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For the Preebyterien Banner.
tilers to Bible• Mon and Patriots.—No.
GENTLEatErt:—It is beginning to b.
inderstood that though slavery, like man:
,tther sius, is made - the subject of del
egislatien, and though sometimes brought
lniu party polities, is not to be exclude(
From the religious press, nor the pulpit
For, in some forms it is presented for coo
bideration in the Bible. There ought no
be silence in regard to any of its in
/tructions because partisans calf the truti
' t: 4 preaching polities." Let them fram,
their measures according.to theism:lced vol
bine, and then it will not hurt party
- hatever does mischief, should be die
lased.
Having in previous letters given you
')rief view of the rise and progress o
inerican, slavery, and of the ohange .o
.;litiment and design in regard to it b ,
slaveholders, and that an unwillingness b:
Vorthern men to have the institution , ex
',tended was the great reason Why a lom
contemplated rebellion was consummated
proceed to show that the Sacred Borip
Mures give no sanction to„the4rise. r iea4 94
Istence of the system as it is fous inv tb
I ,lSouthern States. Consequently there wa,
no justifiable ground for Secession am
war, because it could not be extended ove
wider area of territory, and through fu
(
gure generations. American slavery ha(
its rise in the cupidity of Portuguese, un
er the authority of Popes. Neither th(
mediations of servitude, nor the example,
tfit in the Bible, justify the kind that hal
een ad vooated by modern slaveholders ant
(heir apologists. It was said by Neal
'Gen. ix : 25), " Cursed be Canaan, a , 4er
'ant of servants shall he , be, unto hit
trethren." Ist. Canaan (nob Ham', was
to render service to " his brethren." 2d
:f a prediction of servitude (3r crime it
lecessarily a justification of it, then God't
trophecy to Abraham (Gen. xtr : 131,
,A , My seed shall be in bondage, and they
/shall afflict them four hundred years,'
lade it right for the Pharaoht•to oppress
!the Israelites. Then, too, in this mode of
interpretation, those whoi crucified the
;Slviour were justified, because it was fore.
,told by the prophets. 3. That is assumed
iwhich cannot be shown, viz.: that_ the Xfri
onus are desitendants of Canaan. The 10
,cation of the sons of Ham would ovine(
:he contrary. Africa proper was peopled
't.otn, Egypt and Ethiopia. Mizriam, ow
if the sons of Ham, settled Egypt; and
Cush, another, settled Ethiopia. Canaan,
a son of Ham, settled _a country farther
!North east, out of ,Afrioa. If you see,
((Gen. a : 19,) it is said, if the border of
the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou
loruest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as then goest
into Sodom and'tiomorrah, and Admak,
tnd Zeboim, even unto Leslie." For three
thousand years we have some knowledge of
the Canaanite, but none that places then
-tong the inhabitants of Western Africa
'om whence American elm* were brought
'he Cat:minket Weri - kW' ;adefiertnleaii(
ade servants to the Isriterilea.
ards they were
,under tribute to the
tiedes and Persians. Afterwarrls,
vely, to the Macedonians, Grecians, and
',omens ; and finally, pay tribute to the
ittoman dynasty, where they now are.
plAll the talk about the curse upon Hain.
;evinces ignorance; but I have not space to
exhibit it fully. It does not follow that
-because, as is taught in the 25th - chapter of
Leviticus, the a bondmeu " of the Israel
ites were to be "of the heathen round
:bout," that therefore the slavery of Afri
axis by Americans is right. The Israel
tes by Divine authority held in bondage
he heathen as a part of the punishment
or their crimes. The . former were but
, xecutisners of the justice of God upon
he latter. It dees not follow that people
if different nations should go to Africa
ud carry on the slave trade to America
ithout Divine command. As good reason
ng as this, would it be, for robbers and
orderers to say,
.that because they saw
owe men put to death for their crimes, by
ighteous authority, they would there/ore
ob and put to death for the sake of gain.
s the African slaves were stolen, or ob.
ained for trifling articles from those who
ad no right to sell them, their descend
nts are held in successive generations, in
I. e Southern States, as stolen property.
Servants who were Israelites, and others
at were voluntary proselytes, went out
ee on the recurrence of the year of Ju
,ilee—for which there is no parallel in
werican slavery. In Dent. aaiii : 15, 16,
tis said : Thou shalt not deliver unto
is master the servant which is escaped
f rom his master unto thee. He shall dwell
ith thee, even among you in that place
, hich he shall choose in one of thy gates,
here it liketh him best; thou shalt not
oppress him." To this humane arrange
,. ent in the ease of oppression, there is no
arallel in the slavery that exists in the
Southern States. The Fugitive Slave Law
sin opposition to it. The provisions of
the "Proclamation" by the President are
according to it. It has been assumed by
the Belt-styled patriarchs of the South,
that they hold slaves as Abraham did.
The facts as to the origin and kind of sla
very practised in this country, •will show it
to be very different from the servitude in
the time of Abraham. As Bible men, you
will find on close examination, the truth of
what I say. God did permit some things
in those clays which the New Testamenl
disapproves, such as polygamy, and the law
of retaliation, and the putting away of
wives, because of the hardness of their
‘ , earts.—Matt. xix 8. " Times of this
gnoranoe God winked at, but now emu
-o.andeth all men everywhere to repent."—
eta avii : 80. The law of love to " thy
eighbor as thyself," and the golden rule,
(Matt. vii: 12,) "all things whatsoever ye
would that men should do to you, do ye
even so to them," is a proper interpretation
of this law.
That the estate of those in bondage. is
not better generally than if the, were free,
and put in possession of their rights , in
their own land or in some suitable part of
our territory, will appear from the state
ment of intelligent Christian slaveholders
in Kentucky, who published an address, as
a Synod, in 1835. They had opportunity
to know the nature of the system; and they
make American slavery appear contrary to,
the principles of natural justice and to the
spirit of the New Testament. 1 shall, for
your careful perusal, make a synopsis of
statements, and an extract of their argu
ment. Showing that it is contrary "to the
laws of God as revealed by the light of na
ture," they say :
"1. A part of our system of slavery
consists in depriving human beings of the
right to :acquire and hold , propecipi: 9.
VOL. XII. NO. 23.
The deprivation of personal liberty forms
another part of our system of slavery. Not
only has the slave no right to his wife and
children, but he has no right even to him
self. 3. The right of personal security is
the remaining constituent of our system of
slavery— Cruelty may he carried on to any
extent, provided life be spared. Mangling,
imprisonment, starvation, every species - of
torture, may be inflicted upon him, [the
slave,] and he has no redress."
This Presbyterian Synod in this address*
(penned by one who- was once a Moderator
of our General Assembly,) say, there arc cer
tain ,elects springing naturally and necessa
rily out of such a system, which must also be
ansidered, in forming a proper estimate of
its character. Ist. Its most striking effect
is to deprave • and degrade its subjects, by,
removing front them the strongest natural
olieckp to human corruption. 2d. It doorno .
thousands of human beings to hopeless ig
norance. Nor-is it to be•expected that this
state of thingti•.will become better, unless
it. is determined that slavery shall cease.
8. It &Fives its subjects in a great mess
lire, of the prinoiples, of the Gavel, 4th.
Ilffitiliyaittim licenses and' pro uces' 'great
bittelty. The law places AA whip in the'
hands of the master, and l its use, provided
he avoid destroying life, is limited only by
his own pleasure. * * Brothers and
sisters, parents and children; husbands and
wives, are torn asunder, and .permitted to
see each other no more.. These acts are
daily occurring in the midst of us. The
shrieks 'and the agony often witnessed on
such occasions, proclaim with a trumpet,
tongue, the iniquity and cruelty of our
system. 6. It produces general licentious
ness among the slaves. 6th. This • system
demoralizes the whites as well as the blacks.
7th. This system draws down upon us the
vengeance of Heaven. IC God is just," and
"he will render to every one according to
his works."
We are told that the Apostles gave to
Christian masters and Christian servants,
directions for their mutual conduct. True;
and these directions will be valuable,while
the world lasts • for so long, we doubt not ,
will the relation of master and servant ex.-
ist. But how do such directions license
the holding of slaves T. The terms which
the Apostles use in giving the precepts,
are the same which they would have used,
had there been no slaves upon the earth.
Many of the masters of that day were in
deed slaveholders, and many of the servants
were slaves; but should that circumstance
have prevented the inspired ambassadors
-from teaching the duties which devolved
upon masters and servants in every age, and
under every form of service? If so, then
the fact that rulers at that time were gen
erally tyrants, and the people vassals, ahould
have prevented them from laying down the
duties of rulers and people. In the pre
cepts of Holy Writ, neither political tyran
ny nor domestic slavery is countenanced.
Nay, if masters complied with the Apos
.tollekinjuitotion to them, and gave to their
servants as they are direcied' to do, 4 ' that
which is just and equal," there would be
an end to what is called slavery. .
The Divine right, of `kings to Vann*
over their .. subjects, and" be urilawf`uless
of resistance to their arith c iirity on the part
of the people, were firmly maintained by
the very same kind of Scriptural arguments
which are now advanced in support of
slavery. The arguments drawn from the
Bible in favor of despotism, are, indeed,
much'more plausible than those in favor of
slavery. We despise the former; how then
should we regard the latter ?
After
The New Testament does condemn slave
holding, as practiced among us, in the most
explicit terms furnished by the language
in which the inspired penmen wrote. If a
physician, after a minute examination,
should tell a patient that every limb and
organ is diseased, has he not received a
more clear and express declaration of his
entirely diseased condition than if he had
been told in merely general terms, that his
body was unsound ? Thus has God con
denined slavery. _He has specified the
parts that compose it, and denounced them
one by one in the most ample and unequiv
ocal form ? Thus saith the Synod. The
grand mistake in interpreting the apostolic
direction to masters and servants, is in the
inference, that therefore God recognized the
right of the master to own, sell and buy
slaves As well might it be inferred that
the Divine Being recognized the right of
the Roman Emperors to tyrannize because
he said, "Be subject to the powers' that
be." Christians were to submit to their
persecutions, as afflictions " for Christ's
sake "—for his honor. The direction to
submit to be smitten on both cheeks, does
not imply 'the right of the individual to
smite you on either. — Servants (according
to Eph. vi 5-7,) were to be " obedient,"
as "unto Christ. Not with eye-service as
men-pleasers ; but as the servants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart.
With good will
to
service as to the
Lord, and not to men." They were to
submit to the affliction, but according to 1.
Cor. vii : 21, " If thou mayest be free, use
it rather "; just as persecuted Christians
should rather prefer toleration than op
pression. Servants spoken of (1. Tim. vi :
1) " as under:the yoke, are to count their
masters worthy of all honor." But why ?
Not because of the moral right of the mas
ter; but "that the name of God and his
doctrine. -be not blasphemed "—that it
shoitld not be said that Christian servants
were dishonoriug God and his religion by
not submitting to a legal 'relation. So Pe
ter, in his first Ephitle (ii : 18, 19) says :
"Servants, be subject to your masters y not
only to the good and gentle, but also to the
froward." But why? " For conscience
toward God, endure grief, suffering wrong
fully." The recognition of a legal relation
in the Scriptures, does not necessarily sanc
tion it as founded on the law of nature, and
the will of God. Human statute law estab
lished slavery in the Colonies of America;
but the 'providence of God which visits
" the iniquities of the fathers upon the
I children," is punishing us, in the third and
fourth generation, through, rebels, and they
are ruining themselves. He will bring us
back to the avowal of our forefathers, that
all men are born free And equal. God is
hastening the time to," let, the oppressed go
free," and " to break every yoki," in which,
as Bible men and patriots, you will re
joice. Your fellow
COUNTRYMAN,
*lt oan .174' had - at - the United Presbyterian
Book-Rooms.
Do your duty, however dangerous. Death
comes to all, and the world does not need
your bodily presende so much as it does
•,your moral
ou li s,, ctao
o. t
~.s t
. .
: ,
PITTSBURGH, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1864.
•
EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENCE.
JAMMU 30, 1864.
Mu. BRIGHT, M. V., has addressed his
constituency at Birmingham, in an elo
quent and powerful speech. As he is con
fessedly an orator, all the newspapers in
London, and several in the Provinces, have
his words flashed' td them at once by the
electric telegraph. He is a Tribune of the
people, and has some of the faults of that
class of men whose 'prototypes were found
in the days ofthe Roman. Republic. He. is
too much in the habit of imputing lack of
patriotistii or sympathy to every class except
that particular and limited one to which he
hiinselk belongs—making no allowance for
early training and hereditary predilections,
and for that • conservatism which you will
find among many - of the excellent of _the
earth,. in the United States . themserves. '
On the other hand, Mr:Bright and Mr,
Cobden, by-their sternness and plainness
of Tech, and by . their indomitable cont.
age m the face of malignant representation,
and fromthe affright of timid and there
fore unjust men, have proved thereselies
Instruments-in 4liew.hankr ett=1"0:o
effecting great..pand £ beneficent Changes , itt
the legislation of this ,country. To them,
mainly, belongs the ho - nor of the abolition
of the tax, on foOd----the ,Corn Laws—for
although Sir Robert Peel, as Premier, nobly
sacrificed party interests in order to give
cheap • bread to the people, the ,pioneers
were Messrs. Bright and Cobden. In. like
* manner, Ali'. Cobden has been emphatically
the champion of Free Trade with foreign
countries. He it was whb, in close confer
erica with Napoleon and his ministers, pa-
Mandy and perseveringly, amid. the abuse
of the Times, consummated ,that free and
un-tariffed intercourse 'which, by its re
sults, is already enriching both England
and France. That example 'is now being
imitated by other , continental, countries—
Belgium, Italy, and in roman by Austria.
" THE SOUTHERN INDEPENDENCE Asso.
CITATION ' 11 which has a branch at Manches
ter, holds a. soiree this evening in that city,
under the Presidency of Lord Wharricliffe.
Lord Campbell .'(son- of the late Baron
Campbell and ex-Lord Chancellor,) the no
torious Mr. Spence, the Confederate agent
at Liverpool, (who proposes to reply to the
speech delivered het week by Mr. "Milner
Gibson, Cabinets Ministerl) together with
" Professor Bledsoe; of the 'University of
Virginia," (?) " with, other influential-sup
porters of thn s cause," are to address the
meeting. These gentlemen are all for
" recognition " of the South,,and do their
best to blink the real question, by agitating
for
for the " independence " of the South, anal
try tnshow that ,they thereby ;don't mean
the continuance of slavery there. But
that is what Spence means, in spite of .his
denials, and this is the taunt of this poor,
shabby, and uninfluential agitation. The
country is dead against any "recognition,"
and thoroughly approve the course of.the
Government as to abstinence from anything
`Ortire'liirid. Earl Russel is much disliked.
by them, and friendliness,toward . the Uni
ted States is, in their eyes a crime.
Ag Rutworts abound,taccompanied yes
terday by reports that Lord Russel had,.
left the. Cabinet. The Stock Exchange
is in a dismal condition. If we enter on
war it will,-end as it may, cost many mil
lions, increase our income tax, diminish
trade and commerce, and increase distress
in , Lancashire, ruin many men of business,
and in one word, be-to us and every nation
that -takes part in it, a great calamity.
Great preparations for war are said to be
making at Woolwich and the Horse Guards.
According to the Morning Post, which
seems to speak with 'semi-official authority,
" Brittania is sharpening her trident ; the
Channel fleet is preparing, the Horse
Guards are busy, and Armstrong guns are
getting ready." .Another -journal talks of,
an army of fronr twenty to thirty thousand
men being placed under the command of a
Crimean officer of experience; and a third
adds that the Premier is bent on' support
ing Denmark at all hazards, looking for
support to influential members of the Tory
party.
Certain it is that the Prussian troops are
advancing more rapidly than was expected
toward Schleswig, and as sure as they cross
the Eider, war is inaugurated. The Danes
will resist desperately and bravely; the
Swedes will rush to their help.. Russia
will draw the sword,- and France more
leisurely will watch' her opportunity. In
all probability; one of our fleets will be sent
to cruise along the coast of the Adriatic.
Austria-will thus be threatened as to her
shipping and seaboard, and any war vessels
she has in that quarter will either be shut
up in harbor ingloriously, or-be destroyed.
Besides all this Venetia and Hungary
will each seek its " opportunity;" and
Italy, Joining the league. of the Great
Powers, will strike for the whole of what
she claims as her own, including her legit.
imate capital, Rome. It is hardly possible
to believe that Prussia and Austria—
the one exposed to French invasion on the
Rhine, and the other so eVidently vulnera
ble—Will be so, mad as to rush ,into this
conquest. But it may 'l4, judicial -blind
ness will. urge them to it, -and that_ now is
to begin .:a sesies of , convulsions such as
Students of. prophecy. And observers of the
signs of the times have, for some time -re
garded as alike inevitably and compare ,
tively near. What a comforting thought
that Christ the Sing,sits enthroned, in se
rene repose and ,in the, consciousness of
omnipotent energy—seeing the end from
the beginning, and guiding all toward a
blessed and benefieentissue
The .cause of the unhappy Poles seems
to derive no hope or succor from the pros
pects of war, because that - Russia will .be
on the strong side in . the contest, and
has already, depleted the strength of the
insurrection. It is not, indeed, entirely
suppressed. On. the contrary, it has ex
tended in Lithuania, 1 and the insurgents
have inflicted heavy loss on their foes.
The people of Manchester are—many. of
them—deeply interested in Poland. This
week ,a meeting Nes held at which metro
politan advocates, and local gentlemen as
their supporters, spoke. Resolutions. were
passed in favor of >recognizing the Toles as
belligerents, of giving the insurgents the
moral support of the nation, and`of aiding
them materially, so far as was consistent
with the laws of the country. The Russian-
General Berg becomes more cruel ; -every
prisoner taken is to be immediately.put to
deaths Certainly the Poles, in a -geneiat
bouleversement. in Europe, might profit.in,
the end.
" OPEN CHURCHES AND THE OFFERTORY "
—that is, , pews open to poor and rich alike,
lind.:the.sitpportvf.thasininisters,brLVolun-
tary contributions each Lord's day—such
is the title of a new and curious develop
ment among Episcopalians. The Dean of
Manchester is the President of a National
Association for Promoting the Abolition or
the Pew System, and for encouritgipg the
general use of the weekly offertory. At
the late Church Congress at Manchester,
the pew system was generally condemned.
The right of every parishioner to a seat in
the parish church is interfered" ith by it.'
There are " poor seats"' in chnrehes, but
the poor don't like them, an& they- are
often badly situated for -heating. The
Churchmen see that the masseeAre drift
ing away from them,- and -eithet-going
the Dissenters, or givinglip religieus halt
its altogether. This is ,speciallylthe,zase
in the mandfacturing districts. at is aston
ishing (as '1 see every day in .my, present
tour in Lancashire,) what a predtmlnance
there:is to. Nonconformity over the Church•
in those,regions. The system of- endow
ments•and " livings" has been Anurse to
the Establishment. The people not paying
their ministersAreileas liberal :titan• others
who do—even as to other object] of a spir
itusl. and missionary. character.
.They. ,are
not exercised in the: habit of givi i tig. Free
will offerings on " the first _day of the
week " to supplement endoienients, are*
strongly advocated" by the Dean' of •Man
chester, an able : mart and an: rextiellent
preacher. Referring to the declaration of
Mr. Richards, of London, a Rorainizing ,
clergyman, to whose 'church crowds repair
as to a theatre, shutting out, he ow,
his own 'people, the Dean said : " Costly
show and: music are not among, the attrac
tions advocated by this society. It . is' no
part of our object to imitate the displays
of Romanism, for promoting Protestant-
Ism."
TJIS GRZAT EASTERN ship is now .the
hands of the bailiff. The " big ship"
about which there was• so much boasting,
is about to be brought to the hammier and
sold without reserve. The sharehOlders
certainly are to be pitied. InVentors and
spectilators misled them, and .so they have
been hoping against hope in the face of re
peated disasters. The shares in NOvember
last' were sold at ls. 6d. a piece; but prob
ably they are not worth one shilling - ripiece
now. .In the first attempted sale by auc
tion, 4130,900 was the reserved bid,'and
only about a third of that sum was :offered
for her. Probably the reserve" bid was
Meant to cover the debts against:the ship,
and the offer fell 480,000 sho t ?: that
amount.. Now she lies with about e hun
dred .mortgages upon bee. We owri,this
impracticable ship to the BrUnels, father,
and son. The father was the prepbser of
the Thames Tunnel, which is one ids the
" eights " of London, but of which, I say
to any of your readers intending to visit it,
(as Punch says to " persons about marry")
" Do n't," for it is very ugly, dant, imd.un
interesting. The son, along with 'Mr: Scott
Russel, planned. the Great Eastern ? " Tlie
speculation," sue
,the, Manchester . . Exam
iner,
s
" was much.too`gO:abetid. *Eveiniiir
adventurous cousins on. the •other aide of
the Atlantic, had never•attempted anything
like her. , ITNlmptiouably,her conetruction
bears the stamp; of,an allmmttorgus-a4d.dar
log genius, but, it - has 'failed in that most
decisive of all - tests—practicability:" Yet
the writer does not despair... " The Atlan
tic cable was, a. failure, though no one
doubts of its ultimate success. So of the
Great Eastern. It was mull too gigantic
a-stride to take at Once. * * 'lt may be
that she is 'redly larger than it issafi to
bnild.ships, or -it maybe that she reflects
the coming era of navigation. Let us hope
she, may have another trial. The ` Great
Britain escaped daitgers nearly as great:
Sher lay ori the Irish coast' foe twelve
months, a gigantic - skeleton, ihparently . fit
only for the manipulations of the auction
eer, and the marine dealers ; yet she is now
one of the strongest links which connect
Australia and the mother country."
What if we shall see this ship, ere long,
taken up by the Admiralty to convey two
thousand men on warlike errandJounkto
Northern Europe? J.W.
P. S.---Great exertions, and preparations
are being made to make the cultivation of
flax general in Ireland. Mr. Maguire,
Mayor of Cork, is foremost in this matter,
and writes the Times a glowing actiount ,of
the prosperity of the flax and linen trade
of Ulster, as well as of the cordial cooper
ation offered to him by the Belfast mer
chants.
New steel projectiles used at Portsmouth,
fired this week,at, plates 5f inches, thick,
from a smooth-bore 100 pounder Arm
strong gun, with 100 lbs. charge of powder,
went through both plates and wood back
ing, striking against the other side c)t,:the
ship.
, Tor the. Presbyterian ,Ilturnes.
Delegate's Report..
JOSEPH -ALBREE, EsQ.:—Dear - :
In making a report of .my labors as a-dele
gate of the , Christian Commission ,to; the
Army . :of: the , Cumberland, I would state
fhat,-.ln, compatiy.lirith *other, Orr, of the
Presbytery of Saltsburg, I left Pittsburgh
on the 4th of. November, and on the 9th
reached Nashville ; and on,account of the
difficulty of obtaining passes and trans
portation to the front,' we were'detained
there until the 13th. Our time, bowever,
Was fully occupied in visiting hospitals, and
camps, and preaching_every evening.
On Friday, the 13th, we arrived at Mur
freesboro', our appointed field of labor, and
were able to enter at once upon' our work.
The number of sick and wounded in the
hospitals at that - point would average about
one thousand; besides, there were a num
ber of regiments in the fortifications. To
all these we had :free access, and were al
ways received ~ with. the utmostltindness..
After visiting:the-several hospitals in sue
cession, it was decided that it mould. be
better for each delegate .to take sharge: of
one, that.we Might:thus become personally
acquainted with the inmatesouid be enabled
better tot:minister to their -wants. This
plan we found to work well.
Accordingly,: Hospital No. .3 Was as
sigaed 'and I made it My duty
each ,day to pass- through every ward, :and
speak .a kind: word -to every:ode. Some
times I would sit ,down _and. have a more
particular ,sonversation, inquiring t- as to
their wants, and pointing them to the,
Saviour; and ',have reason to hope that
my labors were netin - vain. Sometimes I
-would bring them some needed articles
from our stores;
,and it would be a rich re
ward:to all those:friends of those soldiers
who contributed these stores, could they
have heard the expressions of thank
fulness, and' witnessed the; gratitude, - of
-thingestifferbig-tdon; And.here-tsheottldliity,i
that when our own stores failed to meet the
various wants of the sick or, wounded, the
agent of the Sanitary Commission, kindly
furnished all we required. Thus were we
enabled to minister'to' the comfort and
alleviate' in some degree the sufferings of
many of our brave boys. But to give an
account of our various duties in the limits
of a brief report, would be impossible.
Our time was fully occupied, and I can
testify that it was a pleasant and profitable
work.
I should also state that, with the assist
ance of the excellent chaplain of the post,
and a private soldier from Wisconsin, to
gether with the valuable aid of the colored
preacher of the place—who told us he had
beenJv slave until the battle of Stone River
we were able to start a school among the
colored children, which in leas than a week
numbered two hundred and thirty scholars.
This school is 'yet in successful operation,
under the care of the Some soldier, who is
admirably qualified for. the work; Assisted
by, spine- youngladies, who have come on
from the, North under. the care of the
Freedman's Aid. Society.
In closing my rppoit, permit 'Me to
make • a suggestion to- our kind ladies
iirho.put •up-steresloi out sick and wouiided
soldiers. It is,,that they. •"should not be
come weary well doing." They little
knovrthe comfort their kindly gifts afford,
and they`cannot send too much. And I
would suggest that, as far as possible, they
would put 'up all %fruit in small cans, and
carefully mark them :fhat their contents
might be known without opening ; and in
preparing articles of clothing, I would ask
that as Many woolen' socks and mite "as poe
sible should be sent.
Ynurs, *Eons DAVIS.
0 Dens„ Ego Imo Te.
Oh God I my spirit loves but thee I
Not that in heaven its home may be,
Not thatlkte souls"that 10 . 4 not thee
hlnsilurn•in'-fire eternally';
But thou, on the accursed tree,
In mercy haat embraced me;
'Fbr-nie theiruelatailai the spear, • .
.Thaignominions scoff didet bear;
Ci9ntlesi, unutterable woes,
;:The-bloody deatletPpanga and throes—
Thewthou didet bear? airthese for me,
A sinner and estranged from thee.
And wherefore no affection show,'
Jesus,,to thee that lov'st me so ?
Not' that in heaven my home may be;
Not lest 1 die eternally :
Not from the hope of joys above me,
But evin as thou thyself didst love me,
So love 1", and wiltever,:love` thee,
Solely . because my King art thou,
My'God foreverinore as now—
Amen.
ME
For the Preslytertan Bawler
Over the Itapptihannock.
It would_ be a long story, to tell of all
that has been done on the other side of this
celebriotts river'; and not altogether a
pleasant one to tell, nor'an agreeable one to'
pontonned,itover
this sluggish, and muddy, stream four times;
and, as many tithes, returned to its. more
"healthy " - northern bank: " For one, I feel
quite ;reconoiledAo. ;thn idea' of stopping,
*du therevenfnumber.; ilift,lstill4:amxeady
to make it:odd again, should " orders" re
quire our brave,boys.to join the forces now
lying,there. , •
One of the queerest army movements,
one the most exciting to curiosity,and baf
fling to criticism, was ;irdirs performance,
for such it seemedto be, on the other side
of the river, in. October, last. The ,princi
pal, part -of! the, army had, been lyipg, for
two or three weeks in the vicinity, of Cul
pnpper. Our position was between Poney
Mbuntain, the great signal station,-and Ce
dar Mountain, the scene of Gen:Pope's en
counter with the enemy, a year before.
The rebel works, were partly in view, a few
miles .distant_beyond the,Rapidan.
Nero camp commenced the; retro
grade movement - of A:Urirun - last : Two or
three hours after starting, a few guns,
booming in our_rear i , conveyed the impres
sion, pretty extensively, - that we were re
treating, together with a broad hint , that
the rebels were in close pursuit. But the
troops kept quietly along, at a moderate
pace ; stopped as usual for dinner, reached
and crossed the Rappahannock at evening,
and bifouaced'for the night on this side, in
their old camp—their •beautiful Summer
camp.
It was presumed that they were to go,
next morning, still ftirther to the rear.
No such thing preiumptions, in the army,
are the most fallacious. of all calculations.
Bright'and earlyynext morning, the army
turned book, re-crossed the river, and rested
several henirs on its south bank. There
were . mysterious timings about of cavalry,
and changes of position in Divisions of in
fantry—some columns coming into view,
and others .passing,out of view;, some lying
under cover of a hill and others clustering
in- the edge- of woods. In, the afternoon
skirmishing, could, be heard, at no great
.
distance, in front. By aseendingn little
hill, thesmoke of the carbines, and, coca
sionally, of artillery•could be seen, as well
as the ,dust raised by the rebels scampering
away before our advancing cavalry. Then
our infantry began to move forward. The
country was well suited for making and for
seeing such a magnificent display of forces.
In successive lines - of battle, each over half
a mile in length,-the Divisions moved for
ward,. slowly, and in perfect order; while
bodies of cavalry hovered along the woods
on their left flank, and batteries took posi
tions on coinmanding eleirations. It was
like a grand'army drill. The= movements
wereexact, though on so vast a scale. The
huge niachitiery-of power worked smoothly
and quietly; some invisible engineer -skill
fully directing its motions. After watch
ing these magnificent inovements,-withad
miration' from the position which they
occupied, the .Iteserves were ordered, to
advance. They Moved—not in line of bat
tle, but closed 'in mass—along the west
side- of-the open fields, the -other portions of
the.army havingpassed over the east side
and the centre.. As these, movements were
going on, with a deliberateness and precis
ion that seethed to be almost superfluous
(thengh seernings-are nothing' in au army),
the lringitt' front was growing more deci
ded. A general engagement - seemed to be
near. But night. was still. nearer: The
flashes. and •thundering of artillery made
"'the quiet twilig,htheur " sufficiently. ex
citing. Darkness and silence settled down
on the combatants and their supporters.
•The troops were halted...- In lines of battle,
beside their stacked arms,- they wrapped
themselves in their blankets, and on the
ground—the soldier's ever-ready bed—they
stretched their weary limbs, to sleep.
.A little.-befbte Auldbightots -titer lay
WHOLE NO. 595
spread over acres of ground, fast asleep,
" orders" were sent along the . lines, to fall
in and move immediately. No one, of
course, could divine whether it was for
battle, for advance, or for retreat. In ten
minutes the columns were in motion, and on
the road back toward the Rappahannock.
Roused. suddenly from sleep and moving in
the darkness, there was unavoidably some
mixing and confusion, and some wandering
from the rig!". roads. The march was the
next thing to a somnambulism. The re
membrance orit has the blended features of
distinctness and haziness that belong to
dreams. The tramp of men, the rattling 4.1 f
aecontrements, the dark skirting of woods,
the sound of the night-wind, the stars, the
oilVlines of the fort near thefriver, the huge
fires limhting the, bridge, the faces of, men
and the shining of guns around them, the
swing of the pontoons, might compose a re
spectable dream; but here they were reali
ties, though tlity came, in the 'middle, of a
repose. Two, or three: hours - of
sleep, in the beginning of, the night, and
two or three more at the end, with this
strange march of seven miles between; Con
stituted the sequel of the grand day's die
play over- the Rappahannock •
Conjoined, they seemed to. present .Na
close analogy to the proverbial descent` from
the sublime to the ridiculous. By day, the
grand army advances in all the pride and
majeity - of power; the reflected sun-light
flashing from their burnished arms makes
the fields covered with their blue uniforms
like a firmament of stars: at night, the
winding and tortuous columns " drag their
slow length along" in the darkness. It
seemed an abortive movement. Yet; I have
no doubt, its night sequel was .a purposed
part of the day's movement. No battle
was intended : no ambulances or stretchers,
for a great battle, accompanied the troop's.
The enemy's main force/ was not there.
This sudden turning toward their rear
would make the main force of .the enemy
pause ' wherever it was. Ours lost no pro
gress by the movement. Our trains, mean
time, were pushing to the rear. The troops
were fresh and lively. • Whether this con
jectural strategy is correct, or wide astray,
the issue was, that our army reached Cen
treville -early enough to frustrate Mister
Gen. Lei's grand projects, notwithstanding
the seemingly - queer Movement over the
Rappahannock. 3. F. M'LAREN.
The earth seems dull and dreary, and the
tomb a cold and cheerless place. .13ut, are
these things really as they seem ? Do you
not plant the crisp seed of the corn in the
earth, and through the influence of the
sun and rain and dew, together with the
genial care of the atmosphere,•does it not
germinatoi. and spring up, and rustle its
song of praise, and bring its offering of
fruit to• the great God ? And does: not the
dry, unsightly flower-seed.burst into life bc
neatk-the soil, .and springing Un,__make
earth beautiful, with its graceful .stems and
goigeens petals and joyous fragrance ?
" That whieh thou sowest is not quickened
exceptit die."
—Zat) tr
Even, so.the earth will not.be the perpet
ual abode of man. The bodimust be con
signed for a time to its 'quiet' resting place.
But it will eventually 'burst forth into a
new and glorious life. It will`emerge friim
the grave in • such _grace, and, -clothed. in
such beauty, as the world has never yet
seen, save in "dim and shadowy_ glimpses.
We do not feel' sad as we commit the seed
to the boSorn of the' - earth,' for: we have
faith in God's general providence,. that it
will be protected and in his own good time
quickened into new life. So we may have
faith that. - God will protect the - sleeping
dust, and in his own good time bring it to
the new and glorious life of the Resurrec
tion. •
If the great ship have a reliable anchor,
it is safe. If the anchor be of sufficient
weight, and have a secure cable, it will hold
the ship against the fury of the storm.
Its sharp flukes will lay hold on the woks
in the. Ocean's bed, and then, although the
wild tempest scream with all its fury, and
the huge billow - s dash against it, it will be
firmly fixed, mid defy their power.
We have noticed times of trial on the
stormy waters. We have stood on the
rocky cliff, when the elemental storm was
raging in all its fury. The wind and the
storm have urged the great, deep to its
wildest commotion: • Near this rugged cliff
is -scme frail = bark, freighted with human
-beings.. Their -only security, is the good
anchor that has -grasped the rocks ~at the
bottom. A,.t each appallingreverberation of
the stortn,We have looked to see the -frail
ship torn from her moorings and huiled on
the breakers or buried in the waters. The
death-shriek of the hopeless passengers
seems almost in our ears, as we- hold our
very breath in agony at their peril. But
the stoiin at length begins to subside.
The , awful voice of the tempest has been
hushed, until,it has become like the zeph
yr's murmur. The sun has Come forth and
wreathed all nature in smiles. That little
bark is resting as safely and
• confidingly on
the ocean's bosom as the wild bird on the
bosom of some sequestered mountain lake.
`lts-anchor proved faithful and true.
And there is a like security for every
voyager " Sailing o'er life's solemn main.
It is the hope of the Gospel. It will lie
ail an anchor of'the soul, both sure and
steadfast, and which entereth into that
'ithin the wail. If Jesus Christ has said
unto us, "Thysins are forgiven thee," wash
ed us in'his blCod, and ClOdied us with his
righteousness,- then have we that anchor,
that will never give way, amid the, fiercest
ocean, storms. It is fixed in the living
Rock—the Rock of Ages- ; ---and heaven and
earth will pass "away befoie it will lose its
hold. Seek this Anchor, then, 0 'Mariner
,o'er the"soundless' waters of time. It is
your only safety from eternal shipwreck.
Cling to• it, you who have already secured
it, for it will bear you safely through all
.the stories - until youlud eternal peace.
ETA.
7 Dr. Ashbel : Green tinC Ills :,,Linnard,-
Twenty-five years ago the' 'name'of - Miss
Linnard, whose memoir has sine.e.beeu s
pub
lished, wa familiar to the pious female cir:
,s of P ,hi ,
eleladelphia. She shone conspicu
ously among them for her fine sense, great
activity, and deep piety. 'A minister still
living, preached a preparatory lecture in
the church in. Spruce street, of which she
was a member, on the text, " Lovest thou
me ?" which cast her into 'the deepest
gloom. Such was the strong and' vivid
l'eprowstatien which hvinadeinoto,theine!,
For the-Pmbyterian-Banner
Wayside Meditations. •
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cessary preparation for the right partaking
of the Lord's Supper, that conscious of not
possessing them, she resolved• not to com
mune. Her sense of duty and her deep
depression of feeling came into conflict and
greatly excited her soul. In this state she
had recourse to Dr. Green, who had heard
the lecturg.
"My dear child," said he, "our excel
lent brother seemed to forget that the
Lord's table is spread, not for angels, .bnt
for sinners. He has come, not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance. It is
the weary and heavy laden he invites to
himself and to the privileges of his house."
it was enough. She left his study re
joicing in the Lord; and a more joyful
communion season she had never spent on
earth. I heard the lecture, and the inci
dent here narrated L have had from both
parties. And this, I feel persuaded, is a
fairillastration of his skill and, success as
a comforter of the Lord's people, and as a
director of the itiiinitinie to the 'cross of
Jesus Christ.
Excellency of. •Christ.
-E is's path, if any be misled ;
He is a robe, if any naked be ;
If any chance to hunger, he is bread ;
If any'e a bondsman, he is free ;
If any be but weak, how strong is he!
To dead men life he is; to sick men health ;
To , blind men eight, and , to-the needy wealth;
A pleasure without loss, a treasure without stealth,
—Giles Fletcher.
BREVITIES.
I Citizen of Hearea.—A Christian does
not turn his back upon the fine things of
this world because he has no natural cape
tity to enjoy them, no taste for them, but
because, the Holy Spirit has shown him
greater. and better things. He wants flow
era that will never fade; he wants some
thing that a man can take with him to
another world. He is like a man who has
had notice to quit his house, and having se
cured, a new one, he is no more anxious to
repair r much less to embellish and beautify
his old one; his thoughts are upon the re
moval. you hear him converse, it is
upon the house to which he is going.
Thither he .sends his goods, and thus he
declares plainly what he is seeking.
Well, Christ, is in heaven, our true treas
urer, whither neither the thief, nor the
moth, nor canker can come. This is our
happiness '
that he keepeth our treasure; it
is out of the reach of devils and men
were it in our hands we would soon betray
it: If we are set in heaven with Christ,
Christ may as soon be pulled out of heaven
as we disappointed in our inheritance.
Somebody, who knows, says that when
two or more women approaching you on a
narrow walk, fall behind each other to en
able,you to pass, you may be sure they are
ladies of uncommon politeness and consid
eration. The usual course pursued by wo
men is to charge all abreast, sweeping every
body into the mud.
Childhood is like a mirror, catching and
'itratrug tomgersTroiliiirrarourid:—Retnem
ber that an impious or profane thought ut
teraby a parent's lips, may operate upon
the young heart like a careless spray of
water thrown upon polished steel, staining
it with rust which no scouring can efface.
A saint may be brought very low, but he
can never fall below a promise. Ho may
lose friends, estate and health, and much of
the presence of God; but, if once in cove
nant with God, he can never lose the prom
ise : the word of the Lord endures forever.
There is my comfort.
The world gazes with admiration upon
-the works of a Raphael or Domenicino, and
passes, in cold neglect by the finest speci
mens of Christian character ever produced;
so little does it know of the best artists and
highest workmanship of human life.
Causes do not seem to produce effects.
Sequences ere. arbitrary. There is general
law, but a great deal of special lawlessness.
You lay all your plans to accomplish an
object, and miss it, while the good that you
never dream of obtaining comes to you un
sought.
Heat gotten by degrees, with motion and
exercise, is more natural, and stays longer
by one, than what is gotten all at once by
coming to the' .re. So wealth acquired by
industry proves commonly more lasting
than that which descends by our ancestors.
One ray of moral and religious truth is
worth all the wisdom of the schools. One
lesson from Christ will carry you higher
than years of study under those who are
too enlightened to follow this celestial
guide.
Passionate' reproofs' are like medicines
given Scalding hot.: .the patient cannot
take> them. If we wish to do good to those
we rebulce, wo.should labor for meekness of
wisdom, and use soft words and hard argu
ments.
To bless God for mercies, is the way to
increase them ; to bless him for miseries, is
the way to remove thein. No good lives so
long, as that which is thankfully-improved;
no evil dies so soon, as that which is pa
tiently endured.
It is a greater mercy, to have a spiritual
appetite for the means of grace, and to be
providentially debarred from enjoying them;
than to have opportunities of attending
them, without an appetite for them.
If evil had never been permitted, the
wisdom Of God could not have appeared in
overruling it ; nor his justice in punishing
it; nor= his mercy in forgiving it; nor his
power in subduing it.
Passions, like wild horses, when properly
trained and disciplined, are capable of be
ing• applied to the most noble purposes;
but when allowed to have their own way,
they become dangerous in the extreme.
RepClallll6B is to leave tun sins I did be
lore, and show that I do truly grieve, by
doing so no more.
Faith is to trust in Christ, relying on his
gram; resting on as all our hope, our
strength and righteousness.
Seeress,. being asked the way to honest
Rule, said " Study to be what you wish to
seem."
Falth.,--None live so easily, so:pleasantly,
a 8: those that live by faith._ Faith is, the
soul going out of itself for all its wants.
The readiest and best way. to find out
what future duty will do, is to do present
duty.
Many 'who think themselves the pillap of
the Chutoh, are only its sleepers.
k diliMoild with some flaws 'is atilrutOre
than apebble that deb noilVT