the. Statutes of a single State. They
ought never to have been enacted: They
should be repealed. They will be repealed
unless revolutionary action at the South
should render the repeal unnecessary.
While I admit that they are a just ground
of complaint, I have yet to learn that they
have ever prevented the return of a single
fugitive. Said laws are a just cause of
complaint, but not an adequate cause for
revolution.
That these laws are not the cause of the
present trouble, appears from the fact that
so little is known respecting them at the
South. The ignorance manifested by a
Southern Governor respecting them, shows
that they are not the cause of the present
trouble:
Does not the real cause lie in the de
parture of the sceptre of power from the
South ? For the first time for half a cen
tury, an Executive has been chosen who is
not pledged to be subservient to the inter
ests of the South. Before he can perform
a single executive act, before there is the
slightest evidence that he will not admin
ister the government according to the Con
stitution, the signal for revolution is given.
I am reluctantly compelled to believe; as'
you say, that "the Southern mind glows as
a furnace in ifs hatred of the North," but
I believe that hatred to be without cause.
It has arisen from making the whole North
responsible for the fanatical acts of a few.
The North has not held the whole South
responsible for those who would reopen
the African Slave Tra.db.
An overwhelming majority at the North
have no feelings of hatred toward the
South. They io not, it is true, believe
that one man can be the chattel of another:
They do not believe that God made men
and women to be bought and sold in
the market. They do not believe that it is
right to take the daughter from the moth
er, or the wife from the husband,'and sell
them to strangers. They do not believe
that it is right to withhold the Word or
God from souls for whom Christ died.
They believe that the system of American
slavery is wrong—thaf every one who buys
and holds and sells his fellow man for pur
poses of gain, is a great sinner before God.
At the same time they believe that one
may without sin, sustain the legal relation
of a master, provided it be for the good or
the slave, and until such a time as freedom
would be a blessing. For those Christian
slaveholders who recognize manhood in
the slave, and who strive to do their duty
to him,. the great' majority of Northern
Christians have the deepest sympathy.
They would gladly leave the solution of the
problem of slavery in , their hands. They
would give them all the aid in their power.
An overwhelming majority of all classes
at the. North, have no, disposition to inter
fere with slavery as it exists in the States.
They believe that the responsibility rests
with the States, and are prepared to abide
by the provisions of the Constitution.
They were prepared to stand by the Mis
souri Compromise, but since that has been
repealed by Southern influence, they will
not be accessory to the extension of a sys
tem which they believe to he wrong.
I admit that thereis a growing " feeling
in the Free States, which says, Let the
South go," but it is not a feeling of hostil
ity. But if the South is resolved to break
down the protecting barriers of the Con
stitution, if she is determined that the
North shall say that slavery is right and
ought to be extended, if she insists that
we shall regard human beings as property,
if she insists that she shall be permitted to
bring her slaves to the free homes of the
North, if she insists that Northern free
men shall give utterance to no opinions
which differ from those of the slavehcdder--
if concessions like these must be the price
of her remaining in the' Union, then will
the voice of the North: like tie voice of
many waters, be heard saying, ' Let the
South go;" but even that voice will
lifted up in sorrow, not in anger.
The North is aware of the fact that th,.
agitation " has reached the minds of thy
slave population of the South, and rend ero
every home in that distracted land inc,,.
cure." How did this come to pass? Not
by means of Abolitionist emissaries,
they have not been in communication with
one slave in ten thousand. Their master,
have declared in their hearing that it
the purpose of the North to free the sl av „ .
The unfounded assertions of the wasn.r
have "reached the minds of the sla v „ ,,
This is said in sorrow—not in exultatin n
We sympathize with "the consternati on
which reigns in the homes of the South."
We are ready to fulfil our Constitution a l
obligations to protect those homes. Th,, u _
sarrds would march at the call of the
ecutive to put down servile insurrectio n ,.
What stronger proof that " madness
the hour," than the idea that safety depend.,
upon the dissolution of the Union': wh at
will be your security, when the protecti on
of the Constitution is ruthlessly o „ t
away.?
The people of the North do not delud e
themselves into the belief that the revolu
tion which shall destroy the Constitutio n
will be a bloodless one. They will be
careful that no act of theirs shall coin.
mence a revolution whose results no huma n
sagacity can foresee. That fearful respon
sibility will be left to the South.
We should rejoice in any wise, and
" prompt action " on the part of the Nor t h
that will deliver us from the dangers that
threaten us. The State laws complained
of will doubtless be repealed or declared
null and void. A convention may he
called, but.l do not see what guarantees it
could give that are not given by the Con.
stitution. The feeling of the majority at
the North, a far greater majority than
Lincoln's—was never stronger against M-
I terference with the constitutional rights
of the South than at this moment. But if
you demand more than the Constitution re
quires, if you demand that we shall believe
in slavery as a righteous institution, if
you demand thA we shall annihilate free
dom of speech—if, in short, you demand
that we shall nationalize slavery, be assured
that your demands will not be yielded to,
The decision as to the course the North
shall persue is in the hands of the million,
who earn their bread by the sweat of their
brow, and no perils or sufferings will ever
convince them that man was not made to
be free. Very respectfully yours,
EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENCE.
LORD PALMERSTON ON THE ANERICAN RECEPTION OF ME
PRINCE—THE HIGH CHURCHRISHOP AND THE UNITED STALES
—ANXIETY ABOUT THE PRINCE OP WAIFS—AILSENCE EN ins
BIRTH-DAT—IIIS BROTHER—MS ARRIVAL—LORD MAT , Efs
DAY—DEATH OF AN EX-LORD MAYOR—III 3 CIIARACTII
RITHLII OF LORD DONDONAID--SIR H. L'DIVARDES AT RXETIE
HALL—INDIA AND ITS CLAIRS—YHE GOVERNMENT YIELDING
—MISSIONARY PROGRESS—THE ALLIES MARCHING ON PLEIN
--COLLISION WITH THE TAI-PUGS AT SHANGHAI—THE MIS
SIONARY'S TESTIMONY—PERILS OF OUR POLICY—THE OCIi IS
QUESTION—YIGTOR EMMANUEL RING OF ITALY—G.IEIIEII.I , I . S
RETIREMENT,—HISS APPEAL TO THE VOLUNTEERS—PERILS
FOR AUSTRIA.
LONDON, November 18, 1860
LORD PALMERSTON has expressed him
self in warm terms, of grateful recognition
of the manner in which the Prince of
Wales was received in the United States.
The occasion was a public dinner of one of
the City. Companies. After referring to
the Prince's reception in Canada, he spoke
as follows:: " I must say it has been most
gratifying to witness the cordiality, the
heartfelt kindness, the generous hospitality
and I may say the enthusiastic delight,
with which that illustrious Prince was re
ceived by our cousins in the United States.
They have shown themselves, indeed, to he
a noble and generous people; they have
shown that they have not forgotten the
common stock from which we have
sprung; and in spite of events, which. if
not buried in oblivion, might have' pro
duced some alienation, they have , received
our future Sovereign, not as if he were a
stranger belonging to- another land, but as
if he had been born in their own country,
and had been a citizen, of their own Repub
lic. I trust, gentlemen, that the remem
brance of the generous kindness thus ex
hibited by the people of the United States
will ever be cherished by the people of
these kingdoms. I believe the memory of
the Prince's, visit will long survive in the
breasts of the American nation, and that
these mutual recollections will tend more
closely -than ever, to knit together those
two great branches of the same noble and
illustriot stock."
A contrast to the Statesman's sense and
good feeling, is presented by that High
Church and semi-Papal Bishop, the true
representative of -Laud and the school of
oppressors who drove the. Puritans as "Pil
grim Fathers," to leave their country and
"Seek beneath the forest pines,
Freedom to worship God."
The Bishop of Oxford,,at a Missionary
meeting, said that we are a boastful race,
but that the Am can is the exaggeration
of the EnglishmTn in that respect—" an
Englishman under a magnifying glass."
And then, he adds, "If we bad been true
to our duty, and when we colonized North
America,lad made it England across the
Atlantic, as we ought to have done—if we
had planted the English Church there,
and had not refused the English Episco
pate to the people in the cradle of their
life—if we had not forced slavery upon
them in all its horrors—the American man
might in every respect have been the re
production of the 'old Briton. * * Our
insular character is, as regards the rest of the
world,.what the American feeling is, that
they Can whip us."
This " feebleness of national character"
is to be counteracted, says the Bishbp, in
our new colonies, by planting the English
Church there ! Alackaday, how is it that
"the feebleness" is our own, with a Na
tional Establishment, with revenues of £B,-
000,000 sterling annually ! The second
evil (says the Bishop,) of all boastfulness
of spirit, is " Christian love" for the hea
then, and especially that which finds its
expression in establishing everywhere the
English Episcopate ! Dearly do these
Churchmen prize the Episcopate as such,
and inasmuch as many in most of the Co
lonial Bishoprics are salaried from the
treasury, whatever may be said as to the
real affection in which this nation of ours
regards them, yet of every one of them in
a sense that Goldsmith did not intend, it
may be said truly,
"A man he is to all the country dear."
THE NON ARRIVAL of the Prince of
Wales, after a lapse of more than three weeks
after his departure from the United States,
awakened considerable anxiety both in the
Royal Palace and throughout the country.
There had been explanations offered tend
ing to quiet the rising feeling, to the ef
fect that the long-continued Easterly winds
—which an officer of the American Navy
just arrived in England, describes as very
strong' in the mid-Atlantic Ocean--had
necessarily rendered it impossible for a
ship like the Hero, with only au auxiliary
screw, and not able to carry coals sufficient
to steam, more than half the voyage,
to make a speedy trip. Nevertheless
there was an undercurrent of appre
,hension that something might have gone
wrong, and powerful war steamers were
sent out, from Portsmouth and Plymouth, to
meet,, if possible, the Royal Squadron.
The Prince was expected home on Friday
last, the 9th of November, which was his
nineteenth birth-day. On the day pre
vious had come back his sailor-brother,
Priice Alfred. He, had been absent for a
long time. He had visited the .Cape of
Good Rope and laid thel foundation of a
new barber pity i he also penetrattd into
A FREEMAN