El
. DAVID M'KINNEY,
Editor and Proprietor.
M'ICINNEY, ASSOCIATII EDITOR.
Kg
El
~1
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•
ERMS IN ADVA' - CE.
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I'oll,ol 8, we will send by mail seventy. numbers,
i1. , L1111, thirty-three numbers.
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netters to
EV. DAVID M'IiINNEY,
fittsburgh, Pa.
peleoted,l
f (lath Done IV—lsalah mit: 16
f both done it" all 'O, how those
MEI
ild Lush to slime every murmuring
thought
tenth done it "—He who loves me
EMI
my soul with his own blood bath
ongttt
bath done it." Can it then be 'aught
full of wisdom--full of tenderest love ?
unneeded sorrow will he send,
eh this wandering heart no more to
iiono it." Yes, although severe
eetn the stroke, and bitter be the cup,
own hand that holds it; and I know
giro me grace to drink it meekly up.
Lnlh Bono it." 0, no arm but his
e'er sustain beneath earth'i 'dreary
le I know he doeth all things well,
earl, his loving kindness questions not
Lath doue it"—he who '8 searched me
rough,
,ow I cling to earth's ensnaring ties,
te breaks each reed on which my
. soul
uch for happiness and joy relies.
}loth done IL" He would have me see
broken cisterns human friends •must
0 ,
I may turn and quench my burning third
his own fount of everlasting love.
f hath done iL" Then I fain would
EMI=
will in all things ever more be done;
hough that will remove whom best I love,
ile Jesus lives I cannot be alone.
f hoth done it "—precious,
,precious
words 1
—my Father, Saviour, Brother,
Friend !
.e faithfulness no variation knows—
be, having loved me, loves me to the sad!
~;•:; 74 • •
i
2. 1
• .1
For the Presbyterian Banner,
' 1 Thoughts on the Common
factions of Life.
T natural disposition of' the human
b. dissatisfaction. Hear the -smoth
'gli of that poor unfortunate one, as
ly breaks the sentence, "This is a
of sorrow and trouble."
' ;;, ould Aare to dispute that one, could I
at: in the attempt to lead his mind
in to,lo true light, and to tear away the heap
ing *ifts of sorrow whioh have carelessly
into the stream of his life by
hands.
lot pretend to deny but that every
his own individual trials and suffer
will not say but that your suffer
even greater than mine. But ad
as the whole world will, that we
what then ? is there a remedy ?
ld has learned to say there is none.
lay there is a remedy. But no body
kited, no eye brightens with hope,
catches for relief at the enunoia-
It is only a flat, empty sound,• and
leioco reaches no farther than its
in. But still, there is a remedy.
would to God this sentence would
every soul till it would look deep
into things natural and supernat
iite and infinite, to see that the ex
is Iraught with a truthful meaning
will send a light of consolation to
receives and studies to believe in
its worth.
hold may be obtain:l in this ad
nt studying:
That God is absolute, and having
all things, from the indivisible par:
matter to the vast universe, conse
all things are dependent on and
to him, in the moat strict sense.
That God being infinite in goodness,
)t bat suppose that, however far
,apable minds may fail of barmen
lie consistency of God's infinite
is in making our position in this
so unpleasant by the thousands of
;able circumstances, there will be a
in which will be revealed the mys
of his great plans and his judgments
:the world; and his love -and mercy
plain to all. Till then, troubled one,
thy disappointments with thet send
of Tickell's words :
\on my soul the destined period Wait,
God shall solve the dark decrees of fate,
now unequal dispensations clear,
make all wise and beautiful appear."
not expect 'to meet with actual- de-
se from the trials and sufferings of
But in looking for comfort, we must
to endure. Is it possible then to
isolation or satisfaction, and at the
me bear these trials ? •
impossible to prevent the effects
causes have on our bodies; but
a power given to us, for which we are
ible, that can regulate the transition
effect upon the body to that upon
when, in his eternal presenoe blest,
it his feet toy crown immortal oast,
godly own, with all his ransomed saints,
limself bath done it " all from first to last.
common to regard our dissatisfac
id disappointments as inevitable ; as
ng to the natural dispensations of
and life. But our 'trials and disap
outs do not depend on the equality
distribution of the natural causes
1r effects upon our person. But it
manner in which we use that in
for which we are responsible, in
ting the effeot from the person or
the mind ; or in other words, it is
.finer in which we allow ourselves
be dragged into a sadness by magni
and revolving that dispensation which
exactly harmonious with the position
person.
is one whose affliotion is great, and
:antes seem scarcely ever to favor
ogress of his plans; but he is calm,
.tisfied with whatever befalls him.
-Id All be too apt to judge °P inch
by his appearance and resignation,
is a man free from sorrow. And in
that limited sense he is free from
itifarious dissatisfactions common to
riot why his contentment? -Is it
he uses only that influence in the
of cvrry one to limit the effect of the
or .elation of the person,'or body,
he mind. It is the mind which
the body, although perhaps the
has to be reached through, the body.
here is a fearful responsibility just at
-lent a change is made in the person
~ . .
.
. 4 P
tr
?:-,
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~....,,, ..,....., • /, 1„„_, it tr .it
..„. ... ,
.....
v . _ ..,
~,.......„
. ,
, .
VOL. XII. NO. 113
or circumstances of the individual, for the
manner in which he allows that change to
affect his mind.
Having that inexplicable influence which
may be said to arise from that natural rela
tion God has put between us and him, of
reasoning from first to second causes and
to effect, it is plain, that so long as we rea
son that God is absolute in power and au
thority, and that we are his subjects, crea
ted by him, and that being Ms subjects he
has-undisputed right to use us in any man
ner, and that we have no power whatever in
ourselves, there cannot be an approach
to a position froth which we dare to ques
tion his manner of dealing with the crea
tures of his own hands.
There is no attempt here to discover 'an
actual deliverance' from the—disappoint
ments of life, but through a train of plain
logical thoughts' to keep in view our rela
tion to God •our Father, that we may en
dure, and at the same time be calm f and
composed in' our state. • J. W. C.
Tar the Presbyterian Banner.
A Daily Prayer•ltleeting Among Soldiers.
NASHVILLE, TENS, November 10th,1868.
At the Second Presbyterian church, ev
ery afternoon, you can find a goodly num
ber of soldiers convened for prayer. Per
haps a Delegate of the Christian. Commis
sion will open the exercises, and then the
soldiers take the meeting into their own
hands. There are praying Christian men
in the soldier's ranks, and here . they long
to mingle their voices in singing praises to
the same Saviour, and to pour the burden
of their hearts into the ear of the same
Hearer and Answerer of prayer.
On yesterday it was good to be there.
One soldier came from the side of a sick
mate who sent his message to the "Daily
Prayer-meeting." He said as he lay on
his cot, " I wish to leave oit record my tes
timony, so that my friends may know where
to find me when lam gone." Another
stands up and says: " Since I have been
in the service, God has taken my little
daughter home to heaven, and I hear her
voice, Came: this way, My father.' I ask
you to pray that I may become a Christian."
It was good to bear the soldiers pray for
their, friends at home. It is a glorious
thought,
" Though sundered, far, by faith they meet
Around one common mercy seat"
Brethren 'at home, will you not join these
soldiers, inur sons and brothers, at the
throne of grace, for mutual blessings.
God bless the soldier: and the Soldier's Dai
ly Prayer-Meeting. T.V.M.
For the Presbyterian Banner
The Presbytery of Rock River
This Presbytery held its stated Fall
meeting at Arlington, a neat little village
on the C. B. & I. Railroad, ten miles West
of Mendota.
The church at this place is under the
pastoral care of Rev. J. C: Barr. They
have just completed a new house of wor
ship, built in good taste and paid for.
The meeting of Presbytery, though quite
thinly attended, was an unusually pleasant
one. And if the dozen or more absent
ministers, and two dozen or more absent
elders, d known how "'good it was to be
there," they probably would not have so
easily excused themselves from attending.
Mr. Thomas M. Wilson, of the last class
at Allegheny Seminary, and a probationer
for the Gospel ministry under the care of
Schuyler Presbytery, was received, and
after a careful and satisfactory examination,
was ordained to the full work of the min
istry. Mr. Wilson has been laboring for
six months, or more past, with the " Lower
Rock Island" and " Edwards" churches,
and with a degree of success quite encour
aging. Rev. E. C. Sickles, of Dixon,-
preached the ordination sermon—a sermon,
by the way, which it would do all oar
churches good - to bear.
Rev. D. S. Gregory, for a short time
pastor of the South church at Galena, sent a
written application for the dissolution of
his relation to said church. Also, a letter
was sent from the Session, containin. , the
action of the church concurring in the re
quest. ' These papers were referred to the
Committee of Bill's and Overtures, who
subsequently reported as follows:
"The Committee of Bills and Overtures,
to whom was referred the written applica
tion of Rev. D. S. Gregory (Mr. Gregory
having already withdrawn from his pasto
ral charge and from the bounds of Presby
tery, and commenced labors in another
church ) ) for a dissolution of his relation as
pastor of the South church at Galena; and
also a letter from the Session of said church,
containing the action of said church con
curring in this request; would report,
recommending.:
" That while entirely disapproving of
the irregularityr in this Whole matter, (as
seen by reference to Form of Government,
chap. 17,) and the want of respect for
Presbyterial authority, manifested espe
cially by the pastor, in assuming powers
and prerogatives belonging exclusively to
Presbytery—yet, for reasons touching the
interests of the South church, Presbytery
will grant the request anddissolve the re
lation.
66 And further, it is recommended that
the Stated Clerk be directed to send a copy
of this minute to Mr. Gregory and to, the
church, as expressive of Presbytery's most
decided disapprobation of the un•Presbyte
rial'oourse pursued in this case, and ILS an
admonition for others in the future."
This report was adopted. •
Several churches applying to be recom
mended to the Board of Missions for aid,
were, according to the rule of Presbytery,
referred to the Committee of Missions.
And fbr the benefit of all churehes needing
aid, as well'as to show the careful princi
ples upon which PresbYterY acts in this
matter„ I am desired here to insert the rule
of Presbytery.
" Presbytery will recommend .no applica
tion for aid, till the church applying has
been visited by some member of the Com
mittee of Missions or Church Extelieion, as
the case may be, and its wants thoroughly
inquired into; and in no ease will it renew
a' recommendation for aid to any church
which does not contribute annually 'to the
six regular objects named by the Assem
bly." .
The Committee of Bills and Overtures,
to whom was referred the circular and let
ter of Dr. Jones in reference to the fund
for Disabled: Ministers,, &c., reported as
follows :
"That Presbytery earnestly recommend
that - animal collections be 'taken in all the
chuttlitelef Presbyteryfin aid at this'Fund;
PITTSBURGH,-
And that this minute, together with the re
port of the Trustees of said fund, made to
the last Assembly, and found on pages 101
to 104 of Minutes, be read at such times as
this collection is asked for."
This report was adopted.
Rev. Jacob Coon asked to have his.,rdla
don as pastor of the Beulah church, dis
solved. There being no representative
from the church present, the "'church was
cited to appear at the nest' stated meeting,
and show cause, if any, why this' request
should not be_granted.
S. T. Wlmax, Stated Clerk.
For rho Presbyterian tanner.
Presbytery of Carlisle.
The Presbytery of Carlisle held an ad
journed meeting at Greenea,stle, Pa., Nov.
12th.
A call from the Big Spring church to
the Rev. P. H. Mowry, was laid before the.
Presbytery, and leave was granted to pros
ecute said call before the Presbytery of
Philadelphia. ,
Mr. J. W. Wightlitan was ordained and
installed pastor over the church at'Greeri
castle. Mr. Cattell presiding, Mr. Niceolls
preaching the sermon, Mr. Hays giving
the charge to the pastor, and Dr. Creigh to
the people.
The pastoral relatiori between the Rev.
W. C. Cattell and the church of Harrii
burg, was dissolved, and the following res
olutions were, therefore, unanimously,
adopted :
Resoled, That in dissolving the pastor-
al relation between Rev. W. C. Callen and
the Harrisburg church, the Presbytery
would express sincere regret in , dismissing
this esteemed brother 'from a field of use
fulness in which he has been so greatly be
loved by his people, and highly honored by
God; and they permit his withdrawal 'only'
from the conviction that in thus accepting
the , Presidency of a Synodical College
whose aim is to give the youth of the
Church a Christian education ' he follows
the clear indicatiOns of Divine Providence,
and enters upon a wider sphere of minis
terial usefulness, and one.for which we be
lieve him to be peculiarly and . eminently
qualified. ,
Resolved, That we gratefully record our
sense of the noble services rendered by La
fayette College to the cause of liberal and
Christian education, and inasmuch as this
Presbytery constituted a part of the Synod
of Philadelphia at the time the College was
solemnly received under the care and pat
ronage of said body, we will continue to
cherish the most lively interest in its pros
perity, and following as we do, this beloved
brother to his new field of labor ' with our
best wishes for his personal welfare,
lfare and
our earnest prayer for the blessing of God
upon his labors, we do hereby recommend
all our churches to cooperate with him in
the efforts now being 'made to increase the.
efficiency of the College, by completing its
endowment.
IV: C. FERRIDAY, Clerk
EUROPEAN . CORRESPONDENCE:
Armagh—The. Two Archbish4s—What St. Pat
rick would say--Church of England Anomalies
—An Irish Diocesan Conference- 7 Revenues and
Clergy—Abuses—Missions and Voluntary Aid—
Bigotry, and Dissenters " tolerated" Rev. Dr.
Cooke—His Labdre—Dr..Edgar—Assistant
dfin
isters' Fundlts Origin and SuicessitTansd
_Fund—Assembly Sabbath.. Schools—Disastrous
Weather and, the .Crops—Flat and Linen—Mr.
Deecher Parting with Friendsr—lfecting with Stu
dente—Alisrepresentations—The Meant Rams • and
the Government.
Fitom. ARMAGH, Ireland, a cathedral
town with two antagonist Archbishops,
I write this letter. One of them is
Doctor Dixon, a Romanist, and claim
ing to be the true representative of the
ancient Irish Church, (while. St. Patrick,
if he rose from the dead, would say, Jesus
I know, and Peter and Paul, wtth every
member of the Apostolic College; but as
for Mary• the ! Queen of Heaven,' and
Mother of Mercy,' and all your roll of
Saints,' together, with the hew dogmas,
never heard of in my time; of a third
place, called putatory, and a service in an
unknown tongue,' and the ;Word of Cod
not allowed to he read to and by the peo
ple, as it was in my day, and by myself and
my 365 Presbyters all over the land"; as
well as Transubstantiation l the Sacrifice of
t he -Mass, and Prayers for the Dead ; I
never heard of them before—and therefore
my true successor and representative you
are not, and I must disown you.)
But there is' a second Archbishop—Dr.
Beresford. His cathedral is briilt on the
foUndations of the old one, and in fact,
makinc , allowance for modern additions, it
is the very building in which mass was
offered for centuries before the Reforma
tion, and where, undisputed in their su
prematr, Rome's loyal servants held the
multitude in thrall. lam glad to say that
the pre'sent Protestant Primate•-;—brotliter of.
the late Archbishop—is eminently worthy
of public confidence, kindly, in his, spirit
toward Presbyterians, a warm Supperter of
the Bible Society, and evangelical in his
teaching and preaching. Nevertheless his
position is not one which New Testament
simi?lieity justifies; he is a spiritual Peer;
he has a splendid palace, with &Magnificent
domain and
: gardens, and his income
$250,000 per annum. His office is a bishoP
over bishops, and also over the laity of a
whole Province ; whereas the ,archbisbop
of bishops—in the AngliVan and Roman
sense—that is, one man having control over
a set of men, who are ministers, presbyters,
pastors themselves, is an anomaly utterly
unwarranted and indefensible.
Cathedral, towns swallow up,in their pre
centors, canons, &c., a verylarge portion of
the Church revenues of the United King
dom. What, are •the results spiritually ?
Hitherto,at least, ainaost & nill. It is, es a
rule, not in the cathedral that the Gospel
is preached with marked power, or that the,
most serious and earnest of the people, of
the Church of, England regard as ,furnish
,
ing the feeding, the counsel, the comfort,
the edification which their ,souls requira.
No; it is in some obscure part of the ca
thedral town, where " intoning" of the
service is never heard; where stands a real
4, Messenger of truth, a legate of the skies,
His creed Divine, his message sacred,
His credentials clear ;"
of whom it can be truly said, as it is felt,
that he has a rich measure'of Divine anoint
ing, and whose path is humble, and whose
"living" warrants no luxurious self-indul
gence—it is in such a man that the people
of God find a pastor who feeds them with
knowledge and understanding, and from his
lips come the words of might by which sin
_
ners are awakened, and' led to flee from the
wrath f ttn Ante
AN IRISH DIOCESAN' UONFERENCIE has
been held this week under the - Presidency,
of the Bishop of Down and- Connor, Dr.'
Knox. There was present large body
of the clergy, together 'with ) lit;rd Duffenr,
Sir Hugh Cairns, 31..P:, - twe' Deansi4wo
Archdeacons, and a number 'of , the
'influ
ential laity. The Conference 'lasted for.-
three days. The proceedings begun bylthe
reading by Richard - .Davison, Esqi, of an
elaborate paper on "The, Present. position
,of the Irish Church.''.,..lt,commence,4 by.
arguing for the necessity` of etc Eetablitdiee
Church "because (a xibnlielttitiie;for non_
Established °hurdle : S.l have *fixed stand
ards,) "it prescribes , arfixed... Standard.: of
doctrine and government r -the,best, securi-
ties against heresy and. insubordination."
Next, and equally untenable; an 'Estab
lished Church " is a safeguard against the
priestly domination ota - ,vOliiii'ary clergy;
for the want of that recognized
which an Established Phurtsh ObEtfett, ,
clines men to place th*selvea_abors „their
real state, and so to become dinninant;And
a dominant clergy extiaignishes - the rights
and liberties of thepellpli."` The laityLof
the Church of England are,' alas'! -under a
" dominant clergy," with rob them of their
"rights and liberties?'" They ire not al
lowed to elect their paStors; they have no
power, of internal Seltcontrol* whatever;
the. State and private patrons give the
" livings" away ; andiin innumerable in
stances " the sheep liiek up and' arc not
fed."
All this, and much more, was urged by
Mr, Davison, who, however ' admitted' that
there were abuses in the distribution of
Church property in Veit:rid, and warned
the audience that rudegiands would try to
pull down the Establishment, if reforms.
were not to come from themaelves. The
condition of the Establiihed Church as to
its command over the population; was sta
ted as follows
" I cannot avoid etsting - that, in my
opinion, the present p6sition of the Irish
Church is in many resp l ects uneatisfactory.
Here, in the North, wq, are too much in
alined to look upon what, we see around` us
as a fair sample of 00 whole; but this
view is too - circumseribed; our survey`must
be more extensive. Let,iis remember `that'
Ulster is, not Ireland.
,{ According to the
census of 1834, the population of Ireland
amounted to 7,954,6262: . Arrangdd accord
ing to the different religious dooniina
tions, it stood thus : Roman Catholics, 6,-
436,000; Established" Church;• 853,160;
Presbyterians, 643,658,• all other denom
inations, 21,808. :Total, 7,954,626. The
census. of Igsl gives the population as
6,552,358, showing a deorease from 1834
of 1,402,268. The census of 1861 gives
the populations as 5,764,543, showing a de
crease of 2,190,083. Of' this decrease,
nearly.. 2,000,000 are Roman. Catholics.
The.total population, arranged under the
different religious denominations, stands
thus : Roman Catholies, 4,503,414,; Estab
lished Church, 691,509; Presbyterians,
523,300. In order to*Aivelit'a just:esti*
mate of the number of members of - the
Established Church, you must add to the
above number, 45,390 Methodists, who are
included under the head of the ;Established"
Church in 1834, though not in 1861.
This will bring the total of the Estab
lished Church to 736,899. This diminu
tion will make the loss of the Established
Church amount to less than one-seventh,
and, taking the decrease of Presbyterians
at about one-fifth, we find a decrease of
Protestantism generally of one-seventh,
while that of Roman Catholics exceeds
one-third of the entire population., •No
doubt the statistics, with respect , to popula
tion, tell apparently, largely against us."
The speaker defended the large incomes
of the bishops, because " by Jaw they are
peers of the realm, and their rank and dig
nity must be supported by suitable in
comes." A very apostolic argument, truly !
" Inferior dignitaries" should be well paid
also. The " working clergy," it appears,
are poorly paid , ;"many, of them, howevei,
have large livings, and the contrasts are all -
the more marked. The Bishops, dignita
ries, and wealthy Rectors, swallow up much
of that whieh, if fairly distributed, would
make every clergyman comfortable; for the
revenues of the Irish Church amount to
nearly £50Q,000 per annum. There are
also parishes in the,South and West of Ire-.
land where there are really no congrega
tions ; perhaps the police at the station,
the Rector's family, and a few more are =all
the Protestants within miles, and yet the
incumbents have incomes from £5OO to
£1,200 per annum , ! These crying abuses,
and the tenor of Parliamenkary . interfer
ence, Churchmen are willing should be
abated, but not extinguished, on' the plea
that by and by "the Protestants will:in
crease, through missionary exertions among,
the Roman Catholics, and the endowments
must thereibre be, preserved I," .
Rom - Awrstx in Ireland never presented a
more solid front than at - present. It is at
once a citadel encircled brwalls and lofty
towers,and an 'aggressive host—sometimes
in column, more frequently by its •"_flying
detachments " of Oratorians, Christian ,
Brothersandt others, together with the in
cessant visitation of Sisters of Mercy.
'Rome in Ireland is per force but not at all
in principle :a voluntary - Church. She claims
aright to the old endowments, lands - and
tithes, and if she.could she would expel the.:
intruders from every parish. One' of her
most eloquent.hishops, Dr. Doyle, who was
cotemporary with Daniel O'Connell,. had
reason on his side when he gate utterance
to words that, became a watchwoid, most.-
telling at the time, " My hatred of tithes is
as lasting as my love , of justice." 'An Es
tablished, proud, imperious, and up till a
comparatively recent past, a :worldly and
- useless clergy has been an incessantsturat'
Wing block -to the Roman Catholic laity of
Ireland. And.'it is nct to be forgotten that
what are called Irish. Church, Missions ; by.
which reaftood has been done in the,Weit
Of Ireland among Romanists, is not &Church
institution; in. other words, its ~f undS are.
not: drawn from the plethoric purse of the.
Establishment, but are raised by private, Vol
untary:contributions, and the larger ,pro- ,
portion of them , are contributed by. the
Protestants' of England.
Assertions- were freely indulged in by a'
High Church clergyman at 'the Epikopal
, Conferende, who, after deploring, the ten
, dency in - the' diocese .not to teach the chil
-1 dren the Church Catechism, and to attich
little importance to' the - Liturgy and Sacra
ments as' compared with preaching—told•
his brethren that their Church was " the
ancient Church of Ireland;' that she was in
this country seven hundred years before
the supremacy of the - Pope was aeknowl
edged 4 itt , it; that She-1m rreterly tweltet
Oct. 30, 1863
WEbNESDA
NOVEMBER 25, 1863. WHOLE NO. 583
hundred years before Presbyterianism was
established in Ulster; and, that the lands
tbey,,poss!:esed were given, -not to Roman
ists, but to the ancient Church of Ireland,
before there was a Romanist in Ireland."
Sit:other clergyman; professedly an Evan
gelical, but who, as a;Belfast incumbent op
posed _raid slandered the ' blessed , revival
132 0YeznEFA 9 . . f . 4 459 1 and who, himself the
son of Presbyterian patent:l, has like other
new converts, been very bitter toward, thoie
.whiini`he has left, Was loud in his calls for'
'the disendowment of Presbyterians, and
•ilaitt, the Established Church should Worm
have Government support. He was kind
enough to .say that Dissenters might be
" tolerated.'' This illiberal speech was
calmly rebuked - hy,Sir,Hugh Cairns, whose
fither,:at Bolywood, County Down, was a
Presbyterima, and the main supporter of
Di. Cooke, in, the great and successful eon
fliet with , Arianism TJlster,•more than
thirtylears ago. •
DCCobist, of Velfait, Whani'i hid- the:
hap nese iii'irmit.,trilleMbatneto Ireland;
and With.: vithrotti aipeet V:), have further
happy inierceurse;is., I 'atti glad to say, in
vigorous health; both of body and Mind.
He is in his seventy-fourth year. Almost
every day of the week during the present
season of the year; he is preaChing sermons,
followed by colleetions, for the liquidation
of debts on manses or churches, and every_ .
where he has, large congregations. The
money -raised by his disinterested services
over the country during one year is very
conaiderable, and covering his public life;
it has been immense. Dr. Cooke is, still'
,the sole'pgstor of May Street Presbyterian'
Church, Belfast, and has two full services
there'en every'Lord's Day
I AM GLAD tO say that Dr. zugar, of
.
Belfast, who was seriously ill,, is now re
nove:inv
THE' ASSISTANT MINISTERS' 'FUND of
ths Irish Aisemblyi-was originated by the
Rev. j. McAlister of Armagh, in the
-year 1857. Its object is tusupplement the
limited incomes of ministers who are or
dained in eongregationi > where
_the senior
minister, possessing the endorsement,
,and
yet disabled by infirmaties or old age, is
unable to discharge the full duties re.quired.
At first it Diet with considerable Opposition,
beeauseit Was new, and. in some cases from
selfish motives. It was, however, at length,
through the zeal• of the founder, brought
home to the, majority of the Assembly, as
a necessity. The first- year's income was
only MOO, and this year it -is likely to be
more than. £lOOO. It is almost certain,
that ere long there will, in connexion with
this fund, bean. Aged Minister's Fund that
will enable old clergymen to retire 'in corn- ,
fort. Meanwhile the assistant ministers
receive most important succor; some of
them this year have given above £6O ster
ling, and others in proportion—the gener
al effect being to rescue- them from anxiety
and poverty, to• inspire hope and courage,
and to leave them free to prosecute .:their
Masker's-work-with zeal and energy. Would
-that all similar ministers in America had
similar help ! . I ought to say, ere I close
th& topic; that, besides the payment from
the Assistant Fund, each young minister
receives support from 'his congregation—
bringing up his income to the standard of
his endowed brethren.
The Manse Fund of the 'General Assent bly has been a 'great success. The follow
ing summary will interest many of roar
raders : "- --
" Since the commencement of the fund,
the committee have made 328 grants,
amounting to 1.28,575 4s 4{l ; being for
manses,. £19,816 3s; for new churches,
£6,020-;.and for debt on churches, £2,739
is 4d. ,The committee regret to report
that,after lengthenedcorrespondence ' they
-have been cbliged to cancel three Of. the
grants made for manses, amounting in all to
£3OO, there being no prospect of the con
gregations to which these grants have been
promised proceeding to h A uild within a
reasonable time. The amount received by
-the Treasurer from Jane 20, 1862 till
June 20,.1863, including interest, is £271
13s Bd, making the . total amount received
since the commencement of the fund, £30,-
619 3s Ild. Of this sum, £2,277 16s 9d
has arisen from interest, thus making the
net amount paid by congregations, £28,341
7s 2d. The sum originally subscribed to
the fund -was £34,265 14s 4d. It, there
.
fore, appears. that a balance of £5,924 7s
' , 2tl is still unpaid. The total amount re
ceived from all sources, £30,619-3a lid,
has leen disposed of in the following man
ner Grants paid £23,462 18s ; grants
voted, but not paid, £5,000 3s 4d ; general
expense of management; £2,444 2s 2d ;
total, £30,997 3s 6d, less grants cancelled,
£3OO, making the net amount voted £34,-
697 3s 6d,- being -477 193 7d, in excess of
the -funds 'at the committee's disposal,
and not paid until the interest accrues.
“The committee regret' that they have
been* obliged, by want' 'of fund's, 'to refuse
to entertain most of the applications pre
sented during the year, so that, at the pres
ent mottient, they hav'e , nearly twenty-five
applications on the books, to none of which
they are able. to render assistance, in the
present exhausted state of the treasury.".
Here again I cannot but express a long
ing desire, for all ministers in, your noble
country to, have manses' erected for them
selvis and their successors.
The Sabbath Schools of the Cleneral As
eembly. were, as such, not brought under
its offieial ,notice' till .thuyear 1858, when a
motion was made that the subject should be
seriously considered. The result has, been
remarkable and blessed. Mr. : McAlister;
of Armagh t corresponded with the late Dr.
Alexander,' of. New-York, on the subject.
Official connexion between the schools and
The ChurchAti now established,, and all the
Sabbath Schools, within the Churchare an
examined in the Scriptures, Cate
chisms, ,and Confession of Faith by .the
Presbyteries. ; Regular reports, are made
by the examiners to Presbyteries, Synods,
and thence to the General Assembly. Full
information is thus obtained with regard to
the statistics of religious education, and
are, reported by the Convener of the.
Scheme, to the. Assembly in public session.
,The result to the -congregations has been to
awaken
_ministers, parents, and Sabbath
School teachers ,to their responsibilities.
Consolidation, -fidelity to truth and duty,
arej:hus promoted largely..
TRV CROPS IN IRE', AND have been "ex
cellent, but I have been both surprised and
grieved to find, that in strikino• b contrast to
England and its' earlier and drier climate ;
the Aututnn season' here has 'been ahnost
incessantly wet - andlUnfavorable. - The con-
Sestreneelis) trliat -inutitaiii-diattrieti; affil
even in more fruitful lowland .soil, consid
erable .portion of the oats crop is in the
fields, and the rains coming frequently,
they still, remain there, and may probably
perish from rotting or sprouting. This is
very trying on the farmers, especially the
" small" farmers. Compensation, however,
has largely come in a magnificent flax crop,
which,sells at very high prices, and is ea
gerly bought up for the Spinning mills.
-Cotton is now so dear, that ligens, espe
cially of the coarser kinds, are in great de
mand, and America herself is a very large ,
customer of the Ulster linen merchants, in
connexion with supplies of linen for mili
tary haversacks and other purposes. Pres
perity has well nigh• returned to its old
standard in Ulster, and one great spinning
establishment at 'Belfast is said to be net
ting, profits at the rate of £52,000 per an
n.um. -
BEECITER has left our shores, after
having-accempli,shedCh red gotta, and
'carried iiiVay with him pleasing impressions
of kitiatlyifAeliiattsEchnitirhifti 'a lid u
dices,largely removed: - His,lecture in Ex- :
eter Hall was extremely vigorous, weighty,
and tellibg. roused the audience to en
thusia.sni, and attempts of a "hissing" little
clique of Southern sympathizers were com
pletely overwhelmed". A farewell enter
tainment was given to Mr,.Beecher at Rad
ley's Hotel, London, before his departure,
the Hon. and* Rev. Baptist Noel presiding.
It was largely attended: Previously, Mr.
Beecher was invited to ineet.2so of the
students of Nonconformist Colleges,; at
soiree.. Every one of ; these future minis
.
teri.of D issen tin g Churches, are pro-Nor
theft'. and Anti-SlitierY„ and so are their
Professors and tutors:
Misrepresentatibbsj..h&ve' appeared in the
Times, of course, and Mr. ,Beecher's ora
tory has/beep rated` Very sio.w, and= : is very
much of the "stump" order, In harmony
with this are the pictures drawn by the .
Times' American correspondenCat New
York. Here is what' he says 'ail English
man visiting America would - :discover AS to
the people _ •
" He would find, as he made .a little prog
ress in his task, that everything in the
character of American institutions which
he had been• accustomed to admire was a
proved, evil;' that' the absence of an aris
tocrac,y'of high rank and' ancient lineage
was supplied by a ' codfish aristocracy,' a
'shoddy [aristocracy,' au aristocracy of
•money; that if a State Church were an
evil, a Church unconnected with the SMte,
Sof which 'the preachers pandered to the
prejudices and the-ignorance of the crowd;
and touted- for: custom like the trader.s of
the street, was an evil at least as great;
that universal suffrage was but another
name for, universal corruption;.That the
frequency — of popular elections prevented
respectable mei from leaving theAtiir'suits :
of law, - literature, and "commerce Ito solicit
the votes of the people; that the hillot, was
no security for secrecy; that polititv haTd
beeome so disreputable a trade trila the
people could find no more opprobions.epi
that to bestow upon a man than a poll
tieian;" -that no really eminent lawyer
would consent to be a judge, unless it were
of the Supreme Court, where he might hold
his Tosition for life, irrespective of the fa
vor of the people ; 'that no really good and
great man had the. remotest chance ot be
comin.. President; that the vaunted com
mon school education of the people led to
no practical results; that the boys, thrown
into trade as soon as they , were fourteen,
forgot their school learning in the business
of the shop, and were as ignorant of the
Constitution and history of their own coun
,try as of' every other • ; that their course of
reading was confined to the newspapers;
that the most popular of these were of the
lowest' class, and pandered 'to the most' vul
gar prejudices; and that the education of
the women was as defective aw that of the
men, and consisted in the largest amount
of novel.readin,,o.,with scarcely a smatter
ing of any kind of useful knowledge. All
these thitws, and many more, such an anti-
English Eglisliman,reight learn if he had
a mind to study them."
On the other side he tells us what you
think of England as effete , and in every
way despicable.
THE STEAM RAMS are vigilantly watch
ed by the Government at Liverpool, lest
attempts should be made to carry' them out
to sea: Mr. Laird, their builder, has made
a violent speech in defence of his'building
the Alabama, which even the Times stern,
ly condemns. The country'backs the Cab- .
inet in its policy, which, indeed, inaugur
ates- a new era, I trust, of international
friendliness. J.W.
CHATTANOOGA ? November 10113, 1863.
JOSEPH ALBBEE, ESQ. Treasurer of the
U. , S. Christian ,Commis,sion, Pittsburgh,
Pa. •
DEAR SIR : -1.-received.my commission
on thelfith of October; also, your accotn
panying note, containing thefollowing in
struction Push through, and make your
way . as near as possible to the army." The'
next day. after, I left our dear old. Keystone
State. On the way I halted at three points,
for a day or two at each, doing some com-
mission work. The 'three points were
Lotiiiville; Nashville- and 'Stevenson, Ala
:brae. There is a wide field of laVor and
an open door at all of these s places._, In
Louisville and Nashville there are no less
than forty hospital's—twenty in each place.
In the 'general field hospital there were
twelve hindred sick-and wounded soldiers.
But :my order was to " push through,"
and it was my desire ao to do. It was likewise
the direction of Bro.E. P. Smith, the field
a„,,eencthat I Should go on to Chattanooga.
Bro. D. J. Irwin, of Ebenezer, Pa., an old
alassmate,4first at college, then a the. Semi
nary, was to be, my compacion in travel.
So with haVersacfs hanging to our sideS,
and blankets ' Strapped to "on" backs, ire
- Started from Bridgeport, - A1a.,.0n foot ; ver
the "mountains to this place. After three:
days marching, at the rate of twelve miles
the .first day, fourteen the
,second, and
twenty.tivo the third, we found 'oUrselves,
at the' close Of "the last day, weary and foot
sore, " pushert•throtigh"---" in -front"—in
Chattanooga. • •
This place3before , themar, as > near as I
can learn, eoutained ,000 inhabitants. It
is, located in amongst the mountains,,,on
the south bank of the Tennessee river, and
has beautiful sufrOhladings. Ifni most of the
natives fled withliragg, leaving`all behind
them. Now it, is filled up and surrounded
on
,n11,4#9 lay : trqng eucamptnents.
.Almoit.eyery house
l as the head
"quirterrOf some seneral,
stelflft*lfWenfi`iiyf4okiiVrkiutFtif Thai
TB.E PRESBYTERIAN BANNER
Pubilea - Loll Office
GLUM , BUILDINGS, WI FIT4APITTUBLA4, Pa.
P2MADM.P.III,A., bourvwc4sr VOL or 73 M1 lAD ClEinalle
ADVERTISEMENTS.
TERkIB IN 4.DVANVF.
A ilquare, (6 linos of lesai) dile insertion ? 60 and; sash
subsequent insertion, 46 cents; each line beyond sled., 6 cli
Square per quarter, $4.00; each 'line additional, 88 centa,
A I,..:Tvoorzol made to atlyertiaere I:ir the year.
©IJsIh4 9 S N
angp,B of Tau' lines or lett; 11.0 1 5 sea a 4
al Ilue, - 11: 10 enta
REV. DAVID lIVICINNEY, ,
PROPALZILM alga Poutreariw
larger buildings and churches are generally
used as hospitals: In these hospitals, con
taining between two and three thousand
sick and wounded soldiers, the delegates of
the Christian Commission have found
enough for both their hands and their
hearts to do. -
The work the Commission attempts to do
for these noble, brave sufferers, is to give
them necessary clothing and delicacies—to
distribute papers, ,magazines, , testaments,
and other good -reading matter—to write
letters for :those unable to write for them
selves—to speak words of cheer to the de
sponding, and to recommend Jesus and his
"so great salvation " to all. They receive
the temporal mercies most thankfully, and
listen most respectfully to the words of
spiritual comfort: Often a tear of gratitude,
or of religious emotion, is seen to steal down
the cheeks, of these patient, suffering sol
die,rs as we pass from ,cot to cot amongst
them.
Nor is the well
,seldier . ntgleete — d - by the
Ceittnisslon. ilegiMents without chaplains
are sought out, an'd the good news pro
claimed to them. The Thirty-fifth Illinois
has been the congregation of my charge
since coming here. Lieut. Col. Chandler
;has command of the respinient, and has
given me every facility for and encourage
ment in my labors amongst his men. lie
sides, the delegates of the Commission con.
duct a daily-prayer-meeting. And each
evening they, in connexion with the regular
army ekaplains, hold a religious service.
There has been no little interest, and a
number of inquiries after the way of Ziff,
in these evening meetings. Every Sah
ba.th-day, at one o'clock P. M., there is a
Bible class taught by a member of the.
Commission. At three P. M. a sermon is
preached to the colored people. The Com
mission have it in contemplation to estab
lish a day school for this class, as soon as
books can be obtained, and the proper ar
rangements made.
Then there is a large store room kept
: open every day of the week, except the
Sabbath. In this there are papers, maga
zines and books for the soldiers to read, and
pens, Lk and paper, free of charge, for
writing a letter to the home friends. And,
if the soldier is but of money, a stamp is
handed him. This room- is thron.-ed al
most-all day; some are reading, and others
at the desk writing.
This is -a brief statement of what the
Commission is trying to do in the Army.
of the Cumberland. But• let me say, that
there is now a great want here of some
thine't, more to do with. Clothing, delica
cies, reading matter, stationery, and con
tributions in money, are all needed. These
must be had, in order to carry on the work
successfully, and to do the greatest good for
the brave defenders-of our country. Could
not the homepeople, if they knew this
lack, do something to relieve
,it? Many
have done nobly. But, surely, it, would
move the hearts' and open the purses of
-many more-if these-wit-tit& coirld'he'steri.
Let me tell what two or three of the boys
have said about the Commission. One
poor fellow, who was not only wounded,
but had the &Vet; also, and wish whom I
had talked and prayed several times, said
to me the Other day : " I think that you
are in one of the best causes - that has been
started since this war broke out.:' Some of
the wounded have been sent back to the
rear within a few days. - Others are being
removed as fast as possible. One of the
boys, with - thouights of this in his' head,
asked, " Will - there be any Christian Com
mission where .._I atu going?" -A father
lately came on to' see his son, who was
'wounded; and in one of the hospitals.
After seeing how things were conducted
here, he remarked, " Thelolks at home do
not know the good that his Commission is
doing." I have seen some , of, its workings
in Louisville, Nashville, Stevenson and in
this pl ce. Many will remember the "U.
S: Christian Commission" long after this
"cruel war is over;" and they will bless
God that he, has made it instrumental, not
only in the preservation of their lives, but
also in the salvation of their souls.
It ought - to . be noted that here and at
other places the Sanitary Commission has
its stores almost alongside of the Christian
Commission. rooms. , There is no clashing
between the two. It also is doing a great
and good work; and is worthy of the con
fidence and Contributions of the benevolent
everywhere.
Respectfully yours, • : .
W3l. M. T.ILIFLOR.
For tbe Presbyterian Banner
Gooditess.
Ps. exviii: 29-0 give thanks unto
the
_Lord, for he is good.
The religion of the Son of God is a
proof of- Divine goodness. It is a source
of pleasure._ It gives peace of conscience,
joy in the •Holy Ghost,, and imparts a sense
of pardoned sin. 'lt fnrnishes themes for
..for holy and delightful contemplationAglt
places . before 'us 'the Cross-, with its
affecting associations. It brings to our re
membrance the stable, the manger, .the
shepherds and the angelic songsters ; the
life, the sufferings, and the death of the
Son of God; his res.urrection, "aleension,
and his glory. It makes known the love of
God, the excellency of holiness, the happi
bess of heaven. We-seein it the broken ,
law satisfied justice, our, own sinfulness
and misery, and the way, of escape from
eternal death—rwhat God
were, what we are, what we-shall be—and
here are themes for endless, thought and
endless praise.
iteligion also inspires confidence in. God.
He is ,angry with the wicked every day.
He is their enemy,;, but he is the Friend
and Protector , of the righteoas=their
Father and Portioni fur they have received
the Spirit of adoption whereby they cry,
Abba, Father.. ...Amid all the changes
,and
trials and sufferings, of this sinful world,
the righteous have one to 'whom they can
go
,one who will never desert ,them---a
'Friend. who stieketh closer, than ,brother.
Religion , gives a. hope, of heaven, and ; it
tesches-aa contentment, and by its saintary,
influence and its gracious support, it pre.
pares us for, changing fortunes.: .13y. pre.
cept and example it teaches us to be con
tent with such things as we have; and if
affi; ctions come, it teaches cis to say,. Thy
will be done I It enables
_us to say at all.
times; It is the Lord Ouch a religion
Must coine from God, 'and it' is 'a proof of
his goodness. ' - W. J
Not an, oath is uttered that does.not
brate !.hyotlgh r all time in the cyideitoßte.E.4l--
ino current or .sou, not a Rrayer n i se 7
- ed but-iie k reoViii is stempad, thelair of
`'.lmii.oral y ft:V . 44ll:oc "thli Pf o • ' 9 ; fr:,