MEN Vresbßtniatt Vanua. PITtikURGO I BITURin, OCTOBER 19, 1861. . gag- Having purchased for 'our office the "Right" to use 44ccntentaost and Dispatch Patent, all, or nearly all, f osir subscribers now have their papers addressed to them regularly braVingu/arty unique machine, which fasans qe the white margin a small colored "address stamp," or label, whereon appears their name plainly printed ; fonoweit by Ahe 4a4e up to which they have paid for their papers—this 'befits aurhorisid by an Act of angress. The date will Vutays be advanced on the receipt of subscription numey, on exact accordance with the amount so received, and thus be an ever-ready and valid receipt; securing to everyone, ODA at ali times, a perfect knowledge of his newspaper ac e hunt , that ' f any error is made he eon immediately de. itmOt it and have, it corrected-41 boon alike valuable - to the publisher and subscriber, as it must terminate all painful usininaerstandings between them respecting accounts, and ;has tend to . perpetuate their, important mdationship. • *, Those in arrears will please remit. ow. POSTAGE STAMPS, The old postage stamps are still received offices where new stamps have not been 16nrished. But none are taken in Pitts itorgh, , Here the new stamps only are .either, given out or• received. Renee per sons sending payment to us will please to Acrid only the , new stamps ; and send none .but three. cent stamps. The old stamps are utterly f itscless.here ; and the five and ten cent, and larger stamps,'we turn into money with f great difficulty. Bla;reville Female Seminary.—This is the only Female Seminary in the Synod of Pittsburgh. The attendance, as shown by the Catalogue of 1861, is eighty-three. See ad'vertisement. Licensed Venders.—A money problem rel ative to the sale of intoxicating liquors, in Allegheny county, is published in our News columns. It is intended for individual thought, rather than for an answer in the journals. Our Government merits the ardent affcc. tion9nd cordial support of every Christian. It furnishes Us a peaceful and quiet home, where selves, wives, children, property, are all safe. We lie down and rise up, and go out and come in, and know not fear. God bless the Government, and grant that the Rebellion may be speedily repressed, and the whole land enjoy peace., A CHRISTIAN SENTIMENT. The Evangelical Alliance, composed of the representatives of Christian Churches frOm all parts of Europe, and from North America, at its late meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, unanimously adopted the fol lowing declaration of sentiment with regard to our civil war, and its cause: " The Conference of Christians of all countries assembled at Geneva testifies to its brethren of the United States the lively sym pathy which it feels for them in the terrible crisis which desolates their country. The members of this assembly desire to pray frvently that these deplorable events may be turned to the advancement of the inter ests of Humanity, of Liberty, and of the Kingdom of God. Convinced that the ex istence of Slavery is the. cause of the war, the Conference prays to the Lord to incline the heart of' his children in America to bring about, by wise and Christian meas ures, the suppression of this institution, which is as contrary to the Gospel as 'it is to the peace, progress, and prosperity of that great nation. And, since our brethren of' the United States have set apart the 26th inst., as a day of solemn hnmiliation and prayer, the Conference invites Chris tians of different countries to unite on that day before the throne of grace to pray with their brethren in regard to the present trial, remembering that if one member suf fer, all the others suffer with it." ATTACK UN DR. GURLEY. We copy from the Pittsburgh Gazette, .of the.9th inst., as follows : "In his last-clay sermon at Washington, the Be,. Wm. 11.*CHA5NING, Unitarian, gave it as his sol emn opinion that the reason why the Almighty has brought this war upon us is, that some of the . Northern States heat abolished capital punishment. ." The New-York Tribune remarks that it is not impossible some clergyman may have talked thus absurdly, but Mr. CHANNING •who is himself opposed to capital punish ment,•acid is by no means a fool, never im agined anything of the sort. The Tribine is right. Though it has been copied from .journal to journal, the above foolish para. graph has only this foundation—that it ascribes to Mr. CHANNING the foolishness bf Dr.• GURLEY, who edified a highly dis tinguished auditory, including the Presi 'dent himself, with this surprising doctrinal discovery, as was stated in more than one or two Washington reports at the time. " The distinguished author of so original and curious a view of the war ought not to be so soon forgotten, or to be in danger of losing the laurels he is fairly entitled to wear. Mcire especially as Mr. CHANNING on that day took a very diverse view from that of the learned Dr. GURLEY—a view so el:Simon-place, so vulgar, so common sense even, that we are ashamed almost to record it. ." Mr. CHARRING was so like other people and so little like Dr. GURLEY, that, he lost every chance he had of being ingenious, original and profound in his view, as Dr. GURLEY was, and merely thrilled the hearts of his hearers by eloquently interpreting and enforcing the now almost -universally popular conviction that SLAVERY IS TAE CAUSE OF THE WAR." Sentiments like these are in character with ~ the retigiones opinions of the New-York Tribune) but that such a commendation of Unitarianism, and such ajling at evangel ical orthodoxy, should be copied into the Gazette, is, to us, astonishing. Dr. GURLEY is a Presbyterian, and one of the most godly and eminent ministers in our Church. He is doubtless opposed to the abolition of capital punishment; for God has said, " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." And again, speaking of the good magistrate : "He beareth not the sword in vain." Dr. Gua- LEY, being a minister of God's Word, and bound by its teachings, doubtless both be lieves and preaches according to these quo tatioos ; but that he ever uttered the bare, bald sentiment , above attributed to him, is. not to be believed for a moment. The war is upon the land on account of our sins. One of those sins is, sympathy with crime and a shielding of criminals. Another is the cruet oppression of the blacks, four inilliona. of whom are denied some` of the most precious rights which God has allotted to man. Other iniquities, also, great and terrible, have abounded ; Mid no sober,- calm, intelligent Christian minister, as Dr. GURLEY certainly is, would, single out;one of tbem, and. especially .one which, as specified, is found in but a few of the States, as' f' the reason why the Almighty has brought this war upon us." It is by such misrepresentations, false hoods, and flings, that infidelity now strives to winits way against Evangelism. Parents should:guard against its Introduction into their households. .irhe poisonmay do its 41e 1 01y„ work in . 4e ,inuthful` *mind in sidinuili and unobieived or 'before an .antilio—tig,:eitrttt!e.elettiYo l 7 tidtainistoted. THE SYNOD OF PITTSBURGH. This being the Synod to which we owe special allegiance, and in which we have just passed a few days of delightful Chris tian fellowship, we will give to it a portion of an editorial'eolurnn. The meeting was held last week, at the beautiful town of. Kittanning., on the Alle gheny River, forty-five miles above Pitts burgh. Kittanning is the capital of Arm strong County, and the present terminus of the Allegheny Valley Railroad. The road is intended to pass up the'valley till it shall reach the Oil regions, and thence till it shall "intersect the Eric and Philadelphia road, and the roads of New-York. The attendance at Synod, of both minis ters and elders, was large. Much im portant business was transacted, with the greatest harmony. There were no Appeals nor Complaints, to . give annoyance and consume time. We shall briefly notice a few of the subjects which occupied the at tention- of the brethren. The Minutes we 'shall probably give to our readers, next . week. The Endowment of the Fourth Profes sorship in the Western Theological Sem inary, drags rather heavily. About two thirds of the quota of this Synod has been collected and paid to the Treasurer. A-few congregation's are paying interest annually on their allotment, till they may find it practicable to pay the • principal. Other congregations have done nothing. A few, we fear, are not only among the tardy, but are utterly reluctant. Efforts were ordered to ascertain who these are, and the amount likely to be deficient, when a new call will be made upon the willing. Thus it always is, to some extent. The " liberal," and , those of " a ready mind," have to supply what is " lacking" on the part of their tardy brethren. The Endowment should be completed. The institution is eminently worthy. Our Synod, supplying as it does a very large number of young men for the min istry, not only to meet its own wants, but also for other fields, has a deep interest in furnishing them with the very best means of education-; that they may speedily re ceive calls to churches, and-become distin guished for usefulness. The subject of Chaplaincies came up on Memorials of the Synods of Baltimore and North Carolina, laid over from last -year. The peculiar matter presented in the Memo= rials elicited but little interest. But the importance of having good men to fill the office, both in the .army and navy, and of having them well supplied with -reli gious books, tracts, and newspapers, for gratuitous distribution, was dwelt upon ,w s ith much feelin,4. What an interesting congregation does a regiment of a thousand men constitute ! How great the need of religious influence, and how important that the spiritual instructor shall be truly a man of God, wise, laborious, earnest ! Colportage received a share of the Syn od's attention. Our'Boarcl has made some progress, but it comes immensely short of a full and proper occupation of the field it is expected to cultivate. But, with only a little over three hundred dollars contribu ted by the churches, what can the Board do ! From the tone of feeling manifested in Synod, we hope for better things in the . future. EVERY onunew should contribute. The cause of Domestic Missions was brought before Synod, by a letter froni Dr.. JANEwAY, the present Secretary. ' The Synod's response was most cordial. The paper adopted, we place in another column. An incident painful to the religions mind occurred, or rathar, was likely to oc cur, but which terminated happily. A full regiment of volunteers, under the com mand of Col. SIRWELL, had been encamped for some weeks at Kittanning. This regi ment bad been attached to Gen. NEGLEY'S Brigade, and orders came, on Friday direct ing the men to move to Pittsburgh on Sab bath morning. The Synod. immediately appointed a large Committee of its. most venerated members, to wait on the officers, with a request that the movement'might be deferred till Monday. They were most kindly received, and measures were prompt ly adopted, to have the order countermand ed. The troops were thus permitted to enjoy a quiet Sabbath. Many of them at tended pUblic worship. Some of them participated in the Communion; and. on Monday, all joyously set out for Pittsburgh and a Western field. They have the earnest prayers of the Synod, and we trust they will enjoy the Divine protection and bles sing, shielding them in the battle-field, and saving them from- the still more fearful dangers of the camp. - On the State of the Country, Synod adopted resolutions, such as become a Christian people, in a time, when a wicked conspiracy and an extensive rebellion threaten tlie dismemberment of' the Union, and the overthrow one of the best govern ments with which God has ever blessed a people. Our ministers and elders are thorough supporters of the Union, the Government, the Constitution, .and the laws. The Counnunion, on the Sabbath, was largly attended. It was good to be there. The Lord was present, and the blessings he bestowed will cause the solemnity to be had in long remembrance. gDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE. WASHINGTON CITY, Oct. 12, 1861. This city is now, as it has been for months, the object of great interest in our national affairs. Notwithstanding the suc cesses of our arms in Western Virginia, our reverses in Missouri, and the porten tous condition of things in Kentucky, the "Federal City," as our- fathers termed it, is still the place to which • all eyes are turned. It was this upon which the lead ers of the great rebellion had set their hearts; to seize it was their highest ambi tion, and to effect this every nerve was strained, and all military skill applied. Also the disaster at Buil Run teas to be re trieved. Our national reputatiorodetnanded this. Moreover, the stronghold of the en emy is at Manassas. The Confederacy stakes its all on this point. The opera tions in other places have mostly been in the guerrilla style of warfare, receiving but little attention from,the traitor authorities at Richmond. And here are congregated the flower of the loyal young men of the Norti-=.-fbr them millions of lovino• hearts , at lume,yearn,for them prayers ascend from hundreds cif thousanchrorhousehohls. Therefore, it Was with no ordinary emo tions that we approached once more the Capital of our Nation. At Baltimore, evi dences of the care, vigor, and discipline of General Dix are every where apparent. The insulting demeanor toward Union men so common in July, is nir hlnger seen. Even aristocratic ladies, whose hearts are filled with t` e rankest -secession proclivi ties, are much more cautious in their ex pressions than a short time ago. And the preparations made for the accommodation of the military, for-the suppression of any insurrection that might possibly break forth, and for defence against anyinvader, , are on a large scale, proving that treason and rebelion can no longer rule in the Mon umental City. . . A short distance above Bladensburg, we passed the 24th 'Massachusetts Regiment, commanded by Senator HENRY WILSON. The men were remarkably fine looking, and splendidly equipped.. This regiment has been gotten up regardless of: expense, and is considered the " crack " regiment of 'the Old Bay State. But the Colonel had been lionizing in New-York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore so long, that the men had be come completely exhausted from long march es, want of rest, and irregular meals, and were discontented and, disaffected. This will pass away in a short time, and this reg intent will in due time do geed service. Wonderful is the change that has taken place in and around Washington since the advent of Gen. MCCLxLLAN. The hotels are no longer filled with officers, nor are the streets crowded with drunken and swearing soldiers. Hardly an, officer: can be-seen, except 'these connected with the War or Navy Departments, and no soldiers at all are straggling along the streets and ave nues. Every where the greatest order and activity reigns. Just at this time the most intense anx iety prevails. The forces under Generals SMITH and-WCALL have crossed the Chain Bridge; (constructed entirely of wood,) and are advanced some five or six miles on the Leesburg turnpike; the, camp equip ments and rations are being rapidly for warded; and the troops are employed most actively in preparing their camps. To obtain a " pass" to this new and advanced post is the desire of many, but the acquisition of only a few; among whom were we, for sundry-reasons. The road we found lined with hundreds of . army wagons, and our progress was slow, owing to the frequent delays. At length we passed the bridge, and were again on the " sacred soil"- of Old Virginia, and standing on the very ground from which the rebel pickets had been driven. But everywhere were the indications of the care with which the ad vance had been made. The timber had been felled, the underbrush had la”.n burnt, and on the various eminences cannon yawned upon us. When the camps were reached, a most beautiful and exciting scene presented itself. There lay thirty one regiments, with all the parapher nalia of war, on an undulating plateau. The strictest watchfulness prevailed every where, every precaution being taken to prevent surprise. The patrol composing the advance pickets was the Pennsylvania Eighth, under command of Lieut. Col. OLIPHANT, of Uniontown. When the . tents were lighted up at 8 o'clock, the bright moon shining,' the sparkling stars looking down urn us, the splendid band in the distance playing the Marsellaise, and the hum of more than thirty-one thousand voices in the regimental camps, made a thrilling scene, never to he forgotten. The advance is composed mainly of the Penn sylvania Reserves and the Vermont Regi ments. The surrounding country is very beau tifbl, in a fair state of cultivation, and flne mansions of the old Virginia aris tocracy are seen here and there. But the inhabitants fled with one accord at the approach of our troops. The troops had gene out 'late 'in the afternoon, and laid in the woods 'all night, and their sudden uprising in the morning caused a perfect panic. Beds were left unmade, breakfasts uncooked, doors unlocked, and everything in perfect disorder. These people were all Secessionists, and supposing that the 'day of vengeance had at length come, they were seized with a panic that nothing could re strain. More' anon. A. "OUR HOLY. FATHER, THE POPE." There have appeared, in France, within the last two years, a number of pamphlets, and sundry newspaper articles, on the sub ject of the Pope, of great power and keen ness. We re-produce from the Christian World, one of he latter as we find it there translated into English. It has also been translated into Italian, and extensively cir culated. The revolution in Italy has given a large degree of freedom to the press. The article is thus: •I. It is always the same story ! In the street, the same as at home, in the papers, and in conversations, at the church, and at the shop, we hear of nothing but discus sions relating to our 'Holy Father, the Pope! All this clamor at length wearies us. What has he done, then, this poor, old, good man ? Some folly without doubt. Let him consider the matter, it is his affair. If he has, as they say, failed, to fulfill his word to his people; if he made them beautiful promises, and has never kept any of' them; if he has completely wearied out the patience of his followers, then it seems to me that it is the duty of the people to say to him : " Holy Father, a thousand pardons, if we leave you, for we, greatly prefer to have forli temporal.rtiler, a worthy, honest king, a man.that keeps his word." - What is to be done if, as they say, this Holy Father curses modern civilization, and imagines to hiniself that liberty I's made for him alone ? One may shrug his shoulders; it would be the best of replies. •If be assumes obstinacy, for dignity, the non possumus for greatness of soul, Castel fidardo for a glorious battle-field, the carry ing off of the Mortara boy and Bluth for acts of heroic virtue—the infallibility, of the Holy Fatherappears to me, truly, to be a little in the wrong. If, as .4hey say, the Holy- Father is destined to fall, headforemost, from the height of his temporal power, it will only.be on, account of the want of his own equilibrium, because he ought to have thought it was worth the trouble to give a solid, base to his existence by meriting the affections of his subjects. Let him, reflect on this now-! 2: If the Holy Father; following . the. footsteps of. Christ, had shown.,us. by-his • conduct, -that he is the first disciple 'of a Mastei full !'iif - gOdne* and l6ve; Win stead of ieniindingl- Of.AO: l !RoAce of Saint' Pefeil' - and the "patrimony of _the. • Church," speak to .us of aihea,v enly kingdom, of treasures 1 faith, t ind of morality; occupied himself ailittre less with flaming canons, and a little more with spiritual arms with which he would teach us to overcome injustice, idleness, and debauchery; if,-following the example ofrthe Saviour„'he drove out sellers and buyers frOM the Temple,-so that the whole edifice should only contain works of purity, charity, muil.piety; in ti" word, if he should only give us for :our whole.law, the Holy Scriptures: oh ! then we. would receive hiw with delight, and thousands of voices would cry Out :," Welcome to the wished for Pontiff "Live for ever, the Holy Father,!'",, But inie encloses himself in his now posthumous character, if he refuse to take a sin g le step` to place himself on a level with the present age, and in harmony with him who is 'Master of all the ages, then we have. no choice but to do without him. LetAbis , lalarm no one ! His fall Cannot injure us, inasmuch as he has not been able to save us. His name was never found on the lips - of Jesus Christ, neither on those of his Apos tles. The first Christians were able to do without him, and they did not find them selves:any the worse for it. In fact, Ite.en- - tered the Church with his tiara emblazon ed with jewels, with his cortege of haughty prelates, offering his foot to be kissed by all those who approached his throne. He came dictating, laws,to the kipgs and emperors, of the earth, claiMing for himself alone uni versal .supremacy ! He came with his mouth full :Of invectives against his ene mies, and ageinit those who would not sub mit to his arbitrary decrees! He came taking' away children froth their mothers, forbidding the clergy to marry, and scat tering abroad disorder in the Church of God ! He clime crying, "To Arms! To . Arms !" andAhly, have we not again heard the echoes of his warlike cries, " Come to my help, Zoo:ayes ! to the“rescue La Mori ciere, Europe' charge in my name I " And how can he•call himself'the representative of a gentle- , and humble Jesus, of him Whose kingdom was not of this world, and who of all crowns only accepted one of thorns ? And how dare he claim the name of him - who came not to be served but to serve, who had not where to lay 'his head, who followers had only the poor, the impotent, and the sick, who in fine, came only to bless and save us ? , Row does he compare himself with him who blessed the little children and gave them hack to their mothers; to him who declared that marriage is honorable for all men, and, who, also said: " Put thy sword into the scabbard, for all those who draw the sword shall perish by it!" Jesus Christ also sayA fel his disciples: "Ye know that the 'princes_of the earth and also the governors.eiercise authority over them, but it' shall not be thus with you, be ye not called master, for Christ alone is your , mas ter, and ye are all brethren." Let us then be -in no wise anxious about what shall become of the Holy Father! Let us recognize Jesus Christ as our only master. Yes ! Jesus Christ who gives to God alone the title of Holy Father, and who said to his disciples : " Call no man on earth your father, for one alone is your Father, which is in heaven.' Yes, Jesus Christ who presents himself to us as Master, as Pontiff, as Intercessor, and as Saviour; Jesus Christ, in a word, be who died, but now ]iveth forever, and who has promised one only representative, one only Vicar, until he returns in person, the Holy Spirit whom he gives for a guide and a consoler to all those who put their trust in him. In conclusion, let us leave to those to whom it belongs the care of regulating the affairs of Rome Let us not worry our selves in the least about the Pope ! Let us take for our guide the Holy Scriptures, and for our only master, .Jesus Christ. 01111_DONEVIC This Board is laboring hard to recover from its depression. And it is labering in hope. If his commenced the reduction or its 'debt to Nits missionaries, and hope lights up the heart of its members. Dr. JANEWAY, the Corresponding Sec retary, addressed a letter to the Synod of Pittsburgh, setting forth the Board's ur gent need. The Synod adopted the fol lowing paper in response: Domestic missionaries are the Church's agents in preaching the Gospel to the poor. Our enterprise in this line is one of the distinctive evidences that we are a true Church. It is, in our ease, by no means as strong and brilliant as it should be. But we have it. And we seek its increase. We have been employing more than six hundred' en in the work ; and we contem plate large, additions. There is room. There are ails,. many, loud, and earnest This Synod' would not be deaf to them. We would not have our Church Board be deaf. Neither would we have it so feeble, that it shall be obliged to hear, and not help. , A combination of circumstances, which we need not now rehearse, has' crippled the Board. It has become indebted to its laborers, beyond its ability to pay. It bi borrowed fifteen thousand dollars, to corn .pensate them in part; but it still owes them fourteen 'thousand. As remedial means, .it has reduced appropriations' to its missionaries twenty-five per cent. It has arranged with its bank creditors to ex tend the time of payment of its borrow ings. It has relieved itself of the' burden of a seeohd Secretary, and of travelling Superintendents. It has established a sys tem of strict economy, so far as seems to be consistent with full efficiency. But still, it needs a large, increase of means. It must still incur pbligations for labor, because the work may not cease. it must repay its borrowed money, and stop the interest. It must restore to its missionaries their former salaries. And it must employ still more laborers ' to occupy the ever .extending fields. And for the accomplishing of all this, it is . dependent upon the liberality' and promptiiude of the churches. It has, of itself, no money ; and no means of making money. It-is a recipient—the depository of the churches—the distributor of . the bounty of God's children----the executor of the, will of, Christ's people. It but puts to use the means with which it is furnished. The experience of the Board for the last two and's. half years, in which the-embar rassments have occurred, is not without benefits. Its conductors have learned wis dom. Confidence in the Executive is indispen sable tollie efficient carrying on of an en terprise. Where there is confidence in a Government it can, raise money. Confi 'dence in a General will induce men to flock to his standard. And confidence in the Board of Domestic Missions will bring all needed means into its treasury. Our Church has wealth enough , to supply all present' wants; and we trust that she has also the grace of giving, susceptible of be-, ‘ aderate,ly excited. Her two hundred thousandporninurticarits--our brethren in the South being 'not counted—can readily both pay off present debts and sustain her mis sionaries, if only they have confidence in the Board-and its officers: And this confi dence is new'ithesited.. The action of the last General Assembly was decisive toward the establishing of the principles of action of which ;this Synod approves'. The Sec retary is 11, wofking'man ; a man'ef ' and earnestly devoted'to thecause of mis sions. ',PRri,sidpfing the change of action in the Assembly, and the changes -in the Board officers, and ,the benefits of experience, the reasons are ample for an as surance, that all funds entrusted to the Board will be used economically, and that the work of Domestic Missions will be prosecuted 'whiely and efficiently. There fore : Resolved, That the Board of Domestic Missions be commended to the rich, speedy, repeated, and continued liberality of our churches. KEEPING CLOSE TO. GOD. A-child was with its father in the midst of a great crowd. The child was fright ened by the noise and confusion around him. "Keep dose to me," said the father, extending his hand, "and you need not be afraid." • 'We are in a world of confusion and Alan ger,.but, if we keep close to God, we need not be afraid—we shall be safe. We shall be safe 'from• evil thoughts. They are very dangerous. They corrupt the soul ere it is aware: Many a man has been ruined by evil thoughts. They have gradually obtained place in and power over his mind, till the result has been. open and outrageous wickedness. When we are close to God, evil thoughts do not enter our minds, or if they do, are immediately banished. A holy influence spreads over our minds which keeps evil thoughts far away. We shall be safe from delusive thoughts. We are led astray by error. False views of life, false views of men, lead us to do many unwise acts. A great deal of defective practice is owing to defective views. The pleasures of the world appear real, and men follow them. Eternal things seem dis tant and distasteful, and men neglect theni. Occasionally temporal things are seen as temporal, and they lose their power over the soul. - When we are close to God, we are in an atmosphere of truth. We see things as they are: The vanity of earthly joys ap pears. We see the truth, and oan act in accordance with it. No man looks with either admiration or desire upon the pleas ures of sin, when he is near to God. We shall he safe from the assaults of Satan. He will 'make no continued as saults upon those who are standing close by the Holy One. Those who aro earnestly engaged in the pursuit of helloes, know that Satan is to be feared. When a man is indifferent to the assaults "ofSatan, it is a proof that he . is far from God. Those who are near to God and desire to remain so, will fear the assaults and devices of Satan. They need not, for lie is safe who is close to God. At all times, and under all circumstances, let us keep close to God. He holds out his hand to us. He will never repel us, how ever great our guilt, if we really desire to keep close to him. ECCLESIASTICAL. Mr. JOHN H. SHERRARD was ordained and installed pastor of the churches of Bethesda, Middle Creek, and Oak Grove, at a late meeting of the Presbytery of Clarion. - • Rev. M. M. TRAVIS' Post Office. address is changed from Lee to Athens, Ohio. Rev. M. JONES, of Cedar Presbytery, lowa, has been elected Principal of the Glade Run Academy and will take charge early next session. Rev. D. R. CA.AIPBELL, pastor of the church of the Two Ridges, Ohio, has received a unanimous call to' the church of St. Clairsville, Ohio. The Presbytery of Cedar Met in Marion, September 24th, and was opened with a sermon by Rev. F.'A. Shear er. Rev.. S. Meo. Anderson Vas chosen Moderator, and Rev. D. H. Mitchell, Tem porary Clerk. Rev. F. A. Shearer was re teived from the Presbytery of Palmyra, and a call from the church of Princeton, put into his hands. Rev. J. S. Fullerton was also received from the Presbytery of Toledo: The pastoral relation between Rev. John M. Jones and the church of IVaizott was dissolved, and Mr. Jones was dismissed to the Presbytery of Saltsburg. Rev. Jaeob Kolb was dismissed to the Presbytery of Dane. Rev. J. D. Mason resigned the office of Historical Secretary, and Rev. S. MeG. Anderson was elected in his place. Messrs. Van Yliet, Pentzer, Smith, and Kemper were appointed ea Committee to organize a German church, at. Buffalo. Rev. H. I. Coe being heard in behalf of our Boards, the following resolutions were adopted: WHEREAS, The necessities of the va rious Boards of our Church in these times of National trouble and pecuniary disaster, are such as- to demand the most earnest sympathy of all our ministers and churches, and to make it imperative upon our Pres byteries to exercise a more careful super vision over the various benevolent enter prises within their bounds; and whereas, we have reason to believe that the sum of five cents a week from every member of our Church in the North, will furnish am ple means to our Boards, therefore, Resolved, That as office-bearers in the house of God, •we do hereby solemnly pledge ourselves to use our . influence with our people, to secure at least-that sum from every member of our respective churches. Resolved, That every minister in the Presbytery be enjoined to preach on. the subject of Systematic Beneficence„in every church he serves, before the 15th of No-, vember next, and on the subject of Minis terial Support, before the 15th of Decem ber next, and on both these subjects yearly thereafter, until otherwise directed by Pres bytery. Resolved, In view of the special necessi ties of the Boards of Domestic Missions and Church Extension ; this Presbytery will hereafter recommend no church to these Boards for aid until that church has been visited by some member of the Presbyterial Committee of Missions or Church Exten sion, and its wants thoroughly examined; and will in no case renew a recommenda tion for aid to any church Which does not annually contribute to the six regular ob jects presented by the General Assembly in its plan for sinaultaneous collections, record ed on rage 349 of the, Minutes for 1861. Resolved, That our churches be directed as far as possible to conform to the plan for simultaneous collections referred to before_ I?esolved, That the Stated Clerk be di rected to furnish, this action of. Presbytery to all our churches immediately, and that a report of what has been done in conformity thereto, be required of every minister and every, church at each Spring meeting of Presbytery: The following supplies were appointed : Walcott and Blue Grass—Walcott : Ma ' son, third Sabbath of. October. Walcott and' Blue Grass : Waters, second Sabbath of November. Walcott : Belden,' last Sab.. bath of November. Walcott and Blue Grass: Middlemas, fifth Sabbath of De ceraber. Walcott: Onrotliers, third Sah-' bath January. Walcott and Blue Grass,: -,Pentzer, fourth Sabbath, of February. Walcott: Waters, third Sabbath of March. 7 Sabbath of 'Oet He I.as accepted, For the Preebyterian Banner,. '''*-------- tober ; Winters, second Sabbath of Novem ber; Fullerton, first, Sabbath of January Marshall, second:Kibbath of February. Inc Witt—Shearer' first Sabbath of No vember; Boag, first Sabbath of December. The following is the assessment for Com missioners' Fund : - - Muscatine, $7; Davenport, 7; , ToWs City, 4; Marion, 2; Tipton, '2; -Cedar Rapids, 2; Mechanicsville, 2 ; Red l Oa cott, k, Wa 2; Summit, 2; Long Grove, 2; 1.60; Blue Grass, 1.50; Cedar Valley, 1:- 50; Fairview, 1.5 i; Unity, 1.50 ; Wilton, 1.50; Herman, 1.50; Sugar Creek, i. 50; Princeton, 1.50 ; Le Claire, 1 ; De Witt, 1 ; Muscatine, Ger., 1 ; Mt. Vernon, 1; Linn Grove, 1.50; Springville, 1; S olon, 1. Rev. R. Boag is to preach at the next meeting on "The Future State of the Im penitent Dead." Adjourned to meet in Tipton, the . first Tuesday of April, at, 7 • L. BB P. M. ELDVN, S. C. Correspondence of the Banner. 12. NEW Yous, Octo ber military, BRUM exceeding of . our mi a p u ro d v b e l d ess condition airs, e .30 fi The improved to feel sad to see a coma ly gratifying to everybody. I possible not• et it i all its try so prosperous and happy details six months since, now distracted by all war, and portions of it passing through eon_ the horrors of a fierce and desolating filet. Look at Virginia! Six months ago, peace, security, andprosperity, everywhere T a l F tress at prevailed. prevai The great av or Norfolk, and the _National Armory at Her per's Ferry, were giving occupation to hu dreds of industrious men, and thousan.d w s connected with their 'operations. No they are irreparably , destroyed, and black- ened views only show where they once ex: 7 isted. The Naval Academy at Ati.: and the Bal napolis has disappeared, timore and. Ohio Railroad, such a source of wealth to Virginia, has been par tially ruined, and millions of dollars could not replace its bridges, rails, and locomo tives. Portions •of the State have been utterly destroyed by the contending armies, and her capital, Richmond, is, in the con dition of a beleagured city. Distress, af fliction and desolation is wide-spread, and even her" most zealous secession leaders must stand dismayed at the _ruin and disas ters they Ave inflicted upOn the " sacred soil." But what have they gained ? Have they received any fresh guarantees, is their desired non-intercourse profitable, and are their slaves any more secure? Let the facts answer. Large bodies of troops continue to pour through and this city for the Potomac, and yet a naval expedition is fitting out here which will soon produce a sensation somewhere South. The harbor is -black with huge war-steamers and gun-boats; not less than eighteen, exclusive of some heavy frigates, were counted yesterday, off the Battery. That this enormous fleet is destined for powerful execution somewhere, no one presumes to question- In connexion with' it, Christian men are making efforts to improve the moral and spiritual condition of the soldiers and sailors, that while ,they are serving their country, they themselves shall not be neglected. It is gratifying to find the Tract Society, in Nassau Street, is still laboring with great success in this work. From recent intelli gence, it is ascertained they have supplied more than one hundred and fifty regiments with 'a vast amount'of their valuable pubs lications. Since April, they have ex pended about one thousand dollars a month in this work of gratuitous distribution ; and in addition to over four million pages of tracts, handbills and periodicals they have circulated, the troops have received one thousand of the Soldier's Camp and Sol dier's Pocket Libraries, each . containing twenty-four volumes: The various testi monials to their great value, and the warmth with which they are received, from chap lains in the Army and Navy, leads the offi cers of the New-York Tract iSociety earnestly to solicit more aid. The requests for their books and publications are'earnest from every quarter, but unless the Christian' public come to their relief, they will be compelled to curtail their labors. The Christian principle of " loving your enemies and doing good to - those -that hate you," is being exercised toward the prison ers taken at Fort Hatteras, and now con fined on Governor's Island, in this harbor. They are almost destitute of clothes, and are feeble and sickly; but thishas prompted the benevolent to get them clothing, and administer to all their necessities. The New-York Tract Society has sent them large quantities of - their publications, and Christian men are striving for their spirit ual and temporal good. We must ever re member they are our countrymen, though misguided and misled to revolt against the best Government upon which the light of the sun, vier sbone. Many of them are Northern men, or with relations among us by ties of affection or by marriage. Of course, the more friendly they are cared for, the more thoroughly will the Southern' people be conviced that their confidence has been abused, and they have been grossly outraged by the representation of the de signs and purposes of the North. Every section of the country is suffering from this most infamous and baae rebellion ; but it is certain the rebel States, cut off from the outer world, their products unsaleable, and their most necessary wants not to be supplied, are vastly the greatestsufferers. In the North, we have free communication with the world, and our manufacturers, and mechanics, and merchants are beginning to find new fields of industry,d an ample ern ployment: The exportsof produce, with out cotton, are even milliOns, of dollars larcrer in extent than last year, whenthe• "King" was going forward in abundance. May our spiritual proSperity exceed even our tem poral ! THOMAS: New-England Correspondence. Perhaps the most hopeful sign that has recently appeared in the - theological firma ment of New-England, is the establishment of The Boston Review. Two or three years since, an effort was made to start a Quarter ly which should represent the better theol ogy of New-England. Its basis, however, was too indefinite; and after uniting, with the New School brethren of New-York, it, passed entirely into the hands of the latter,' and, under the title of the American Theo logical Review, is now the organ of New School - Presbyterianism, as held . by the Union Seminary, N. Y. Within the pres ent year the lass pretending, but not less spirited Boston Review has appeared. It made its appearance quietly, and under the charge, as we understand, of a few of the younger ministers of .New-England. It is issued once in two months ?rem 114 Wash ington Street,- Bostm. As some - of thl Congregational papers have been greatly exercised by the supposed denominational spirit of some of your New-England corres pondence, we propose to stand aside and let your readers hear this Congregational wit . ness in regard to the religious and theological state of this section. Let it be remembered.. that in the courage that does, not hesitate to expose and combat these errors, there is hope. The Boston Review has borne itself nobly thus , far. We open:its numbers almost at random and if hints are found profitable for other quarters, let...them not be despised. In the May number is an ar ticle on " Doctrinal Preaching, from which we quote the, following "When a people will not tolerate the very elements of the, Gosp.el; and its cen tral and, lifesiving doctrines, and - when a preacher will not elabotate and'present them, what can the yalpit'offerlt must 'offer - whit -so -inany' ,NeV-Enilaildvare For tlio Prosbytialan Banner F==: , offering every Sabbath-day—sacred l it. tore; the fine arts; conVentional 1 40 , z1 :, set forth in a mosaic of the poets ; th e tical sciences; Garibaldi and s o , ism ; domestic, social, and political ref,i„. and lyceum lectures with a text. The tax-payers and treasurer are not to discover that those sermons least of doctrine, are usually p rea „} L „. the fullest pews. They learn that t i„. duction of the creed is the enlargeiwp. the congregation. - It, will swell it grows into the Broad Church,' " Li " come so large that it cannot worship J ILL. , house of God. * * * Many pr o f4„i t ,,, love the truth, have theories of ma not acceptable, yet inoffensive to the ~ ral heart. They would cast aside u ir, forms and phrases, because associated 1 , ancient and traditional prejudices," In the first ,a.rticle of the July euo, the writer says . : " Doctrinal labor i n ~ Church and pulpit and Sabbath s c h or , i at a discount. Sitting at 'the feet o r:, fathers is unprogressive and unmanly ; ing a definite creed is an antiquated noz , the use of precise phrases that gener!: have accurately defined, and a long pr „ . sion of saints hallowed, is servile; a tv,- istic theology is mainly of service to by, &c. * * What shall be done with doctrines? Appear and pretend to p r ,: ,them while their, substance is ()w i z: , This is the policy of some. They the language of 'diplomacy, and to the ,- biguities of State papers. * *s„ that we have in some pulpits atone t ,... without vicariousness; total depravity c out any thing offensive to God; the creation without any direct and instal:ll w ous and Divine crea duo ° = efficiency ; as God's acceptance of volunteers under Captain of our. salya,tion ; future poo l s meta as the 'unfeFiunate results of an jured constitution,, and everlasting T .. ishment as a continuance of unfort un . results, till a- second, or third, or rl remote probation, .has restored all of,e, ers." - One writer, who.understands his subj e has been giving a scorching analysi s Henry Ward Beechees teachings. He sat. "There is an impression in the commun . .. that Mr. Beecher