~. i~.'•lF Y 3 t , I.' Vreshgterian PITTIVIRGH, VEDNESKY, 111A11611 8a, 1864. WHAT IS TO BE THE OF OUR SABBATH ? One of our great national characteristics heretofore has been the Christian Sabbath. The founders of our institutions recognized it astof Divine appointment, and it at once became, incorporated with the religions and civil life of the people. To the entire population it was a day of from ordi nary employments, and to Christians it was a day fot the special public worship of. God. ;It was felt-tis be necessary for man's highest physical,' intellectual and moral as,well- as an ordinance of God to be observed throughout all generations. No contracts of business made on that day were Binding, and penalties were incurred by those sfho publicly violated its sanctity. Andt,i) the observance of this day, limper feat, 'as it, may have been, intelligent for eigners attributed much of the peace, quiet, and iteedom from popular outbreaks, en joyed by the people under such a govern ment as this, where the arm of authority could Scarcely be seen or felt. So thor oughly had the .Christian Sabbnth become rooted in the hearts of the people, that all the efforts 'of infidels and latitudinarians proved ineffective to secure the repeal of the Sabbath laws, But it is greatly to be feared that we are silently and imperceptibly leaping over all the defences which protect the sanctity of this blessed day, and that as a. nation we are abort to find ourselves in possession of a Stibliatli very different from that which our ,fathers bequeathed us, and widely different from the one enjoined in the Word of Goa. No effort is made to repeal the laws; but, there is a silent acquiescence in the sebulariaation of the Holy Sabbath which ,threatens the most disastrous re . suite ,to the toiling multitudes, to good mor als, and-ta the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is, done' under various pleas; but the great apology is that of necessity. It began on our highways and rivers; it was then seen on our canals and on our railways ; -and now the terrific•war in which we are engaged has created so many neces sities that, among Other things, there is a greatdisposition to consider. the Sabbath abrogated. for the time being. And no doubt it is impossible, in' a .great crisis such as the present, for our armies, espe cially when immediately confronting the enemy, to observe this sacred day as when the men were in their quiet homes; yet army movements on the Sabbath have not, on the % whole, met with any great degree of sue• oesEi, and Sabbath battles have been, for the most Tart, unfortunate to the attacking party: But 'the evil does not stop there ; it is rapidly spreading all over the country, and infecting even Christian communities. How much more widespread and difficult to be counteracted this will become when the vast multitudes of soldiers, who have been taught almost to diiregard the Sab bath, return to our cities, towns, villages, and country places,.no one can tell. This will certainly form one of the ingredients 'of that flood of ungodliness which will in all probability sweep over the entire land. There a matter, however, in connection. with this subject, much nearer home, which demands our particular attention, since no doubt this will be the centre of the largest manufacturing population in this country. It is,urged that it is absolutely necessary to keercertain manufactories in motion dun= lug the Sabbath, from the very nature of their operations. This is claimed particu larly in behalf of the blast furnaces which abound so much in this region of country. We do not intend at this time to consider in detail the various arguments by which this opinion is supported. But we believe the principal cause Assigned is, that the cooling of such furnaces, even in a small degree, would inflict loss on the owners, owing to the waste of material incurred, and thus increase' the - price of the manu factured article to the buyer. We hive reason to believe that the actual loss which would thus accrue is not so great as is gen erally supposed; and we have yet to learn that it would not be better for both pre dueler and consumer to suffer tbo loss, rather than violate unnecesiarily a law of God, the infraction of which impairs health, injures sound morals, leads men to rfeglect the Gospel, and sets the authority of God at defiance. But it is very certain that, even admitting the plea of necessity to be valid, no good reason can be assigned for #lie wilful and wholesale disregard of the sacredness of, the day which is seen in the Management of not a few of these fur naces. Around them there seems to be often an effort to manifest how little regard for 'the Sabbath, institutions of religion, and the high interest of the soul, is enter- tained. .Thialgis a feature to which. the at tention of conscientious owners should be givetiat once. Just here a fact developer itself which appeals most strongly to every laboring , man and woman. In proportion as the Sabbath is secularized, will the la bors of .the working classes be prolonged. The ribh will have their day of enjoyment, but the laborer must toil on that day as well axon other days, and he will only ob tain for his seven days of labor as much as he would otherwise get for six. If manu factories are in operation on the Sabbath, there is no rest for the working men. If our street oars run on the Sabbath, the drivers and conductors must be at their posts. If the day is devoted to feasting, the domestics must work in the, kitchen as usual. The same thing holds good ip all the various depirtments of life. Upon no class will the destruction of the Christian Sabbath fall so heavily as upon the poor and the laboring; and no class should in self.defence resist so pertinaciously all such tendencies as this large portion of the peo ple of our country. To set aside' the Sabbath is to inflict great injury upon the bodies, the minds, the morals and the common honesty of the people. In support of this the evidence is overwhelming. " All men, of whatever class," says Dr. FAVRE, " who must neces sarily be employed six days in the week, should abstain on the seventh, and in the Course of their life would assuredly gain, by giving to their bodies the repose,, and to their minds the change of ideas suited to the day for which it was appointed by unerring wisdom." The celebrated painter, Sir DAvrn WILKIE, declares:'"Those artists who wrought on -Sunday, were soon disqualified from working' at all," The London Standard testifies : We never knew a man work seven days a week, who did not kill himself or kill his mind." Such labor is unprofitable and wasteful. Lord MACAULAY says; "If, the, Sunday had not been observed as a day of rest, but, the axe, the spade, the anvil, and the loom had been at work every day for the last three centuries, I have. not the, smallest doubt that we should have been at this moment a poorer people, and a. less civil ized people than we are." To labor on the .Sabbath demoralizes and degrades men. The. London cab drivers are employed on the Sabbath from thirteen to sixteen hours as well as on other days, but no class of men is more frequently be fore, the magistrates, while their habits of intoxication and profanity are fearful. Many of the London bakers work on the Sabbath; and Mr. - Boon, of Manchester, belrs witness that their "low mental and moral condition is notorious." The police of that city number five thousand, but they mostly live in flisregard of religion and the Sabbath ; and though selected with great care;in four years, 1849-1852, fifty four of them were convicted of offences, nine hundred and seventy were dismissed, five hundred and twenty-four were suspen-• ded, two thousand four , hundred and ninety five were fined, fifty-four were reduced in rank, and three thousand one hundred and fifty-one resigned. And the frequent thefts which occurred some years ago in the Brit ish Post office department were largely attrib uted to the fact that in many of the offices the clerks were required to labor from six to twelve hours every Sabbath. If we teach men to disobey the laws of God, they will very soon learn to disregard the rules of Men and the laws of the land. If we had the statistics we have no doubt that our own country would afford equally con clusive proofs of the disastrous effects of neglecting the proper observance of the Lord's day, and of perverting it to secular purposes. It is then perfectly clear that to profane the Lord's day by our worldly em plop:tient is highly prejudicial to our own physical, mental, and moral welfare; and to withhold the Sabbath from those in our employ, is to demoralize and degrade them, and to jeopardize the worldly interests we have entrusted to them. In this article we have not entered upon the religious sanctions of the Sabbath, which are paramount to all other considera tions, but have confined ourselves simply to the civil Sabbath and the temporal rela tions connected with it. We wish the peo plc' to ponder these, and to learn and heed the lessons which they so clearly and so powerfully teach. At another time we will endeavor to eon eider the Sabbath in its religious and eter nal bearings. THE CALL FOR 200,000 MORE, In our last issue vive noticed the rumor of a call for two hundred thousand more men, to aid in putting down the rebellion. Scarcely had our-paper gone to press before the official‘document cause, asking for that number of men, in- addition to the late - - calls for five hundred thousand, to be used for the marine and naval service, and as a reserve. The draft is to take place on the 15th of April, unless the quotas should be filled previous to that time. No doubt the Govern men t has good reasons for making this new demand, though they are not made public, neither should they be. It may be that the conduct of the Em peror NAPOLEON in placing - MAXIMILIAN on* the throne of _Mexico requires some watching in that direction. NAPOLEON is altogether unscrupulous, and a large force will be the most effective remonstrance we can'offer against any meddling he may pro- pose in our domestic concerns. Or it may _be that it is• the intention of the Govern ment to attack the rebellion on all sides, this Spring', with such an overwhelming superiority of numbers as to crush it at once and forever. If the immense numbers offered at the beginning of the rebel out break had been accepted, the war might, so far as human vision can discern, have been overlong ago. But God had designs which we did not entertain. He had les sons to teach us which we were slow to learn. Now since the death-blow has been dealt to slavery, and this proud nation has been humbled, we hope that these days of blood will soon be ended. The loyal people of this country will cheerfully supply all the men and money, 'and endure all the toils and griefs necessary to preserve our national existence, and to cause our. old flag to float unmolested over every foot of our national domain. But in such dark and troublous times let us not forget God. Let us 'forsake our sins and turn to him. Then he will be very gra cious into us at the voice of our cry, and he will rescue and save us. TO OUR. PHILADELPHIA. SUBSCRIBERS. Our Publication Office in Philadelphia has been removed from the corner of Chest nut and Seventh Streets, to the Bookstore of SMITH, ENGLISH & Co., No 23 North Sixth Street. This establishment is one of the most popular book stores in the city of Philadelphia, and is easy of access. Sub- PRESBYTERIAN BANNER.---WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 1864. seriptions and other moneys for the Banner in that city, may hereafter be paid at this place. Messrs. SMITH, ENGLISH & CO, are duly authorized to receive such pay ments, and to give receipts for the same. Another change contemplated for some time, is, that after this week, all our Phila delphia subscribers will receive their pa pers by mail. A large part of them have been received in this way for years, to the great satisfaction of themselves and the publishers. And the reasons for making the change with respect to all are, 1. The frequent complaints made of the non-recep tion of the paper from the carrier ; and, 2. The system of Post , Office delivery at the residences of the people, now so thorough ly systematized in Philadelphia, Makes this the beat and speediest method for pa . pers published at a distance. We hope this arrangement will- be perfectly agreea ble to our subscribers; and as any of them change their residences, they - will Please infOrm us. THE CHRISTIAN 'COMMISSION. . This agency is still carrying on its great work with all the vigor and success which has attended it in the past. Never were its labors more needed, or more blessed than now. But that these may continue, the churches and people must; continue to supply the means. Froni. actual observation we 'know that nothing else can take the place of this Commission. Hence, whatever else may be assisted, and whatever increased con tributions may be given for the benefit of our soldiers through other channels, there should be no falling off in liberality toward this enterprise, which has been conducted. so economically, so efficiently, and with . such happy results to the bodies and souls of the brave men composing the. Union armies. The Pittsburgh branch Eas in time past been a large recipient of the Christian' and philanthropic benevolence of the people. Let not its treasury, its stores, or its'read ing matter, be less abundant in the future. It will rejoice us to learn that there has been a large increase. The Anniversary of the American Sunday School Union was held in Dr. SPRING'S church, New-York, last. Sabbath evening. The Rev. Dr. Famms, of the Reformed Dutch Church, preSided, and addresses were made by Rev. Mr. BITATIS, Rev. Mr. WILLETS, and Mr. PAxToN. During the year this Society has organized 860 schools, enrolled 54,526 children, visited and aided 3,364 schools, visited 16,000 families, die tributed 4,275 copies of the Bible, and has had under its sheltering 198,430 children. A generous collection was made at the close of the meeting. 'The - fact that piety and patriotism go hand in hand under the auspices of the American Sunday School Union, was revealed in the reports and speeches of the agents and friends of the Society. Hundreds of youhg men who have been educated under itsr teachings, have joined the army, and distinguished themselves for their courage, loyalty, and excellent chara.cter. The New-York Observer.---Mr. A. P. CUM MINGS, who has been for many years one of the proprietors and editors of the Observer, has retired. To his business tact and en- 7 ergy,, that paper owes a large part of its success. tie is succeeded by F. W. To mr- KINS and THOMAS H. COTEIELL, who have been long connected with the office. One of these gentlemen is' a member of the Apisoopal Church, and the other of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. The oth er proprietors.and editors are the same as before. Our Churches in the Bouth.—On our first page will be found an order from the Adjutant General to commanders of our armies, directing that the of the Pres byterian churches in the re-possessed terri tory be given to the , missionaries and min isters of the Old and New School Presby terian Domestic Missionary Boards. This is a move in the right direction, which will aid in preparing the way for the restora tion of the ordinances of the Gospel to many churcheawhich are now destitute of them. The day is not far distant when loyal men will occupy the pulpits so often desecrated by treasonable utteramies. NEWS OF THE OHIIROH.ES AND MINISTERS. PRESBYTERIAN, Old School.—The following is the action taken by the church of Sewickley, upon the request of the pastor for the dissolution of the pastoral relation. It was directed that this - paper be entered upon the minutes of the Session, and published in the Pres byterian Banner; " This congregation having learned, very unexpectedly, that we are about to be de prived of the services of our beloved pastor, the Rev. James Allison, feel that it is not only due to him, but also a gratification to our own feelings,,to express orfr high ap preciation of the many excellences which have adorned his character, and endeared him to us, whilst he has gone' in and out before us • therefore, "Resoived, That we have ever found Dlr. Allison faithful and efficient in the discharge of his. ministerial duties; and the success of his ministrations is abun dantly attested by the large increase of members added to the church during his pastorate. " Resolved, That during the long period of his connection with this church, he has always proved himself a kind friend, re joicing with us in all our prosperity and happiness, and affectionately sympathizing with us in all our afflictions and our sore bereavements. He has emphatically re joiced with those who have .rejoiced, and wept with those who have been called to weep. " .4esolued, That our fervent prayers and warmest wishes for his success and happi ness shall accompany him into his new•field of labor; and whilst we feel thankful that our heavenly Father has opened up before him a greatly.enlarged sphere of usefulness, and one so especially adapted to his qualifica tions, we would also express our thankful ness that be will still be permitted to remain amongst us; that we shall still enjoy his genial companionship in social life, and his wise Counsels and his prayers in all our times of need." Rev. Wm. M. Robinson, 'of Wellsburg, West Va., having received a call from, and being about to enter upon his labors in, the Second Presbyterian church of Mercer, Pa., desires correspondents to address him at the latter- place. A unanimous call from the Park Presby terian church, Erie City, has been received and accepted by the Rev. George F. Cain, of Stroudsburg, Presbytery of Newton. Rev. D. V. M'Lean, D. D., was installed on the 9th inst., as pastor of the Presbyte rian church at ltedbank, Monmouth Coun ty, N. J. The Rev. T. Alden Freeman pre sided and proposed the constitutional ques tions ; the Rev. Mr. Taylor, of the Presby tery of New Brunswick, by invitation, preached the sermon; the Rev. C. F. Wor rell, D.D., gave the charge to the pastor, and the Rev. John M. Rogers, to the people. The Rev. ,Tohti O. Young, a licentiate of Transylvania Presbyteiy, son of the late President Young, of Centre College, Dan ville, Ky., -who has been supplying the pul pit of the Second church, Louisville, Ky., for some time . past, has received a unani mou,s and cordial invitation from the" Ses sion of the Brick church, (Dr. Spring's,) New York, to preach for them, with a view to big becoming co-pastor with Dr. Spring 'over that people. ' • - Rev. Dr. Breckieridge, in a letter to Col. Hodges, of the Lexington commonwealth, says : " I thank God we have at length a paper in this State that-is willing to be loyal without eternal abuse of the General Government and• its acts, and willing to understand that the claims of the whole country upon us are paramount to the claims of any particular part." The Presbyterian says : "We have re ceived a letter from a correspondent at Gen esee, N. Y., in which he gives an account of a pleasant state of religious -interest in the Academy at that place, ander the care of the Synod of Buffalo. The present Principal of the Academy is the Rev. John Jones, formerly of Philadelphia, and his ad ministration 'of its affairs has been very suc cessful." • The same paper also says': " Upon good authority, we learn that the Rev. Wm. J. Hoge, formerly of New-York, is now pastor of the Tabb Street Presbytelian church, Petersburg, Va.; and that the Rev. John Miller has succeeded the Rev:Dr. Pryor, as pastor of the Second Presbyterian church in that city. The Rev. Alexander Donaldson, D.D., of the Presbytery of Saltsburg, passed through Pittsburgh last week, on his way ;to the Army of the Cumberland to - labor for a time in„ the service of the Christian Com. mission The Rev. Mr. Sherrard, of the Presbyte ry of Clarion', will leave for the same field _ and work in a few days. , ' A pro•re-nata meeting of the Presbytery of Carlisle, was held in the church of Mid dle Spring, on Wednesday, March 16th, for the purpose of ordaining Mr. John Wherry, a licentiate of this Presbytery, to_ the office of the ministry, with 'a view to his entering upon the ' work of Foreign Missions in China. His trial sermon, preached from Matt. xxviii : 19, 20, was an able and earnest presentation of the Chitrch's great commission in the evangelization of the world. The ordination sermon was preached upon invitatien of Presbytery, by the Rev. Dr. Wing, of Carlisle, from Dan. xii : 4—" Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Dr. Harper proposed the constitutional question's, Rev. Mr. Kennedy, the Moderator ' made the or daining prayer, and Rev. I. N. Hays gave a charge to the newly ordained Evangelist. The occasion was one of deep and tender interest to all present, especially in view of the fact that these services we're held in the church of which Mr. Wherry was by birth a member—where he was baptized, and where he first publicly made profession of the name of Jesus. United.—The Committee appointed by the last Assembly to revise the Book of Government and Discipline, will meet in the building of the Board of Publication, Pittsburgh, on - the second Wednesday (13th) otApril, at 10. o'clock A. M. It is expected'that the members will make ar rangements to spend as much time as may be needed to do the work deliberately and carefully. - . The Committee are, DM. Donald C. Mc- Laren, Thomas Beveridge, Wm. McElwee, Robert Graeey, James Brown, and Rev. J. B. Scouller and D. IL Kerr. ' Reformed,—The Rev. Dr. McLeod, of New-Yerk City, has been for the past ten days in Washington and Alexandria, Va. He has been engaged in aiding the organize "tion of schools among the freedmen at Alexandria. Several schofils have been siarted, and the Rev. Nelson k Crow, of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, is ap= pointed to take charge of them. Large gifts of clothing &o have been received from the churchei in New-York and else where by the mission. Dr. McLeod had a long interview, a few days ago, with Sec retary Stanton, -in reference to this matter. Reformed Duteh.—A precious revival has been for some ' time in progress in the Sec ond Reformed Dutch church, Philadelphia. The work commenced about six months ago, and, up to, the present time more than one hundred persons have been hopefully converted. Their 'ages range from thirteen to seventy-five. At a.late communion, the solemnities of the occasion were made more than usually impressive by those pre smiting themselves -for admission, being parents, the children of whom had in some instances already embraced the Saviour. As these bowed the knee to receive from the faithful pastor the rite of baptism pre vious to partaking of the emblems of the broken body and shed blood of Christ, the silent tear was seen to fall froni the eyes of many in the audience. The day was one long to be remembered, and its impressions can never be obliterated from the minds of the members of this church. METHODIST, The active preachers of the Methodist Church in the United States number six thousand; the superannuated eight hun dred and twenty-four. In some little figuring which we have made—:--says the Western Advocate—we find that the accessions to the Methodist Episcopal Church, East and West, the past three months, have very nearly reached twenty thousand, the exact figures being 19,780. In many localities there have been thorough and general revivals, with additions that must tend to the strength and, power of the Church. At the late meeting of the Philadelphia Conference, resolutions were passed express ing the judgment of the Conference that a branch of the Book. Concern ought to be established in the city of Philadelphia, in some central and commanding position, and that a committee of six members of the Conference be appointed to confer with the book agents at New-York in reference to the matter, and that our delegates be in structed to bring the matter before the. General Conference, and that they use their influence for a local Church paper in the city of Philadelphia. A resolution was also adopted to the effect.that no presiding elder shall employ any preacher in his dis trict who is of pro-slavery or disloyal pro clivities. The Pittsburgh Annual o:inference now in session, has passed the following resolu tions on the State of the Country : Resolved, That we cannot, as a Confer ence, withhold our emphatic condemnation of the conduct of any in .the ministry or membership of 'the church who have given or who may give just cause of suspicion as to their loyalty to our Federal Government. Resolved, That we return sincere and hearty thanks to Almighty God for the fa vor which he has shown to our righteous cause duririg the past year, for the signal and important victories granted to the arms of the nation, and for the rapid and unpar alleled spread of the true principles of, hu man liberty. Resolved, That we have undiminished confidence in the wisdom and ability of the Administration, under God, to suppress the rebellion, and that we pledge our earnest prayer, and - our continuous and zealous ef forts for its support, until the great purpose shall be fully and triumphantly consum mated." mated. - - - . It has also instructed its delegates to the General Conference' o vote against lay rep resentEttion in that body, and to favor the change of the rule on the term of ministe rial service, so as to continue the ,pastoral relation for three years. The Revs. Sam tiel H. Nesbit, D.D., L C. Pershing, DrD., I. N. Baird,'D.D., IS It. Dempsey, C. A. Holmes, and W. A. Davidson, were elected delegate to the General Conference. • BAPTIST, A precious revival of religion is now in progress in the Calvary Baptist church of Washington, D. C. About thirty have found peace in believing, and others,• are earnestly seeking the way of, salvation. . The Philadelphia Ledger gives the ease of Mr. John a Chandler, sent to Siam by the American Baptist Missionary Union, as an illustration of the way in which an intelligent Christian missionary stimulates civilization.: " There is now,' says the Ledger, " a large iron steamer• playing be tween Siam and Singapore, owned entirely by natives; another, also, owned by natives, between Siam and China. A little time since, the king sailed with quite a fleet of steamers on an excursion. He contributed $240 to build a Missionary Seniinary, and sent a present of a thousand dollars to. the widow of a missionary who had taught him English. He now employs .a lady at a thousand dollars a year to teach his chil dren English, and has established a mint, steam saw-mills, and has gilding in gold and silver performed in European style." These results are attributed to the influence of Mr. Chandler's genius and perseverance in awakening• and keeping alive a passion for improvement in the- Royal faniily of Siam. EPISCOPAL. - The Christian Times (Episcopal) says tbat for three years, from October let, 1859, to October Ist, 1862, more than two-thirds of our parishes did not oontrilmte a cent to Foreign Missions. Even in, such old established dioceses as. Connecticut, New- York, and Pennsylvania, the contributing parish'es are only about one.third of the whole number. The Church, Journal gives the following as the number of students in the Episcopal Theological Seminary in New-York City : Senior Class, 19; Middle Class, 27 ;,Junior Class 25; .or seventy-one in all, belonging to thirteen Dioceses. New-York leads with 42; Western New-York has 12; New- Jersey, 4; New-Hampshire, Connecticut,- Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, _each 2 ;•and Maryland, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia, and Ontario (C. W.) each 1. ROMAN CATHOLIC, The Catholic Telegraph' says : " A Bishop writing from one of the rebel States warns us against encouraging cler gymen to return to the South while the Confederate government is in power. All clergymen not-in charge of congregations, he writes, have been conscripted; and even the pastors in charge, he says, will be forced, he fears, into the ranks of the army." The Roman Catholic Bishops are having mach trouble with their Irish 'parishioners in this country who are uniting with the Fenian Brotherhood, whose object is to aid, the Irish people at home in freeing them selves from British rule. The Bishops dis countenance the ohjects of the Association, but many of their people are members of it, UNITARIAN. ,The Rev. Dr. Bellows, of New-York, goes out to California, to take charge, for a time, of the congregation of the late Rev. T. Starr King. The object is to prevent the people froth scattering. Mr. King gathered up a congregation of all manner of beliefs and disbelieh, which had not be come homogeneous at-the time of his death, and Dr. Bellows goes out to endeavor to retain the people for the Unitarian in terest.. Far the Presbyterian Banner Donation Through 'the medium of the Banner" I desire to express my thanks to the , people of My charge. Let " Rehoboth congre gation be remembered among the number of 'those that have been mindful of their pastor in the way of a donation visit. Feb. 25, a large assemblage of friends convened at the cLureh (though the roads • were-al most impassable) to manifest their kindness: A copious repast was provided by the la dies for those present, which all seemed - greatly to enjoy. When dinner was served,. and social greetings indulged in to some extent, the pastor made a few remarks ap propriate to the occasion, and dismissed the meeting with praise and prayer. The friends did not depart without leaving many tokens of ' their regards, both in cash and valuables, but principally , the former,. amounting in all to over ninety dollars. For this and repeated acts of kindness they have my sincere gratitude and thanks. Ry prayer to .God ia, that they may be amply rewarded for their liberality, and made meet for an inheritance above, that shall never fade away. THOMAS P. SPEER. For the Presbyter Jan Benner. North Church, Chicago, and Rev. J. B. Stewart At the congregational meeting held by the North Presbyterian church of Chicago, upon the declination of the call to that church by the Rev.- T. B. Stewart, the following action was taken: WIIEHICAS,„Rev. J. B. Stewart, the pastor elect, has conoludo to decline the call of this church and congregation, and to vacate the pUlpit which he has filled so, acceptably for the last fifteen months; therefore, • Resolved, That we deeply regret the causes which have made this step expedient. Reiolved, That - we entertain for Mr. Stewart feelings of respect and confidence , esteeming Min a consistent Christian, a faithful pastor, a true friend, an able and successful minister of the Word. Resolved, That we cordially recommend him to the churches, with a sincere prayer that.he may find a field of labor where his eminent abilities and his faithful efforts may be instrumental in returning to the. Master a rich harvest of souls. Resolved, That we deeply regret. the financial embarrassments of the church and its consequent inability to discharge Its . pressing obligations. We regret that at this juncture it should be, thought by some desirable to forni a distinct col ony from our membership, and by a few others to withdraw their Support, at a time when this support was needful. Resolved, That we deeply regret these evils, occurring as they do at a moment when our sky begins to brighten, when our. Sabbath meetings are more fully attended, when our pastor elect is winning his way to the confidence and respect of the oommunity, when strangers are disposed to unite themselvei with us, when our bleeding country finds a place in the petitions of - the sanc tuary. Resolved, That we exonerate Mr. Stewart from all blame in premises. Finally, Resolved, That the Secretary be requested to spread these resolutions upon the annals of the church ; to forward a copy of them to Mr. Stew in - art, and to publish a copy the Presbyterian at Philadelphia. - TORN WooDBRIDGz, ALONZCI HABSZT, Committee WESLEY uNara, Personal. Vallanditham's friends have raised $2O, 000 to support him in Canadian exile. A. T. Stewart, the .New-York merchant prince, is tearing down the famous Sarsa parilla Townsend mansion on Fifth Avenue, New-York, which originally cost $200,000. Stewart is +mine , to build a house at a cost of $500,000. ' - The President has sent an antoaraph copy of his speech at the Gettysburg celebra tion, to the Fair at New-York, at the re quest of Mr. Bancroft, the historian, to ac company the manuscript copy of Mr. Ev erett's oration on