t. .1:1 MES A LLTSON, E DITORS.
.1',(111:iiT PATTERSON,
JAMES ALLISON & CO., Proprietors.
-------
TERMS IN AD
- VANCE.
132 MAIt„ (Finlay or in Clido $2.00
11p Ira Vtin F.n iN EtTome OF nig CITIES 2.50
Pai‘lors Rending it TEN 11111.HeriberA and 'Upwards, will
De thereby entitled to a paper without charge, and another
xtra itnimr for the second tea;
liviti , yritiet should he prompt, a Hato berm the year expires.
Direct all lettere to
JAMES ALLISON at CO.,
PITTSBURGH, P.A.
Letter From a Faithful Worker.
We feel at liberty to call particular at
tention to the following letter from one
whose heart is in a great and good work.
In a private note the writer states that it is
her intention .to visit Pittsburgh and vicin
ity in the prosecution of her benevolent
mission.
BALTIMORE, Mara', 1864.
To Mr. D. Mere's Sabbath School Class,
in Monongahela. City, Pa.: •
DEAR FRIENDS :—The boa of fruit, eh
tionery, dto, sent to me for distribution
amongst our' soldiers, was safely received,
and you will accept my thanks in return.
The receipt of this offering has to me been
very pleasant, and the soldiers are always
delighted to know that the children at home
think of and care for them; for many of
them have little children in the old home
stead, on whose faces they,may never look
again. Yout,Maoher wishes me, to write to
you, an a 4411--k-trh.by,s4:l 404, to ,enlist
your efforts it 1 - more earnestly in this
good work, I shall take time from other du
ties.
A heavy cold which I took whentin Vir
ginia in January last, confined ,me, for some •
time to my room, and this, together with the
death of' a vary dear friend here, caused me
to spend rather an idle Winter, as regards
being in the field, but now that Spring has
opened and we must in afew weeks expect
to homier terrific battles and great suffer
ing, I am trying with a sad heart to prepare
to do my part. After the battle of Antie
tam, a lad of nineteen, havins had his
right arm amputiited,olose to the shoulder,
was laid out op the ground on a' little 'pile
of straw, without food, in a driziling rain,
far away from the loved mother and sisters
who thought of him in his pleasant home.
" Oh," said he, when I la,T there hearing
the moans of the poor fellows round me on
every side, I could have died so gladly to
relieve them. It oan't be possible that my
work is done. Oh I want to do more—sb
much more l" Maimed as he is, his gal
lant, noble heart and Christian patriotism
have carried him where ? Why in the •
ranks before Charleston this day.! Last
Fall I visited New-York City, and whilst
- there, whiled away an hour pleasantly,
gazing at the'brilliant baubles in the jewel
cases of Messrs.. Ball & Black. It was
indeed quite a sight—diamonds, rubies,
pearls, sapphires,.emeralds, statuettes and
gems innumerable—a blaze of fairy-like
magnificence. But I had lately come from
the awful field of Gettysburg, and could
not but muse, as I watched the exquisite
hues of green, 'pink, yellow and violet
which each polished gem sent forth. Here
was a ring with a single diamond whose
value was ten thousand dollars! Poor
compensation, indeed, to its wearer for the
loss of the hand on which it shall glitter;
yet on' the battle-fields of this rebellion
how many brave right hands unadorned
by a single gem, have been f reely offered
on the shrine of holy patriotism and valor !
The gratitude, admiration and assistance-.
which should ever be rendered to our sol
died, can never in the least repay their
sellsacrilicing devotion.
Perhaps some account of the manner'in
which my army work was ierformed after
the battle of 'Chanoellorsville may be of in
terest to you. About two weeks after the
battle, my mother and I left home, taking
twenty•five barrels and boxes Of stores for
the wounded, collected by us. We • left
Washington in a Government boat for
Acquia Creek, and soon after chose the field.
hospital of the Eleventh Army Corps,
whose tents formed quite a village, extend
ing over several acres - of rolling ground.
Nearly two thousind • terribly wounded
men lay here in the burning heat of-a,-Sum
mer sun. A Commission tent was here,
with two young,students, and not another
human being ministered to their wants.
General Howard kindly furnished us with'
tents put up in a retired dell near by. Into
thesrour barrels, iron cots, cooking-stove,
and barrel chair were brought, a table and
rough seats constructed, and • for three
weeks we devoted ourselves untiringly to
the relief of their wants. A little after
8 o'clock each morning, five soldiers re
ported at our tent, and soon all were loaded
with buttered crackers, kettles of soup,
stewed fruit, canned fruits, wine, pickles,
he,, &a. and again in the afternoon, with
lemonade, &0., with which we made' a tour
of the tents, making note of what wee
wanted,, for which a messenger was de
spatched to our tent. The first day I went
round I attended to the wants of a brave
young Irishman, who was pierced with four
balls; the blood gushed from his neck as he
spoke, yet his hopes of life were still strong.
He was unable to eat what was given him
in the hospital, and my care soon won his
deep affection and gratitude. We prepared
all that he was able to take. Pillows,
clean sheets, pillow-cases, handkerchiefs, a
screen or covering of netting, made him
much more comfortable, and from his cor
ner cot he soon began to look out longingly
and anxiously for a sight of his beloved
friend. He lay wounded on the field
twenty•four hours without receiving any
attention, and was in the hands of the reb
els (who robbed him of his watch and sixty,
dollars,) twelve days, being fed on fiiinr and
water mixed, three times daily. Looking
into my face he would touchingly say,
" Oh ! I don't know what would have be
come of' me if it had not been for you. 4 I
should have been dead long ago if it were
not for the relishes you gave me." It was
soon evident that he could not live, and
feeling that it devolved upon me to tell
him, 1 began by saying that his arm could
not get well. ' , Then," he said, "it will
be taken off " No," I replied, the Dr.
says it will be useless." " Then," he naked
appealingly, " what am I to do ?" • None of
you can know how bitter a thing it was, by
a few words to crush out all the hopes and
promiserof life in that brave sufferer of
twenty. three. •
. • .
How earnestly, boie tenderly, I spoke - to
him, trying to convince him of what he
was so slow to believe. I thought of the
poor, young wife with whose letters I was
familiar, who was expecting to see him
every thus she heard a 'knock at the door,
and who was so ignorant of his danger.
Ile listened attentively as I spoke of faith
in Jesus as the omit hope** salvation, and
sought to convince him that neither priest
nor sacrament oould takeaway sin,. but- the.
sacrifiee of out o Lord himself—reading also
a prayer for the sick, which he repeated to
himself. Then, riding to the station, I
telegraphed in haste for his wife. Out of
nineteen children, his mother, living in
Dublin, had not ode at home with her. In
a few ays his wife entered my tent in ag
ony of grief. At first I thought he might
be dead, but she said no, he could not bear
to see her cry, and she could not help do
ing so at the thought of the time when she
would grieve for him, and he not be there
to see her. In a. abort time the army fell
back in great haste to Washington on so.
count of Lee's movement into Pennsylvania.
We remained minis tering . to the wounded
until all had made good their escape. Dal
ton lived to reach Washington, where I saw
him, for the last time , in his coffin, in the
" dead-room "of Armor Hospital.
The morning 9f Itit won
ME
-
cu l l
r ts l4 ) ,
.
.
VOL. XII. NO. 30
dered ; he did not know his wife, but spoke
of Miss Moore-and her daily visits and care
of him.
Dear children, will you not help me to
do much, very much, more for the comfort
of other dear soldiers in coming battles,?
I have been in the habit of distributing
papers to the soldiers at little stations on
the Baltimore and' Ohio Railroad, to whom
the sight of passing trains can only recall
vividly the thought of homes_ they Cannot
reach. I lately handed them some Banners,
and one came up with great eagerness, say
ing, " Please give me one, too, for I am a
soldier of the Cross." Cannot your *hole
school unite and make up some barrels or
several boxes? Almost all of you have good
ana attractive books at home, Which you
have read and can *re. Harper's &ago %
sines, Littell, &a. Then we need.crackers,
condensed milk, pickles,• canned and dried
fruits, honey, ham, paper, ink, pens, pen
cils, envelopes, apples, syrup, cocoa, ehooo
- butter; eggs, needle-bags",. &c. I
should think you might almost collect a
barrel nf "Harpei4, Ailed% &o.
And how many hours of pain and loneli
ness these will whileVray I How pleasant
it will be for you to hear of good that you
have done! Notify Me - of anything you
may send, enclosing a- receipt of 'shipment
beftrehand, addressed as before: " For sick
soldiers. To Miss J. B. Moore, care of G.
S. Griffith, No. 77 West Balt. St., Balt.,
Md." Very truly yours in a good-cause,
JANE BOSWELL MOORE.
For the Presbyterian Banner
Walking the Pulpit;
MESSRS. EDITORS :—The low, open pub.
pit of our - modern church Architecture is
justly considered as an admirable improve
ment on the old style. It is Constructed
upon smite principles of taste, and conse
quently in beautiful harmony with the
great instructive facts of acoustics., Al
ready are we tempted, in our ostentation of
progress, to class the confined Scotch-Irish
pulpit with the grotesque though venerated
forms of the olden time. Thus, for in
stance, with a mixed temper of reverence
and amusement leek back sometimes upon
the huge white acorn in which the pastor
of my boyhood-officiated, partly imbedded,
as it was, in • the great back . wall of the
attach; and upon its broad, leafgarnished
cup, which was detached and suspended
above to supply the demand for a sounding
board. There was a most wonderful con
gruity in this case between pulpit* and-pas
tor. He was a man of portly framti, with
prominent abdominal roundness, which
enabled him, when preaching, happily -to
fill up the oval ease in which he stood. In
fact a sentiment of the rare fitness, dis
played in the ease had bemmie so well
established, that upon every occasion when
a minister of less imposing figure occupied,
by invitation, the pulpit, the young people,
measuring him by the pastoral standard,
and forgetting the fine laws - of good breed
ing, would speculate with silly criticisms
upon his want of adaptation for that lofty,
venerablejnoloaure.
The old pulpit. had certainly its disad
vantages. For some. years I preached in a
box, the dimensions of which were about
four feet by two and a half,, Itwas framed
into the side wall of an old, elongated log
church, and was. constructed of yellow, un
painted boards. c This straitened inclosure
sometimes proved , ludicrously perplexing.
When, for instance, a tall brother, like Dr
MO-, assisted me upon a sacramental
occasion, his nether limbs were unavoida
bly confined in a painful position whilst he
was seated in my pulpit. For this. reason,
the beautiful exercise of praise, which in
general furnishes a pleasing relief to the
offmiating minister, was converted in such
oases into a•lesson of penance, and so was
often sadly abridged. Then again, when
the ministerial stranger was an impassioned
speaker, it fell upon me, sitting through
courtesy in the pulpit behind him, to suffer
from the resilient parts of his oratory. In
deed I used sometimes to surmise how far
cical a change would overspread the coun
tenances of my good people, who were lis
tening with admiration to the preacher in
front of me, could they but, see the cruel
predicament of their.pastor, compressed in
a eorner, and nervously watching the feet
of the orator, the abnormal movements of
which were constantly. threatening his corns
and shins.
But the old pulpit, with its discomforts,
is gradually passing away.. The thought;
Messrs. Editors, is indeed humiliating,
that our most important reforms are liable,
in a certain manner, to give rise to correla
tive abuses. This reflection is raised in ,
view of the practice adopted by some of
our Divines, of walking about upon the
open pulpit during the delivery of their
sermons. This novel usage holds out , strong
attractions,,nspecially, to youthful declaim
ers and accorditgly menaces our Church
with an extensive revolution in the style of
pulpit address.
The Professor, a few evenings ago,,,
offered an ingenious hypothesis to account
for this. dramatic tendency, which I will
mention. He maintained that it is a nor
mal., though startling, development, result
ing from a jubilant sense of freedom.
" Sacred eloquence,"
,said, he, " has for
ages been imprisoned within the cribbed
pulpit, and its pent-up powers, at length
liberated, are now disporting wildly for a
season upon its new theatre of soden. We
see," contiped he,„" in` nature an
tration of the principle, when a horse
which has long been. confined in a suable is
taken out and loosed' within the ample
grolinds of a neighboring field. In the
twinkling of an eye his whole `manner be
comes changed. Away hi starts with a
bound, and describes at wild , speed several
beautiful circles, embracing the whole ex
tent of the green pasture; then be,pausei
at some extreme bound, and with arched
neck and dilated nostrils, now and then
snorting through the novel action of his
spirits, looks afar off, over the fence, at the
great free world before him. Finally he
turns again, and after kicking upwards
.with his heels once or twice in joyous wan
tonness, at last settles ,down and quietly
feeds upon the nutritious grass around
him ; I confess," added. the Professor, who
has a keen perception of the beautiful
analogies of nature, " I confess to a kin
dred feeling of ndmiration when witnessing
the ambulatory oratory of : certain clergy
men- .upon the modern open pulpit. -
study it as a fleeply interesting phenome
non. of*the day—an ephemeral adjunct of
homiletics., "Time,"continued he, with
his characteristic charity,'" will soon tem
per the play °filature\ released from con
finement, and these, good gentlemen will
come back' again fa, the sacred desk, and
adopt once more a sober orthodox manner
of preaching the Gospel."
The usage, of the primitive Church, ac
cording to the best authorities we have on
the subject,, was contrary to the practice I
am discussing, Indeed the .most eloquent
of the early Greek and Latin Fathers, such
as Basil and Chrysostom,4erome and Lac
tenting, not unfrequently sat duying the
delivery of their sermons, observing the
precedent afforded by the great founder of .
Christianity himself. The sublime oratory
of Chrysostom was rendered, upon numer
kintiotasesioni *her the populat" Oft!eet, 441 m.
PITTSBURGH, WEDNESDAY, APRIL . 13, 1864.
magical, from wbat'he termed the throne of
instruction.
It is alleged in defence of the practice
that H. W. Beecher, the prince of sacred
orators, walks the. pulpit.. :The old- saw,
that spots ;in the sun are not seen,. is per,.
haps applicable here:. :A brilliant man. in
his quasi-kingdom exercises royal preroga
tives: Genius,, when 'presenting its attrac
tive giftai‘may so charm -the eye by their
dazzling profusion as to reconcile it, in
some measure, to the mostnecentrieepprir
teninces of manner. • But this mode of
declamation, borrowed as it Is from the
stage, is certainly at Variance with the
chaste 'and simple dignity .of thepulpit;
and - however protected it may be upon oc 7
casions from just ohloquy,by the intoxica
ting power of surpassing eloquence, nitist•
aiways,undererilinary circumstances, offend
the conscience and taste of the intelligent
'Christian: The true province ier_ the pril;
pit is to deal with the dread realitiea of our
being, and in- a manner Comporting with
the grave eharacter of the subject. When;
therefore, a leading idea,, - -eVideilitly a .very
prominentom thought in the, preacher's inind,
is of action, and a certain • dramatic effect,
he has already compromised the 'hodor of
his -august mission, and .degraded, so. far as
'he is capable of doing so, the sacred plat,
forukover which he struts, to the sensual
character of the stage. •
. I would here,_ Messrs. Editors, inquire
by the way whethetimitative action,, which
conititutes the glory of scenic.representa
tion, is Wet always repugnant to cultivated
taste when ,displayed in secrederatory ?, Is
it riot true that the preacher. who is inde
pendent in his manner, and true to the in
tegrity of his nature, impreVed by the cul
ture of which, it is
. captible; Will always
command our. : respect, whilst he, although
endowed with -superior talents . , in- whose
performances we are ,aonstartily : detepting
the copied tones, gestures, ori'dialeat -of
some rhetorician or. theological' professor,
Will as certainly inspire us with.feelings of
contempt ? Borrowed action, .when not
acknowledged-as such, never fails somehow
to provoke.the mind to institute depreciat
ing if not malicious :comparisons. Here
we have. the ; old 'classic story- with its un
lucky sequel, tepeated,. under a different
guise, of the aspiring Fairoclos_who went
forth upon the heroic field of. Troy, clad in
'the abstraCted armor Of Achilles. :I May
as well -add that- a pligiarisin of another .
man's voice or manner must.inevitably.sug
1 gest to the .-eynical, the reflection. that the
most successful powers - of imitation . have
never yet made a man of a monkey: •
My neighbor, the orthodox old gentle
man, during a conversation held few days
since, related an instance of the, dramatic.
humiliation of the pulpit which , ls-worthy.
of recital. :" An eloquent brother," seahe,
‘ recently used -the rainbow in his sermon
as symbolical of the atonement. -Standing
upon . one side of the sacred rostrum, he
first' painted in .Ingabrioun. colors . our state
I„by nature, and the constant aggravations. of
sin, then suddenly whirling .himself around,
he walked across the - carpeted platform, his
face upraised and finely adjusted to a sem
blance of ecstaey, and right arm .extended
aloft. Palming at length- - on the other, side,
he described, still looking heavenward, with
the air of W - prophet, the vision Wriielf-he
appeared to see; it was nothing less than
the dreadful throne of Divine Justice pre
sented against a Turid background of wrath,.
but surmounting; this awful spectacle; and
charmingly relieving it of its terrible sag
gestions, loomed high in tranquil beauty,
the radiant arch of atoning hive. The ac
tion," continued he, "Was indeed adniira
bre. I singularly thought, however, of For
est, the tragedian, whom I witnessed in the
"Gladiator, many years ago "—here he
rapped upon the floor with his-gold-headed
cane, as through remorse—" and the unsea
sonable illusion for a moment possessed me,
that the sublime truth portrayed was but 'a
eplendid fiction
. of the drama; - and, would.
-you believe . % r felt a pestling inclination
to applaud'. As a glass 'of .wine," he min
tinned, "wily reanimate the morbid" appe
tite; long subdued, of arefernied
,druitkard„
and excite once more, the thiAt for
#ther 'and more deleterious liquors, no. alas
that sacred acting revived within me, for,
the time, an early passion I once cherished
for the stage. - Yes; . sir, this manner of
preaching has a tendency- to turn - the.
Church into a--preparatory school for the
theatre. It is suited to engender 'a taste
among the
. youth of Christian
which will demand for its development and
sustenance maturer years, the, 'grosser
scenic: . aliment of the stage."
• "X-PASITin.
• For the Presbyterian Banner
United States Christian Commission.
ARMY OF THE PQTOMAO,
BRANNY STATION, Va., March 23 1864.
MR. Jos. ALintnn—Pear Sir:—ln this
army the Christian Commission has'
thirteen stations. At Warrenton and. Cul
pepper the delegates have churches for
holding services in. But at all the other
stations, there are- chapel• tents. These
chapel tents are 30 feet long and 18 feet in
breadth. They are, roughly seated with
split logs; have a stove in the centre on
the earthen floor ; haVe a small platform in.
one end for the speaker; and will seat
pretty comfortably 150, soldiers. Near by
the chapel is another tent of much smaller
dimensions, which is the temporary home
of the delegate; or delegates, Nab° number
may be. This , is our larder, kitchen, dining..
roorn, bed-room, and reception-room,
At nearly all of these stations there are re
ligious services every evening. And in
all, so far as Loan learn, thee is a good
degree of religiousinterest. In a number
of the, stations it might be said, there are
truly times of gracious revival. Our meet
ing last night was deeply interesting. One,
young man, at the close, spokesfor the first
time, and declared his determination .to
live henceforth fol Christ. 'Eleven stood
up and indicated the. hope that they had
passed from death unto life, since these
meetings commenced, a month ago... Ten
anxious ones arose and asked for au inter
est in the prayers of Christians. It is
truly good and pleasant to.be here.
In addition to the evening meeting,
there is also a Bible Class, which meets ev
ery day at% P. M. This is well attended.
It has never, been my lot, to attempt the
teaching of a elasseof.more earnest and irot;
quisitive souls in their search after Bible
knowledge and,trutit. Then, Testamento,
.tracts, papers, and soldier's books ara,to be
distributed in ths' camp. I have jut been
out amongst the cavalry, boys, at this work.
In a short time I distributed one hundred
religious papers, some
,of lam printed in
Pittsburgh; Sonnd lieventeen soldiers with
out T . tits, and supplied them with
gc the '.„r7, **tithe Bpirit.'. Three others
called a e, tie tent and inquired for the
Word of Life. It is expected that the'
army will soon be on the march. And, it
is the desire of the Commission, through its
delegates, to. supply every soldier, in the
army, with a Testament, before leaving
camp. Who will not pray, that this good
work , may be done, and greatly blessed
when done ?
This station is less than a mile from
Gen. Meade'shead-qmetet!,md :
f144"0,A*40111P1-414P
mont Station of the'U. St, Minn* 'Com
mission. It is between and canvelient_into
regiments -- the regiments-he 2d:Verment:and the
6th Regular Cavalry. ,Beth,nf, theee are
without Chaplains. There is eriabAndattee
of work here for two heads, and,,heerts, and
right hands. Rev. V. o:Parker, of Water
bury, Vt., left yesterday for, his home. lie
had a co-Worker, arid:rlfaTi thelpicnitiee• of
one from the Field.Akeht; an; 0419 w the
good Lord ''shall send hiss along:" ; 44 "'Come,
brethren, -come." t Thei- -, `field -is already
white for the harveit.
Last week the weather`lore vreis beauti
ful.
It is now cold: 'There***s blits;
tering snow-storm latiC4iening; end-Ibis
morning' the , snows deeper - think_ it has
been before duringlithe!=pasrfirintet."- =
soldier, to whom I kaiwti.patc 'mittens
on yesterday, has just-come in = - -tells -
me 'he " feels the diettifiVof
to-day-I"
You now- know twitiething of what
CoMmission, in ivhOlt ho
much interested, .islobutliit4dPitediPthig
here for out itf ) brasoe t If..
you thitik;teiiiithe7tof any' interest to 'ilia
people, you may layfit before them ; and
urge upon them tlie.neoniesity of contrib
uting. The good work can only be carried
.ou through ; the. liberality of home-friends.
You spoke to ,me on my way here of the
great need of more money and means. The
same was repeated hearing, both at
the office of the Chairman, 'Geo. H. Stuart,
of Philadelphia, and at head-quarters in ;
the field, by the Agent. I have now seen..
the Christian'Comthission work in LonitiL
Stevenson,ville, Nashville , A%, and Chet
tanooga—Army of the Cumberland; also,
in Washington, and here in the field--Ar-t
my of the Potomse. It is a vast machinerr
Under , the blessing of God it is doing a
-vast wt(rk. And beat of all, , this work is
good and• glorious as it is vast. - But to be
kept aping, this great machinery must be -
fed. Contributions must flow in both free
ly 'and k frequentry. And I am persuaded
that all this would happen, if the people*,
home could Only hear a few of the ten
thottsand. hearty thanks and. blessings• of
the soldiers at the reception of- their gifts.
I could scarcely count the expressions of
gratitude heard by me, this single day.
And after all, the distributions were quite
meagre: This was the : sum of 4,hem : : one
ku;ndre4 religions newspapers. . ;_ twenty Tits
temente ; s'*soldiere' books; ,two pairs of •
thitteni;
,one shirt, and one. pair of
.socks.
Yciureiruly, - Wm. M. TAYLOR,.
Por the Preebyterian Banner,
I I Go - to: Prepare a. Place for You."--
John, S. ,
Jesus had eaten ;the last-passover with:
hie disciples.: Judae•had received' the :sop.'
and gonn. Out. , The:reat -Christian feast
of the. Supper had just been instituted, in
which" the Master had !poker! ; of, his< body
being lar4pn and his - bloodshed." for you'
—words of 'Mysterious and terrific` import.•
to the minds of his bewildered disciples,
Who hadnot yet given
.up their fond :hut
mistaken : dreams of a triumphant. and, km,
ending earthly kingdom. " One of . you
shall betray - me," had just been : uttered'.
with deep emotion by their beloved Lord,
andWithunlittalnuiphasis*ekail-norieuneed:-.
to the most resolute of the. little. flock, that
ere the cock should .croW he should thriee
deny that 'he knei him: No wonder that
the hearts of the disciple's were troubled;
for greater - cause for perturbation, sorrow
and despondency :never existed.
But the great Sufferer himself had sor
row into which they,eould. not enter, and
Of such a nature that he alone could bear
it: Yet, although he partially sunk under
it in the garden, in that upper chamber he
rose gloriously ahovelt; and in no incident
in the life of. Jesus was his mighty power
more conspicuous than in the sublime ut-,
teranees recorded by John, beginning,
"Let-not your heart be troubled?' 'Every
sentence is expressive' of loye, peace, ,tri
umph, 'and even ef.joy r yet so solemn, so
calm, so mingled at once with the sorrows
of earth and-theleye =of heaven, that the:
man of sorrows and the Prince of Peace
are blended in full-orhed, splendor 7 stach.
rendered more gloriona- -end sublime 'by
the reciprocated radiance -of the other. - •
" Let not your. heart , bntroubled., Ye
believe in. God, believe - also in me. In my
Father's house are .many mansions; if it
were not so I Would have told you.":. Then
follow the words , we have:: set - at' the head
of-this article-=" Igo to prepare a place
for yen." - -
. 7
In My Father'a.homieure nianynut& :.
,signs:" We know very little of the extent:
and the grandeur of our ,Father'a house.
We . read :of angels, principalities and. pow
ers; ,of cherubim and seraphim; of then
sands of :thousands, who minister to the
Eternal King; and of ten thousand times •
ten thousand 'who - stand before him. These
expressions are but far-distant glimpses or
the inconceivable -
.ramber, variety and
glory . of :God's: great family of holy and
blessed creatures; all of whom have man-
sions adapted to their natures.
But amid , all these Mansions, these happy'
dwelling .places,poor fallen mho was a
homeless ottteast; and:mint' haie remained'-
.so fer. eier,.but for Jesus; for - we had for
feited:our mansion, our place of rest, our
home:. When Jesus took , our. nature, he
also ; took our condition :of' homelessness.
" The foxes," said he; ,'',have holes, and
thebirdis..of the airhavenests, but the Sorc
of man 'hath not where to itifhis head." .
The foxeS and' the . birdti. have homei on
earth, and the' infield', lia*c - homna • in . ;
heaven:, all adapted to their several natures ;
but poor, ninful I ,.man,, was found honieless
by Him who came
„to Seek And : to save him;. ;
It
and the edeMATF , literally became, in his
physical nature, what Man was in 'hie Spir
itual. nature—homeless ; for. God - himself
says,. " This is .not your:rest!".
• Let, us
. then read the. gracione word's- of
Jesus as if he had said,, " In. my `Father's
house. are' many mansions. T The angels
have. mansions; every:order and variety of.
holy beings .have their appropriate dwelling : .
phew. Worlde innumerable, glorious and.
beautiful, sustained by -Sin and uninvaded
by sorrow and death, are full of happy in
' habitants.; and new I go to prepare la place'
for. You.. too,: shall, have C mansion
inmy Father's house; but : lOust : first go
. and prepare it.for you."
•
Shall we interpret this as Meaning that
he was about ' , to go .to heaves to put, hit
Father's houseinorder for the reeeptiond
his : redeemed ones of earth ? We know.
thakrpart offhismork,, as our
,Itedeeiner„ig ,
donein 'heaven ; 'ind doubtless it is true
that it is ..fromlkeayen that will .return
;to. , receive{-its but -it not
mornin .aecordance.:With:lhe great!Work
Which, hetacoomplithed!tolideeinl uslictm
;all ~ ittiquity and , ;confer Attions-us eternal ~
life, to believe :that :thegarden,-the judges
mdnt.hall, and .the cross,' Were mote. 111 hie
mind than his throne in • heaven, , : when. he
Said, " I go to prepare a place . or . you! ?
" A place." This- is expressive .of
real, fixed, abiding habitation..,„ Not a
-state - merely, but a PLAoul , He. Often calls
it a kingdom. An Apostle calla it "
purchased possession ;-' and again, " a
house not made,W4iliands,.aternal .in the
heavens." To the thief on the cross,
Paradifwwhilf.l*
• ;.,°
A
" A place for you." For whom ? For
those eleven sorrowing men Yes, for
them; bit not tor them only, but for "all
who love his appearing." A place:-.-one
place; there de 'many • maosiens in his
Father's house, and, one of these is allotted
to, them. The • idea, of- one vast promis--
nous throng of angels, and of the spirits
of just men made perfect, and of the saints
after the resurrection, does not at all com
port with what we elsewhere see- of order
and arrangement among thistrorks of God ;
and what,our Saviour says of the " many
mansions" in his Father's house, yet of
one 'place only for his redeemed ones of
this -world, sanctions the idea that these
many mansions" are adapted to the va
rious natures of the occupants.
That there is, and, ever wide and
"communion among the glo
rieue members of the family of our common
Father, is what we -may most - confidently
exp ent for there ighttt one God and Father;
of all, one fiimqb.one ;man
only one house ; and all the bap
-pylnmates of tlinfenti.lionaS;
verse in nature, origin, power, and gloly,
will be one inotian:
But the most one and transporting
* thought of all is thiS : thatlli who wears
our nature is the one whose name is above
every name 'among the dwellers in those
many mansions. What`heart eau coneeive,
therefore, the glories-of that PLACE , which
he has prepared for them that love him,
and, whichhe will - share fo rever in common
with them! Bat "it doth not yet appear .
ihat we=shalt be; but we know, that when
he shall appear wo shall be like him, for
we shall.see him,as he is." • C.
• • ' • [ori g inal.]
God gave. Thee . an. the-. Fight.
• Br Mlll3. - 'B'• canzioar.
(God ptiTe theeitt the fight, brother !
Through the Ilene a t ild bloody,strife,
When'the bands of tiaitors gather
In , their hate toguench thy life.
Oh ! when the thunfting cannon falls
Trembling - on the humid air,
Or when thy wouided comrade °slid,
Then, oh then, : do not despair. „
God save thee in the'fight, brother !.
Although thy garments blood-stained-be;
Stanceundaunted, fearless ever,
God will rule thy destiny;
What though. shot• and,shell fly faster
Than the rains from, heavn descend
He who rules‘the Mighty sceptre
Will be with thee to the end.
When the neighing war-steeds trample
O'er the forms.that bleeding fell,
And above the,oannon's rattle
Soars the foes' exultant yell:
From the stroke of sword and sabre,
And the loatbsoMe prison cell,
Safely guard our soldier brother,
Say of him that. all is well.
How long, 0 Lord ! sadly waiting,
Pray we that the angelic) dove
Shall her 'white wing now enflating,
o'erniziread ns with her reign of love
And if these dear ties-must sever,
Ere tie fearful price be. giv'n,
Guide, 0 God! our soldier brother.
To a brighter rest in tetty'n.
.Huntington, March. 19; 1864.
EUROPEAN - STAIDIARY.
tPBX*AlitiD Poi Tim PRESiiirri&TAN BANNER.)
Mnort as has been said about die " Es;
says-and Reviews," 'whose covert object
moik,nertainly was to undermine all Evan
geliCal religion, the public mind is still un
satisfied, and the final results of the pro
ceedings which` have follo*ed, ttpon the
future of the Church of England,is by no
means fully apparent. One thing, least,
is pretty well established : that is, that
the Church of England, with all its State
patronage, is unable to free itself from ene
mies nestling within „its own..bosem and,
drawing out its very heart's 'blood. The
opinions of the British press with respect
to' the reversal of the sentence of suspension
Against Dr. Williams and Mr. Wilson, two
of the authors of . " Essays and Reviews,"
are xarious. The Guardian does not see
low the decision Could hive been other
wise. It adMits that the clergyman should
believe as his church does, but does not see
how this obligation can be enforced by law
on the unwilling. The Record looks upon
it as one of the verdicti peculiar, to Scot
tish jurisprudedce in which
_the-return is,'
" not proven!' The Tinges says that this
shows the formularies of the Church to be
obsolete':: : . The, -Spectator. declares that this
Sets' free,the consciences of ministers of.the
Established, _Church of England on the
questions tif inspiration, justification by
faith, and•linal retribution for - sin. And
the 8.0. P, D..Maurioe complacently sees
hope dawning that, after -this, theologians
may be led to a bolder investigation of the
langittege employed, in Ecclesiastical formu
laries oefiiik and of expression. 'But the
Inquirer;
_which is Unitarian, is in edsta
cies ; it glories in the present 'state of
things in the National Church, and looks
forward with delight to a perfect carnival
of untramiaelled religious thought ) such as
it approves.. To the deiont Christian in
connection with this Church, there is much=
to sadden. The Evangelical party, though
larke in numbers; is without able leaders,
and its_own position .is so anomalous that
itisnlinostiwithout power.
In the meantime, the-Bishop of London
is greatly exercised about the immense
spiritual-destitittions in the English me-•
tropelis. It now-appears that there are in .
that city. alono,more than a 'million of per
sons ;alto reeeiye no religious instruction.
To overcome thi?,-he asks, for $3,000,,000,
and - at least five hundred itottie Oermien,
at once. Yet it is doubtful whether any
thine? more than a temporary and spas
modie!effort" will be attentpted. There is a
want,of -:earnest-religious life' for .*ltleh
nothing elks ean'.he_a vinhatitute in ,tjle
evangelisation of the-masses,-:- ' '
•
THE PEERAGE h a s = .
losftwo 4 men
who, in their respective places,- occupied
at * `different , times much , of public attention.
One. of them, „Lord. AshburtOn, was con
nected :with 'a 'family widely known and
respeeted in America. He was born in
Philadelphia in 1799. = His mother was a
daughter of William ..13ingham, a noted
merchant of Philadelphia in the last con
tury,:when that city was the principal com
'nercial point on' the Western Continent';
and . st one Bingham was a Uni
ted States • Senator from Pennsylvania:
The'BinghiAme,st that time Jived in great
splendor, giving the most costly entertain 7
meats, and riding in a, Roach. drawn by six
magnificently '`Caparisoned horses, attended
by servants in livery. And'on his fathees
side the late. nobleman was related to, one,
of the most wealthy:of, the , titled families.
of England. Notwithstanding these things ?
he was strongly liberal in.his R olitical ten
dencies, and interested himself much in all
the movements for bettering the condition
of the lower class. -
The other nobleman whose death has
,latily taken place,. was: liord Aberdeen,
who entered Parliament .as early as 1811,
,ttn4 who has been in public' life more of
less ever - since. His estate is one of the
most magnificent in Scotland. In politics
he was a High Tory, the opponent. of all
popular progress, and never could look with
very friendly eye to. the United Stat%
Hie oOnSition toes 1%4
e p•: •
WHOLE NO. , 602
meat in Scotland is a matter of general no
toriety: While his vacillating policy pre
cipitated the Russian war, and then caused
it to be caried on in such a manner as to
humiliate his country. In early life he
.manilested...some literary aspirations a
few • contributions to the Edinburgh. Re
vieio, which secured him the, notoriety of
being attacked by Byron in his Merciless
"English Bards and Scotch Reviewers."
The readers of Punch, in time past, will
not. forget Lord Aberdeen as . he appeared
frequently in its• pages, while Prime Min
ister of England, as a tall, thin - figure, in
Botch costunie, not omitting the inevita
ble Scotch' cap.
A ruw years ago much was said in the
ne*spapers concerning the Regium, Donum,
or - Royal Gift - received" annually by .the
Presbyterian Church in Ireland, from the
British crown: The origin. and history of
thii will not be uninteresting to the read : :
era of the 'Painer, especially as ibis was
urged by-Some as a reason fot net cOmPly
ing with'solicitatiolla for} aid made by , the
,repOsentatives of the, Irish
country alew :years earlx,Scok
WI settlers invited 'to Ulster. by dal*, I.
were accompanied by their pasOrs,.*l4
enjoyed the tithes of the parishes where
they were located. In the confusion whiCh
followed; the tithes were lost; and by. the
Act of Uniformity, which required adhe
sion to EPiscopacy, the Presbyterian min
isters of Ireland, along with'those of Ping,.
land,. were 'ejected. from their churches.
But afterwards, in d considdration of , their
loyalty and sufferings; Charles IL granted
£6OO a year to the Presbyterian body in
Ireland. This grant was doubled by Wil
liam 111., and was augmented • from time
to:time until; in - 1838, at the union`of the
Secession Synod with the Synod of Ulster,
and the formation of the. General Assembly,.
fhe endowment was fixed at • £69.45. Sd.
.
(English currency), or nearly $356 to each
minister of the Irish' Church,. from the
Government, in addition to the Salary-vol
untarily given by the people. At present
the Irish. Presbyterian Church consists of
586 ministers; and of these 547 are pas
tors.who have stated charges, all of whom
receive of this RegiuM DOtIIIIICL. In view.
of this, it can hardly be said that the Brit
ish Government deals hardly 'with the
Irish Church, or that its ministers are
likely to suffer froth pecuniary want,. as do
many of their laborious' brethren on the
other side of the Atlantic.. - •
LAST YEAS the Russian Czar surprised
the world by releasing the Russian serfs
and.putting au end to this kind of bondage
in Russia. But now he has adtranced .a
step farther, and his declared that on the
15th day of the present month, every peas
ant in Poland shall be emancipated. On
this day he is to - be exempted from the per
sonal services hitherto owed by law to the
owner of the land ; .and not only
. so, but
every, peasant in Poland is. to become pos
sessor of all the land and the buildings up
on it, which tie holdefrom his feudal supe
rior, or the lord of the manor, and culti
bates. For all these privileges he is to pay
the Government a small sum which the
Government pledges itself to hand over
to the former proprietors" as a _compensa
tion for any possible losses incurred by the
change. This is-onb of the most sweeping
-changes ever made in the social condition
of any people; indeed it is a sviaj revolu
tire. How far the late insurrection may
have prompted this step, it ii 3 impossible to
decide. But, as the Volks-Zeitung says :
" The peasant is henceforth no .longer a,
servant of the land-owner, who has a right
to dispose of his time, work and person,
and his family as he likes, but will be his
own master, and subject only to the 'State
and its laws." What effect this may have
upon the future relations of Poland to Rus
sia, no one can now tell.. But it is signifi
cant of the progress of events and of the
working of that Providence -whereby every
yoke shall be broken, and the oppressed
allowed to go free. . N.
For the Presbyterian Banner
How a Soldier Fedi.
linioaoLD, GA., March. 17,-1864
Our Regiment (38th Ohio) reenlisted 'aS
veterans, and started for home on'the 31st
of Dec. You remember what a sudden
ohange in the weather occurred .about that
time. It found us lying at Bridgeport,
without any tents, waiting for transporta
tioa"to Nashville. You may with safety
comkude, we suffered. We took passage to.
Nashville in box ears, without any stoves,
and after a. tedious trip reached the city all
right. Failing to lecure cars for Louisville,
were compelled to take "a steamer. On
reaching Smithlaud, ice was floating down
the Ohio in such quantities, we found it
impossible to go up;. so we ran' down to
Cairo, Ill.,.where we, had to lie three days,
before we could get cars.. After we got
started, we had long and frequent delays,
forxhich we could not account. On the
14th of Jan., we reached home, - and oh I
how good it seemed after so many hard
ihips and so much suffering.
I found the folks all alive and well, fa
ther, mother, sisters and brothers.. How
good to surround' the family altar the first
evening, while my aged father read a , por
tion of the Holy Book, and we-alt, knelt in
prayer to God! • I felt that I had much for
which to be grateful. My life had been
spa,red,.Und I had been permitted to enjoy
the happiness of seeing my friends again.
We remained at-home until the 18th of
February, receiving .in various ways, ac
knowledgments of. the appreciation -of ..our
services as defenders of our country. It
was, indeed encouraging to as to learn that
we were not forgotten, and I feel that we
have come back strengthened by a-knowl
-6dge Of how largely our services are appre
ciated, On the morning of the 18th, we
bade adieu to comfortable. homes, and to
mother's cooking and 'baking, and turning
our .backs on all , that is de'arest to . start
ed for the field of: action. •
Despite all our courage and bravery, we
couldiot so fortify our, feelings but that eyes
were moistened and lips quiVered - when
mother took us by the hand, and imprint
ing e - kiskupon our lips, said, with falter
ing voice, 44 Willie,* put your trust in the.
Lord." Was it weakness that let the tears
well up and overflow ? If . so it is a weak
ness of which 'am not' ashamed. "My
good Old Father assures me I shall not be
forgotten in the daily praYer, and advises
faithfulness in the disc` arge..of all Chris
tian duties. After each farewell is said,
and'l turn niy back on home and its de
lights; I ask - myself the qtiestion—Shall I
ever again 'behold those dear onea? I
strove to say;-9 Lord! thy be: done.
We first came to Camp Cleveland , thence
t(LOolumbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nash
ville, and Chattanooga,from which place
we came on to the front and joined our Di-
Vision (Beira's) at Ringgold: We- appear
to. be several miles in advance of the main
line, guarding an important gap in a-ridge
of. hills.
Riyggold is alinest entirely destroyed•by
fire. It was once a fine little village, but
it has taken a draught of war, and finds it
bitter indeed. • ~
Copies of the Banner•
aka , •
Tom will at all times b e
two-
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tinue in his service whilst I live. Pray
for me that I may be kept faithful. W.
A merchant, in answer to inquiries, re
fers back: to -a period when he sap ) "In
consecrating my life anew.to God, aware of
the ensnaring influences of riches, and the
necessity of.deciding on a plan of charity
before wealth shofild'bias my judgment, I
adopted the following system:
" I decided to balance my accounts, as
nearly as I could, every month; and re
serving such a portion of profits as, might
appear adequate to cover probable leases, to.
lay aside by entry on ahenevolent account,
one-tenth of the remaining profits, great or
small, as a fund for benevolent expenditure,
'supporting myself and family on the remain
ing .nine-tenths. I further determined, that
at any time ,
my net profits, that is, profits
• from which clerk-hire and store' expenaes
had been deducted, should exceed $5OO in a
'..month,. I would give twelve and chalf per
Cent.; itever:s7oo, fifteen per cente; if over
' 49oo l 4 avent#ea- and .a half per cent. ;, if
over sl4oo,:tvilinty .. peecent.; if over -
300, twenty-two Mid's' half der cent.; thug
increasing the proportion of .the whole, as
God should prosper, imp, at $1,500,4
should give twenty-five per mint., or $375 a
month. As capital was pf the utmost im
portance to.my success in business, I deci
ded then not to increase the foregoing scale
until I had acquired a certain capital, after
which .I would give one-quarter of all net
- prqfits, great or small; on the acquisition
of another certain amount of capital, .1 de
cided to give half, and on acquiring what I
determined would be a full sufficiency of
my capital, then to give -the whole of my
- net profits. ,
e is now : severalyears since I adopted
i
this plan, and under t I have acquired a
handsome capital, and have been prospered
beyond my most sanguine expectations.
Although constantly giving, I have never
yet touched •the bottom of .my fund, and
have 'repeatedly been astonished to find
what-large drafts it would- bear. :True,•
during some months I have encountered a
* Salutary trial of faith, when this rule has
led me to , -lay by the tenth, while the re
mainder proved inadequate to my support;
but the tide has soon turned, and with
gratitude, I have recognized a heavenly
hand more than making good all pas% defi
.
el en el es. •
"This - system has saved me from commer
cial dangers, by leading me to simplify busi
ness, and avoid - extensive credits. It ha.s
made me a better merchant; for the month
ly pecuniary observations which I have been
wont to take, though often quite laborious,
have brought me to a better knowledge of
the state of my affairs, and led me to be
more cautious and prudent - than I otherwise
should have been. . 1 believe this system
tends to enlarge the Christian's views,
in
crease his disinterestedness, and lead him
to shun the tricks of . trade. My own -ob
servation also confirms the belief, that even
warril-hearted Christians must determine be
forehand on the sytitem they will adopt, if
they, would secure the benefits of the Gospel
plan to themselves under the grace and
providence .of.Grod, or-itta -rappy maaulta to
- the - cause-of Christ."—Exchange.
It is necessary that every man , should
consider, that since God has given him an
excellent, nature, wisdom, and choice, an
_understanding Soul, and an immortal spir
it"; - having made 'him lord . over the beasts,
and but a little lower than angels; he hath
also appeinted for him a work and a service
great enough to employ those abilities, and
hath also so- designed him to a state of
life after this, to - i,vhich he - can only arrive ,
by that - service and obedience. And,
therefore, as - every „man , is wholly God's
own portion by the title of creation, so all
our labors and care, all our powers and
and faculties, must be wholly employee in
the service of God, even all the days of our
life, that,this life being ended, we may live
with him forever.
Neither is it sufficient that we think of .
the service Cif God as a work of the least
necessity, or of small employment, but that
it be done by us as God intended it; that
it be done with great earnestness and pas
sion, with much zeal ,and desire; that we
refuse no labor, that we bestow upon it
much time, that we use the best guides,
and arrive at the end of glory by all the
ways of grace, of prudence;' and religion.
And, indeed, if we. consider how much
of our lives is taken up by the needs of na
ture, how many years are wholly spent be
fore we come to any use of reason, how
many years more before that reason is use
ful to us to any great purposes, how imper
fect our discourse is made by our evil edu
cation false principles, ill company, bad
examples, and want of experience, how
many part of our wisest and best years aro
spent in eating and sleeping, in necessary
businesses and unnecessary vanitiem, in
worldly civilities-and less useful circum
stances, in the learning arts and sciences,
languages or trades; that little portion of
hours that is left for the practice of piety
and religious walking with God is so short
and trifling that were not the goodness' of
God infinitely great, it might seem unrea
sonable or impossible for us to expect of
him eternal jOys,in heaven; even after the
Well spending those few minutes which are
left: for: God and God's service, after we
.
have served ourselves and oar own coca
sions.—Jerenty Taylor.
Oto be forgiven ! It is enough to make
a man leap---aye, - to leap 'three times, as
John Bunyan puts it, and;go on his-way re
joicing. Forgiven ! Why a rock becomes
-a bed of down, the' flames become our
friends, when we are forgiven. Justified !
No more condemnation ! - 0 the joy of that !
The happiness of the slave when he lands
on freedom's shore is nothing, compared
with the delight of the believer when he
gets out of the land of the enemy. Speak
we of the joy of the poor captive who has
been chained to the oar by the corsair, and
who at last-is delivered ? The breaking of
his chain is not one _half such melodious
music to him as the breaking of our chains
to "'lle took me out of the, horrible
pit and out of miry clay, and set my feet
upon a rook, and put a new song into my
mouth, and established •my goings." Talk
not of the joys of the damui, or of the flush
of `wine; speak not of the mirth of the
merry, or of the' flashes of the 'ambitious
and suceessfUl. Vh'ere is mirth more deep
than these, ajoy more - intense, a bliss more
enduring,than anything the Yiorld.tsarogive.
It is . the blisi of being fergiven ;
,the bliss
of having' Ged's fever and, God's: love in.
one's"soul, the bliss of feeling, tliat God is
our father, and Christ' is• Married to our
souls,, and that;the, Holy Ghost dwelleth in
us, andrabideth. with 1113 forever. Let the
sweetness of. the mercy () r aw ,-the e ,- poor
scoil Let the Sweetness 'of the mercy, I:
Say; ended 'thee !---tSpurgeon.
The foolish and wicked practice of pro
fane cursing and swearing; is a vice so
A m an( low that every:poem of srpeati
Aire*ei despises TrasAiuoint:
-Z.Z' ,
Dividing with fed.
Holy
Forgivene 3 s'