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The Exposition of Prophecy.
The fulfilment of prophecy is one of the
strongest proofs of the Divine origin of
the Bible. In those prophecies which ex
tend to our own day, we have a miracle ad
dressed to our senses, in their evident ful
filment, sufficient to answer the most ob
stinate skeptic. One of these is, the
dispersion of the Jews. Another is the
condition of the cities and countries .de
scribed in many of these prophecies. The
fulfilment of the promises of the Bible is
o f a similar nature. The preservation of
the Church was foretold, and has thus far
been aocomplished. The
. philosopher can
not fully explain these circumstances, by
assigning natural causes for th,eir exist
ence. He may point out some of theae,
but they do not fully account for the reusir.
And it is an admitted principle in the .-
vine procedure, that God works by natitral
influences, when these 'exist, controlling
their operation, and supplying every defi
ciency which might render the event un
certain.
We malie these remarks to. remove an
objection to the study of prophecy, whether
fulfilled or unfulfilled. When God gave us
these prophecies, he certainly 'designed
that we should study thorn. • And great
advantages might be expected to mina,
from their careful study. Perhaps one
reason of the spread of infidelity in the
present day is the .sinfil neglect of this
branch of sacred science.
A prejudice has been created against it
by the diversity of views of Commentators
and ministers; and the extravagances of
enthusiasts, who have converted the proph.
eoies of the Bible into a book of fortune,
ore political engine with which they may
gratify their malice or their pride, or fan
their personal vanity by writing sensational
books, or further some booksellinc. b scheme.
Far be it from the honest expositor to lend
his influence to either of these While
the whole field of knowledge is open to
the Christian and the Christian preacher
and author, and no part is to be neglected
that can be profitably cultivated, he must:
beware of using the word with any double
intent, or sacrificing the truth to foster the
pride of others or save , his own. Where he
cannot speak ,decisively, let him give his
honest opinion—and Ifeware of any un
worthy motive in what he says, or fails to
say. We have been led to these remarks
by the manifest ; prejudice which. exists in
the minds of some, against expositions of
the Book of Revelation. Our Churoh
newspaper should bo open to all articles
which arc calculated to throw light. on the
changes that are taking plaoe in the world
and in the Church; to show the people of
God, as clearly as it is possible to do—aa
clearly as it hes evidently been the design
of God to do—what has been,
and what
may be expected to be, in the Church's
history. The fulfilment of prophecy in
the past, enables ua better to understand
what remains yet to be fulfilled. And
while we know time is teed for caution in
this inquiry, there is no necessity that we
should not move at all. • R. N.
Letter from the South-west.
Ketoxviux,,Tmm., April 4, 1864.
111 r. Joseph Albree, Treasurer Christian
Commission :..-.DEAR SIR left Alli
ance, Ohio, Mar& 15th, and arrived at
Louisville ) Kyr, on the morning of the
17th, At the request: of Mr. Russell, the .
Field Agent for the Kentucky Branch of
the U. S. Christian Commission, I remained
four days to labor in that city. The hos
pitals in Louisville I found in an excellent
condition, in regard to order and cleanli
ness. Most of them are supplied with re
ligious services either by , chaplains ordel
°gates of the Christian Commission._ The
principal part of delegate labor here is in
the Exchange Barracks, where large num
bers of soldiers are constantly arriving and
departing. We held religious services
usually two or three limed every day, and
distributed a large number of Testaments,
papers, tracts, &I t
On the Mist, in company with four ether
delegates, I went to Nashville, where I
found several delegates at 'work. There
are a large number Of soldiers here all the
time, including those in hospitals and bar
rackA, in transit and on. duty; besides a
large number of prisoners, refugegs and
contrabands, After remaining bee one
day, preaching and distributing reading
matter, four of us were sent to points be
yond Nashville—one to Lookout Station,
two to Chattanooga, and myself to London.
Stopping one day at. Chattanooga, to await
an opportunity for transportation forward,'
I proceeded to Loudon, eighty miles be- .
yond where the Chattanooga and Knoxville
Railroad crosses the Tennessee River, and
where a fine bridge was burned by the
rebels, which is now being rapidly rebuilt,
the completion of which will greatly facil
itate transportation to Knoxville and points
beyond, the want of which has been a se
rious drawback to the supply of our troops
in this department, and also to the Chris
tian Commission.
Being in charge of stores for the Com
mission Rooms at Knoxville, I was sent
forward to this place to secure their safe
delivery, and to report myself for duty to
the Field Agent in the Department of the
Ohio. Next day I went to Mossy Creek
Station, twenty-eight • miles , east of Knox
ville, on the East Tennessee and Virginia
Railroad. This was the front of our lines,
and the farthest
,point then held by. our
army. At this point I found a large num
ber of regiments, having passed several
camps at Strawberry Plains, Newmarket,
and other points. Most of thole have no
chaplains, and but seldom any opportunity
of attending religions services or receiving
reading matter. I remained here three days,
preaching to the 100th and 104th Itegts.
0. V. 1., (on Sabbath day,) visiting and
distributing papers to these and other reg
iments in the vicinity. I invariably found
officers and soldiers glad to attend religious
services, ' I found here many earnest,
praying Christians. We are making ar
rangements to establish a station at the
front of the lines.
Great destitution and consequent suffer
ing exist amongst the citizens of East
Tennessee. Much of the country is a
scene of utter desolation. Many of the
people have money, but are destitute of
sufficient food and clothing. Their money
is comparatively useless, at present, as they
can find nothing to buy.. .4any who own
large farms are entirely deatitute of the
necessaries of live. Their fences are gone ;
their teams, cattle, sheep, hogs,
.poultry,
and everything that might furnish sub
sistence, are gone. Many are thus unable
to plow; plant or sow this Spring; and if
they could, they have no assurance that
they would be permitted to reap the har
vest when it came. Their condition is de
plorable now, and must be worse.in months
to come, unless they, are aided from
distance by public and private effort.
In regard to religious influenees, and
the ordinary means of grace, the privation
is equally great with thit of temporal
things. There is a %glide field here for the
missionary and the ,philantiropist, lade-
Vendent ,of the great work of inking- the
rliare of oar moldier'.
Nor the Presbyterian Banner.
VOL, XII. N 0.32
The Christian Commission is rapidly in
creasing its usefulness and popularity
amongst the seldiers. Our delegates are
kindly received everywhere in the army,.
and their labors appreciated. Day after
day, in our prayer meetings, we hear from
soldiers such petitions as these.;." God
bids he Christian Commission ;" " God
bless the delegates in the field, and those
dear. friends at home who are aiding in this
glorious work." We have reason to be
lieve that their prayers are answered, and
by this agency may souls are being led to
Jesus. The moresee of the workings of
the Commission, the morn I am persuaded
of its great excellence and usefulness, and
the more earnestly-do I commend its claims
to Christian people everywhere, as lin in
stitution worthy, of their highest confi
dence, and deserving of their most liberal
support......D. M. Mimmt.
EUROPEAN 811NALARY,
[PEEPAMID.I/011. THE PREBBITICRTApi EANNEE.]
THE PRESBYTERIANS are working inde
fatigably toward extending their principles
in England. Several new, churches beim
been built by them in thriving and respect
able neighborhoods in the 'metropolis, and
they have succeeded in gathering together
large and influential congregations. The
new churches at Clapham and •Highbury
are magnificent buildings, nrt,d, the pulpits
are occupied by men of superior standing
and ability. At present they appear to
aim .at securing 'the upper ranks of the
middle classes, but there is no doubt that
as they begin to feel theirposition' to be
strong, they will extend their ramifications
far and wide. It is pleasing to see all this
religious zeal, and it is to be hoped that
other deniiminations will profit by their
example. At the present there. is room
enough for all.
On Thursday a large' Meeting ivas held
in Dr. King's church at Baywater, for the
promotion of 'Presbyterian principles and
union. This union question, jet it be ob
served, between the Free and United
Churches, does not make the-progress here
in Great Britain which its promoters could
wish. :Lord Dalhousie, who presided at
the meeting, likened this movement to a
serious courtship which, he said, he hoped
would ere long end in barriage; but, he
added, there had been considerable diffi
culty in drawing up the marriage settle
ment. .
" I must say," observed the noble lord . ,
" that this union between the United Pres
byterian Church and the Free Church is
no new thing with me. More than ten
years ago I attended Meetings in Edin
burgh with. - Dr. Harper and. others, and
ministers of my own Church, having for
our object this very union, at a time when,
I am sorry to say, a great many ministers
and elders of my own Church were not so
enthusiastic in such a proceesling as I am
happy to say they are at this , day. In fact,,
so little encouragement did -we get from
within ourselves, that we thought it better
to drop the whole matter for a while .sub
silentio, waiting our opportinity, which we
now most gladly avail ourselves of, to rush
to the front of _the battle again, as soon as
it should be fairly brought before the two,
Churches. It is so now, and, I most earn- ,
estly pray to God that every difficulty may
be taken out of the way, and that these
%we___Churches f _both of which, first the
UMted Presbyforiatreirurd
free Church, , have borne such signal testi
felony to their Master's honor, may be uni
•ted as a body to maintain that honor in
these critical times of danger, and of diffi
culty telt."
The rest of the speakers followed in the
same strain. 'Dr. King defended the,prin
ciple detuntinational action as in the
end the best antidote to bigotry, when
prosecuted in a right spirit. "It is," - he
said, 'Mn Submitting our ebeleiiistical con
stitution to the test , of resolute work that
we discover its defects, and contract friend
ship with fellow-Christians on the common
fields of Christian beneficence." This is
undoubtedly true, and it may be further
remarked, that, ltowever zealous persons
may be for their own partionlar denomina
tion, no truly Christian` man would-like to
spend his eneigies in field already well
occupied.
Dr. Hamilton followed,in his own genial
style, advising his Presbyterian friends to
exemplify their principles in a • practical
way,,and to be chiefly intent on saving souls
from shipwreck. He 'thought, too, that
both the Episcopalians' and the Congrega
tionalists had appropriated a good'deal of
the Presbyterian element into their ope
rations, and he expressed himself quite
willing that, - this 'should be so. He was
followed by Dr. Fry, an active and large
hearted clergyman of the Church of Eng
land, who spoke hopefully of the prospects
of Ohristial Union generally. He did-not
overlook The evils within the Church of
England one of the greatestof them being,
in his opinion, the Act - of Unifortnity. Let
them, he said, feel for the Church of Eng
land as a sister Church, and -endeavor 'to
promote eN , errmeastire.that would remedy
the evils which existed in her, especially
those 'which prevented her uniting com
pletely and ' thernughly in all 'Christian
efforts, and even in 'Divine worship, with
other denominath ns.
Following Dr. Fry, came the Rev. Mr.
Chalmers, a minister of the English Pres
byterian Church. This gentleman made a
very practical speech, embodying a large
amount of- statistical information. Accor
ding to Mr. Chalmers, there' are 169,000.;
Scotehmen resident in England, only 30,-
000 of whom are cennetted With Presbyte
rian churches. This rnimber ought, he
said, to be increased`at once to 80;000.. The
whole of the worshipperein all the Presby
terian churches in England were under
60,000, and the places - of worship are so
widely scattered that the 4,000 Scotehinen
who annually come across the border gen.
erally find their way to, the communions of
other denominations. Those facts are worth
pondering, and will, no doubt, stimulate
the Presbyterian churches to action. The
concluding speech, which was chiefly di
rected to the question of union among the
Presbyterian churches, was made by Dr.
Edmond; minister of .the Highbury-park
church; and the proceedings were brought
to a close by a cordial vote of thanks to the
noble earl who presided. At the adjourn
ment, the sum of £6,665 was subscribed
toward payment of debt on churches con
nected with the Synod, and for church ex
tension: Mr. Hugh Matheson subscribed
£l,OOO, which was equal to the subscrip
tion of the Prince of Wales to the Bishop
of London's Fund. Two gentlemen sub
scribed £5OO ~ezi:Oh, two £259 each, and
more than a dozen £lOO each. The pay
ments are to be made in five equal yearly
instalments.
EIGHT MILLIONS of sores of land be•
longing to the insurgent New-Zealanders,
have been confiscated by the British Gov
ernment, which shows no mercy to rebels
against itself, but is very tolerant of rebels
in other countries than its own.
KING MAXIMILIAN, of Bavaria, is dead.
Re .waa carried off by tike same - disuse las
that which not lons ranee removed _ Ors&
utak ITII. Vimittlrlillitan among men.
PITTSBURGH, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 1864.
o was a good scientific scholar, but as a
politician few paid much court to him. He
had the unfortunate distinction, however,
of being the ostensible leader of the. Ger
man Bund in its attack on Denmark; and
he took the professorial view of this ques
tion. He is succeeded on the throne by
his son, Ludwig IL, a youth of whom we
only know that he is ,eighteen years of age,
and that he has expressed his determina
tion of retaining' in'his service the men by
whom his father was advised. I4this res
olution be carried out, the chanite of sov
ereigns will involve 'no change ef policy,
and the event under notice will have only
a personal interest. Monarchs are only
more than men when they impersonate sys
tems; and when the 'conduct of nations
rests in dim hands: Maximilian was, in
this sense, not one of the few monarchs
who are more than men; and when it is
said that his son reigns in his gtead, a fact
of the merest insignificance is reported-A
Grinvous Yeontiz prevails . throughout
a large part of Hungary. The harvest is a
failure, and the valley of Theiss, nOted for
its abundant production, has beeome a desert.
Thousands of, the inhabit : ants, sick and foot
worn, are wandering 'about in search of
food. A committee, has been formed in
Paris to afford immediate, relief, and we
hope, the generous Northern heart of this
country will be inspired.fo follow the ex
ample.
,THE WORK. of restoring the great Cathe
dral of Notre Dame, at Paris, hits'resulted
in some interesting historical discoveries.
In'lowering the soil around it, remains of
Roman houses were found, and the outline
of the foundations,of an old •chureh which
centuries ago -stood here, dedicated- to St.
Christopher, as well as the, plan of another
church near by, dedicated to_ St.-Stephen.
Several marble columns, withfine Corin
thian capitals, have also been unearthed.
THE FRENCH' press proposes that a new
nation should be formed on the left bank
of the Rhine, or that tlie provinces' there
should be united with the Belgium; so as
to Shield France from Austrian and 'Prus
sian pressure.
THE Count•de Montalembert, one of the
most eminent defenders of the Catholic
Church, has recently.been denounced by no
less than sittpseven Bishops _of Rome, for
his liberal speech at : the Malines Congress.
Nearness to Christ.
MON TEM GERMAN Or RovALts.
All the cherubs of earthly pleasure,
Cannot draw my heart from Thee--
I would. seek no richer treasure,
Than thy love bestows on me.
`Every blessing sent from heaven.;
Is to me but as the ring -
Which thou to thy Bride bast. given,
In remembrance of her King,
Shall the ring, of love thetoken, ,
Dearer than the „Bridegroom be ?
No, the charmishall not be broken, -
Which has bound my heart to thee
The Miscellaneousness of our Scriptures
Is natural, also, because we trace in them,
in this very particular, God's wonted
method of teaching. The stretching forth of
the line that goes out to all the midi, is the
likeness of , the unwiitt- ord °
iesedieur o e en. s e wor
squareind - eompasees of : man's device has
God built , the earth and meted out the heav
ens. His creation is miscellaneous, broken
at every point—here - a sheltered valley,
there a profound abyss ;*- On one side, a
mountain with its summit in 'the clouds, on
the other a leaping cataract, -While of in
the distance the waves lift up their* voice,
and in the depths aboVe the stars move,
each on its.separate pith, and shine, each
with a differing glory. When I look into
the Bible .I behold there the same ,sublime
diversity—on one leaf, as it were, pastures
clothed with flocks, and valleys covered
over, with corn, where all that grows is ripe
for use, and the most ignorant wayfarer
cannot reach out his hand in vain; and on
the next leaf, heights and depths in ivhich
are the hidings of his power, and which it
may tax the loftie3t faculties of successive
generations to scale and fathom. _I follew
the Sayiour into quiet home r seenes *here
kind and familiar words flow as from the
lips - of any holy son of man, and then go up
with him on the mountain where the bright
ness of heaven glows,in his face and gleams
from his raiment, and then, look on the
dread mystery of Geth,semane, the bleody
sweat, the agony, the angel* that came to
strengthen him ; and for this blending, al
ternating, mutual inter-penetrating of the
genially human and the ineffably Divine, I
trace only the more readily the image of
the God whom in part we see and know, as
we do the countenance of a brother, yet
about whose throne rest clouds and dark
ness. I mark in the Bible the Divine
Providence in the even current of human
affairs unruffled by marvel as in any cem ,
men history or biography-Lthen: replenish
ing the widow's wasting oil-cruse—then
spreading darkness over a whole land, rend
ing its reeks, unsealing its sepulehreS—
and for this combination of the unemphatic,
the quiet, the grand and the terrible, I
seem to read only the more ,natural and
life-like record of Him who smiles upon
us in the wayside flower, and then moves
in storm, earthquake, and - tempest, lashes
the *rithing,waves, rides- on the wings of
the whirlwind, terrifies the nations.
And ,what though in this miscellany
there be much which on a superficial read-
ing we cannot understand—much that
transcends our use—much, too, that is be
neath the standard of our age and culture ?
The Bible purports to be the record of the
means employed for the spiritual education
of men from the birth of Adam to'the end
of tithe, and for their education for an 'in
conceivably lofty and expanded spherq of
being. ,In this record there would natu
rally be some things which had their use
and wrought their work long ago, having
been adapted to the culture of generations
whose condition and habits we know too im
perfectly to pereeive the Divini' adaptation
to their needs-which may have existed—
many things which may develope their full
meaning only to generations of higher in
telligence and truer faith than (Mrs—many,
things, also, which, pondered and 'inward
ly 'digested, will reveal new and growing
depths of meaning to their own hearts—
Many things, it may be, i which" received
into our own minds, yet ,not fully germini
iing here, may spring up, and blossom, and
bear fruit in heaven. —Dr. Peabody's
Christianity the Religion of Nature.
The Clay, the Plaster, and the Ilarble.
At Rome I visited the studio of Bar
tholomew, of Hartford. He showed me
many marvels of art,-amongst them the re
pentant Eve, which made me both proud
of my_ conntryman,.and surprised that he
was not better known. In the outer apart
ment were many pieces of statuary, fin
ished. Not fat from these were 'workmen
engaged in chipping the merge from
blocks, in eareful •imitation ‘• of models
placed before them. After examining
What was , to Wm= -here ; weriaimed`bitali
. smaller room within. About it were 'dis
persed many models in plaster. But in ,
the Centre was one,, still incoMplete in
clay. On this the sculptor had been en
gaged when called out to meet me; and
whilst talkin. , about it, he made two or
three changes in Ais details, in a moment,'
with his fingers. :The clay was soft, so soft:
that it barely hel3 together on the inner
frame to which it adhered. The slightest
touch indented it. , --',"
The statue wal - or' Washington ;
lliViltand.
since that, I have In marble in the
chief street of 6;1, ,city of Biltimore.
The process of Ilie sculptor iS' this : first
the clay, then the plaster, and then the
marble. In the eign:ehinge may be made
with the greatest ,pase .in. the .; briefest
period. If the plgeter, 4Oes not suit, yeu .
may break it into. pieces and get. i new.
„mould from the elfy.., ,But when once the
statue has been pn,t4ntemarhle it endures.,.
At Rome you see*many f things._ in,,. marbles . "
older than two tho p usind years. ' In plaster
or clay, not one. . ' ..; -
_.,
What lessons come from the clay, the
plaster, and the marble I Parent and Sab-!
bath School teaehei, and minister of Christi .
what lessons to `V`Childhe . 94 is thy'
soft clay; youth,..
moulded on it; and 'atuteTe--andivbat
, %
is beyond it—tneelit ri ng MARBLE, shaped
from the plaster , , the clay. „,,Witen'l
saw that statue in nit, with . the &Welling"
waters of the Atla '`, between it and the
spot .where it was, orn in clay, I -had, a
look into eternity: - All there was fixed,
which he're is facile All there was done
which here is my " °iv. Q' sculptor in
immortality : look' ell to the moulding
#
of .that which, wh once it has
,passed
from thy hands, th eanst, change' no more'
forever I Look w l -, to that which shill
fi.
endure to ETERNI: * ! . .! Mould not out of
thine, own , heart intellect , '
, buit after,
CHRISTI
Rememb the clay, the plastei,,,
and the MARBLE 1 - 2 -The Evangdist.
The Christian Strife. --
0 beloved ! is it n t enough that he died
once for us ? *-Were those pains so light
that'we should overt day redonbleithem r
Is this the entertainment that so
by
a Saviour bath deseiyed =of' us, by dying.?.
Is this: the recompense of that infinite-love
of his, that thou shorddst thus cruelly vex
and wound him iwitylty , sins ? Every one
of our sins is a thOrri, a nail h and a spear to
him. Whilst thou pourest down-ity'drunken
carouses, thou givest thy Savionr alairtion
of gall; *hilst thou despisest 'his poor Ser
vant; thou ,spittest On his face ; whilst thou
puttest on . thy proudtdesires, and liftest up
thy head with vain c'eneeits thou Setteit
crown of thorns on lip hea!d ; whilst thou
wringest and oppresgal his poor children,
thou'scdurgest him And draivest blood of
..his hands and feet. :Thou qpet.rite, how
darest thou offer to 4,,ceive the Sacrament
of God with that hand whiCh* imbrued
with the blood of Him whom •thou re
ceivest ? Thou ma est n%, scruple of
thine own sins, and those that
do. Hear him that - saith, "Saul, Saul ;
why persecutest thou me-?-l' Saul strikes '
at Damascus; Christ sitters in heaven.
hou strikest ; ehritst JeSus smarted', and
will,revenge. TheSe are what remtun
Ohrist'l3, sufferings." In himself: it is
hated ; in Els melnpers it is not. We must
toil and„jroaCaad''.bjaed, that we' ,may 6 ' • Ur' Id-the in.
4.
gion of our sorrow and
are set upon the- sandy ' - pavement of our
theatre', and are matched with all sorts of
evils—tvil men, evil spirits, evil
and, what is *arse, our own evil
. hearts ;
temptations, dosses, persecutions, sickness
es, wants, infamies, death, all these must,
in our tourses, be encountered by the la*
Of our profession. What should we do but
strive and'suffer as our General bath done,
that we may reiga.as he doth, and once tri
umph in our Consammatum, est? God and
his angels' sit upon the scaffolds of heaven,
and -behold us. Our crown is ready; our
day of deliverance shall come; yea, our
redemption is ncari when all tears shall be
wiped from our, eyes, and we that have
sown fu tears shall reap in joy.—Bishop
Hall.
Itrvite.to the Prayer Meeting,
Many Christians go•to the sprayer meet
ing every - week, - and " perhaps never for
years invite an unconverted person to go
with them. It often happens that months
go by, and few or no unconverted persons,
are present at• these meetings during the
week. Believers may be quiekened, but
no souls are ecniverted. Is there not a great
loss of moral power to the Church from
this' strange negligence ? Will not our
Christian readers aim, like Andrew and
Philip, to lead others with them, when they
go to meet Jesus'? An exchange give§ in
incident in point
A wild young man in college was sitting
one evening on the fence - surrounding
the campus ' laughing and 'talking gaily
with a - circle of thoughtless associates,
when a pious student, passing down the
walk on his way to prayer meeting, beck
oned to 'young D— to go along with
him; Nothing'was farther from his tastes
or habits', yet the- hand of the Lord was
plainly in it.. Without ,a moment's reflec
tion he leaped .down from the fence and
walked along to 'the room for prayer. A
circle of Young men upon their knees at
prayer impressed him at the moment, and
no - doubt many a silent prayer was offered
up for him. The next week the student
invited him'again to go with him;and soon
strong conviction of sin seized - upon' his
heart, and he wisled through' deep waters
to, east himself on, - the mercy of Jesus
Christ. He became a'faithful preacher of
the Gospel,*and'the church' where hernia
istered was blessed with numerous precious
revivals. What a great harveit from a lit
tle seed„-sowing ! Yet it is in the power of
every Christian to do as much. They can
invite and entreat a thonghtless friend to
go with them to the prayer meeting; they
can pray earnestly'for a blessing upon the
exercises, and that the Holy Spirit would
bring home the blessed truth with power to
the soul. God will give the increase.
Will not every one who roads ibis; take
some friend to the prayer meeting? •
Life Long Enough.
Life is long enough for the sinner and
for the saint. Seventy years are a End&
elm:if - period to try the character. Were
the sinner to continue longer in the world,
'he would still be equally hopeless, and
more guilty. Habits of wickedness strength
ened through so long a period, admit nei
ther of removal, nor of hope. ' Whither
shall we go to. find peni tence, after this pe- -
riod is passed? The antediluvian world
was immensely more wicked than the pres
ent, because' men lived a thousand years.
Their plans (rein were vastly more exten
sive, their sagacity in• pursuing them
greatly superior, their opportunities amaz
ingly more numerous, and their hopes of
success beyond comparison better founded.
In this manner their evil habits became
fixed beyond recall; while 'death was at
such a distaneas to Make the present life
seericdot" - a little like an eternal duration:
*hit iiiseeethed,Nrould'in tthelike-bir-
curnitalices' exist now. We're human life
be equally protracted, mankind Would
soon become as profligate as they were be
fore-the deluge.
That the present - life is a sufficient peri
od of prcibationtiry exiitence to the right
eous, will be readily acknowledged •by all
men. Every, peyson of this character ae
cures' within-this period an
,everlasting. in
heritance .beyond the, grave. This is' the
end for which we live, the only end of real
importance. *,.!.* Plainly, therefore, the
present period of human life isiwell suited
to the circumstances' of both saints and sin
ners, and. wisely appointed by God.—,Pres.
DwVl,t,. , -
, Goldea-Gates.
Oh golden galtso might I intt'onfoh
'Ons gleani•ofshiniriebars
-Might Tana tbuch the jewelled= door
That swings beyond the stars
4weary,pilgrim„ toiling on
ruthJniatra'aegiOrtal-Ain,,
Oh, mightl 'speak the blessed word
Would giie me entrance in !
So thought as the sunset hues
= In the far West grew Aim,
Yarn fang ~e fott some path.of z, Z ;
•
Thetk e *colon Y . oWs blazing
With glory of the sun ;
. There were tints of rose and amber
When' Suminer's day was done. • •
And I saw, them paling, fading; -
'Pill stars caught up their light ;
But, thedgold,uit gate was: idden • ,
AWay froulAtortal sight.
Then r called Ofiaugli inzsty shadows,
) Ito longer wait; .
Oh, beautiful angel-lreepers,
blessed:gate t '
" I tread dark,plageo of theearth,
I weary
Oh, white-rahopiugek i . bear me up
,• Into that tol2.life."
Ifoivri ile'atin - fthieugh iliesolemn night,
Canewspiritlnes comil r,
.4 Thy wayfis,dark I - Nit :gates of gold
Are waiting there,, for thee.
, 6 Unseen, they swing iu every heart,
All sin-stained though it be.
Rouse ye toldeeds of love and faith!
The Master hirldeth thee.
Thou mayest chime sweet golden bells
Through 'souls now hist in
So shalt thou walk in white, at last,
.So shalt thou enter . in."
• No more X seeh,at the set of sun,
Gleaining of golden gate;
Yet somewhere in the flittire hid',
The watching-angels wait - .'
Oh, golden gates, ye.shine for me
Somequaes through Shadows dim,
Yet through -Your portals Winds my path
OnWard and up to Him.
Winning Souls
A few weeks ago a man and his wife, be
ing tenderly admonished by a Christian
friend, were persuaded to visit a long
neglected house of prayer. . The Spirit of
Christ opened their 'eyes, and they were led
to see their need of- mercy,' and sought and
fJund.a God' ready to.-forgive. With
and •love, in conjunction with the
friend before - alluded to, these new converts
sought to bring other careless ones to the
-sanctuary;- and the Lord has been gracious
ly pleased to own and bless these efforts,
and two other couples have united them
selves with the people of"-God:
That was -a -bleSsed Sabbath when this,
Christian-;friend; with , these silt souls, sat ,
15
. .. mil, mto . conime prate
reaching results of this simple Christian
effort ?' This`friend did no mote than every
disciple can' do. Who cannot say to- his
brother, " Come thou with i's, and we will
do thee good",, for the Lord, path" spoken
good concerning Israel ?"
4 . ! . Weald jou win a soul to God:?
Tell hiniof 'the Saviour's blood, - •
Once for' dying sinners spilt,
To atoneloi all their guilt."
These converts'are heads of &rallies, all,
of them having little children to• train up
in the." nurture and admonition of_ the
Lord." There , are now three more family
altars in, the world; The World is richer,
brighter, and purer 'for these ; and when
we can 'estimate tile usefUlness of a Do&
dridge, we may learn how to value pious
parental example Sand instruction.
•
Dear reader I. fellow-Christian ! follower
of Jesus ! where is ,thy brother? ."'Are you
earnestly, and prayerfully, and,wisely seek,-
ing fo' win his soul ? or are . you sleeping
over his immortal interests ?
'"Gone,
,but not Missed." •
There are . some professors over Who'se
graves it would be difficult for devout men
to find great occasion for lamentation. Such
persons' would doubtless be missed in their
families, places of business; and accustomed
places of recreation; but, as 'to her pecitliar
and noble offices, the Church' would be
compelled to say of them, a Gone, but not
missed!' She would not miss their chari
ties.-for Christ and his poor; she would not
miss them in her circles of prayer and be
nevolence • she would not miss theta at the
bedside oitho sick, nor_ in the house of the
mourner : she would nOt'miss them when
great trials were to be borne, or hard labor
to be done for the extension of the GOspel.
In her Sabbath School efforts and tract dis
tribution—in her endeaVors to evangelise
our city, our lend, our, earth, with truth
and, holiness—she would not miss them,
for they had not cheered those labors of
love with their presence, their counsel,
their charities; or their prayers. Like the
on-hangers of an army, they move with the
hosts to share 'the results of victory, but are
absent ,when martyrs are to bleed on. the
-field.., The loss of such to the Church by
death would be graded
,by the benefit Wilk&
their lives confer upon .the world; and
hence, you can judge whether devout men
would make: great lamentation over them.
Stephen 'fell at a his post, and this pointed
the griefat his loss.•=.or. Brainerd.
" Go, on, Sir, ilo _on !"
Arago Sam in his autobiography, that
his, master in mathematies wrote a word or_
two of advice, which he found in the bind
ing of one of his text books. Puzzled and
disconraged,by the difficulties which he met
in his early studies, he *as almost ready to
give over the pursuit. Some words, which
he found on the waia leaf useCto fitiffou
the 'cover of his paperbound text book,
caught his eye and interested him. 44 Im
pelled," he says, by an indefinable curi
osity, I dampened the"cover of the book,.
.and unrolled the leaf to see what was: on
the other. side. it proved to be 'a short
letter from D'Alembert to a young person
disheartened, ; liked himself, by the difficuL
ties of mithifiniatied study; who 'had writ
ten to him for counsel„ Go. on; sir, go
on,' was the counsel which D'Alembert.
gave him. 4 The difficulties you Must meet
and resolve as you advance. Proceed, and
light will dawn and shine with increased
clearness on your path! That maxim,"
says Arago, ".was my greatest master in
mathematies." Following out these sim
file words, " Go, on i sir, 'go on, 1 ? made him
the first astronduncal mathe.matidian of his
age- , What Christians it Would mike usl
What heroes - of faith, what , sages.of holy
wisdom we would beanie ,just by :wing
lout thatioaximtif Qe.on, sir goon 1",
•
I haic liked Dr. - Watts' Psilms and
Hymns ever since the time when, scarcely
three years old; I was mado , to repeat, with'
his book in my hand,. and, with such ges
tures as were prescribed to me, the psalm
beginning with the words:
" Come sound his braise abroad,,
And
And hymns of glory sine
The critics , in general - have shown but
Stinted favor to Dr. Watts' devotionarpoet
ry: Dr. Johnson pronounced it iinsatisfacs-'
tore ; though admits that Dr. Watts
has done better than any body, else, what
nobody has done well." , Southey, from
*hem I expected'something different, in
that meagre memoir of Dr. 'Wetta=mea
gre, yet interesting; safer as relate lb his
theological opinions,' which -seem prinei
pally to have engaged Southey's attention
—alludes to Johnson's opin.on, yet takes
DO pains to controvert . it. He; indeed,
questions Johnson's decision against -dove
goner 'poetry in general; but takes , no
pains to , show; as ha. might easily have
denepthat -Watts' book contained a great
many very beautiful things. l
maintain, for my part, that Dr. Watts'
his done adinirably well what he Undertook
to do, and the proof, if I wanted any other
that the pleasnre with whiela always read
him, I find , in the, strong hold which his
devotional, Verses have taken on the, hearts
,Of men in , all conditions_ of life, and, I
'think, all varieties of religious belief.' No'
compilation of hymns for the public -Wor
ship`' or any denomination .is ever Made
without borrowing, largely from Dr. Watts.
He has ,been.in.his grave for considerable
more that a century, yet have his psalms
and hymns' lost none of the favor Which
they had when they were first adopted by
religions assemplies for public worship, and
I believe are even -now,-generally speaking,
in greateeestsem than ever, notwithstand,
ing that such poets as Doddridge, Coirper,
Charles Wesley, Barbauld and Heber have
written devotional verses of very. great
merit since his time. .
' - --Bostou Recorder
The secret of this popularity lies, as it
seems to rue in the union of strong feeling
With . great poetic Merit. In what he wrote
`there arnoeciaior4transgreigions against
Th ireggfilftz
mon's art I) oven
even stanzas, but there is always great fer
vor and profound earnestness. ...No poet
has:ever expressed religious emotions with
greater energy. He faints' and langhishes
'for the Divine presence"; he deplores the
waywardness of the hunian heart; , he ex
ults in the. Divine favor;he is awed by the
;Divine majesty; he les' with transport
on the works of the. Divine hand; he dwells
with delight on the vision of a better life
beyond the grive and all these moods of
mind find full eXpression in his verse.
Many of. his :hymns_ seem -to havo .been
dashed out in the excitement. of theAto
ment, as if thn, fseling which. had taken
possession of him could not be satisfied
N; , ithout expressing itself in poetic Torms.
HIS versions 'of the Hebrew risalms- are as
remarkable for this: as • the Compositions
-which he called hymns. He seems to have
first filled his mind with the imagery of the
ancient bard, and, catching inspiration from
him, flung his thoughts upon the page in a
form suited to the more mild and perfect
dispensation of Christianity:
Some of D. Netts' devotional verses
show that he possessed imagination in a
high degree. What a beautiful picture,
for example, is set befoic - us inthe hymn
beginning— --
' "There is a land of pure delight."
In this hymn which, is too familiar to all
readers, to be transeFibed here, we , hate the
green fields of immortal life, with their in
withenn&flowers lying in perpetual'light:;
the narrow river of death, dividing it from
the. present state of being; and: the. timor
ous crowd of , mortals on the hither hank
shivering and shuddering at the tholight of
passing through those cold waters. I re.
member that onde; on 'n fine'Sunday eve
ning.m...ther latter part of April, coming out
or the harbor, of:Havana, in eteamer mov
ing uneasily -de the:tossing waves of the
Gulf Stream, `which here rush against the
reefs of the northern coast of Cuba, I had
been driien to my berth by a strong premo
nition of sea-sickness - . A party of Ameri
cans on deck - struck up this hymn, and
when they had - ended, .sang the scarcely
less, beautiful. one beginning with
and ending with the stanza,
Across my, peaceful breast."
As they sang, it almost seemed as if the
sea felt the influence of the' gentle strain
and grew smoother, and the waves murmur
ed more softly before the prow that divided
them.
I once heard a distinguished literary gen
tleman instance the following couplet from
one of Watts' hymns, as conveying to the
mind images which could only occur to a
poet of no common genius :
" Cold mountains and the midnight air
Witnessed the fervorof hie prayer:"
_
, was able to match them, Or nearly so,
with a Stanza , from his version. of the one
hundred and twenty-first psalm :
How pathetic is this expostulation in the
one hundred, and, second psalm :
" Spare us, '0 Lord! aloud we pray,
Nor let our sun go down at noon !
Thy years are one eternal day,
And must thy children the so soon ?"
'How magnificently is the one hundredth
psalm versified,• closing with this grand
stanza
I , We'll crowd' thy gates with thankful songs,
High, as the heavens our voices raise,
.And earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
Shall fill thy courts with sounding Vittise.t'
reight,refor to , ma43rother exempla! of
WHOLE NO. 604
Happiness.
Persons are never happier than when in
the diligent pursuit of some desirable ob
ject with a fiir prospect of obtaining it.
The pursuit animated by hope is a constant
pleasure. -Thus engaged, they are much
more happy than when the object in view
is obtained. The man of business in the
pursuit of wealth ,is much - happier than
when, opulence being secure 4, he
.retires
from his wonted - occupation. Wealth does
not satisfy his soul, and having nothing
now to do, with the habit of activity re
maining, his, mind preys upon, itself.'
Hence you often find such a person, enter
ing into business again, to relieve himself
from listless hours of oppression. The
best remedy' for . enniii; or heart-weariness,
is devotedness to- noble pursuits. ." Saul,"
says one, ".went . :out, to find his father's
asses, 'leased with the humble employ
ment, lie, Made search with , a light heart,
and an honest one. But, seeking asses, he
foiind 'a 'kingdom and"tranquility led
when possession was complete'".'•
utratti tile %Alit of qie Pairl "-
'( 'TlielJevotioitilloott7 , of - Dr. 'Wads.
MIMI
BY' W. 0. BRYiNT.
Wheal _can read. my title:clear,"
There shall I bathe my
. weary soul
In seas of endless rest,
And not a wave of trouble roll
" No sun shall smite thy head_by day,
Nor the pale moon, with sickly ray,
Shall blatit thy oouoh ; no baleful star
Dart hitrmalignint fire so far." - •••• •
THE PRESBYTERIAN BANNER,
Publication Office :
GAZETTE BUILDINGS, 84 Bum( Sr., Putt mos, Pa.
SMITH, ENGLISH & 00., 23 Nowla-Orn Sr., PzuJA, PA.
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like excellence in these poems; but I will
mention only one more, the charming little
funeral hymn,, the eighteenth of the first
book, beginning thus :
4 4 Hear what a voice from heaven proclaims,
For all the pious dead;
Sweet is the savor of their names,-
And soft their sleeping bed.
44 They die in,Jesus and are blest," &c.
I know very t well that poetry of a very
moderate degree of mefit not unfrequently
obtains great popularity on account of its
religious character, but I do not recollect
an instance'in which it has held that pop-.
ularity long. The devotional verses of
Watts have stood the test of time, and it
seemed to me due to him that some of the
characteristic merits by which they are rec
ommended to the general mind should be
pointed out. -
..March, 17th, 1864.
ROW Much I (five.
" How much owast thou unto my lord ? LIME XVI 5
When this passing world is done,
Wlien has sunk yon glaring sun,
•:Wlien,we stand withtehtist in glory,
Looking o'er lif'e's , ilnished story,
then, Lord, shall I fully know—
! I.Jot till then—how much I owe.
conal
`When I stand before the throne,
Dressed in - beauty not my own, .
When I see thee as thou art,
Love thuiwith unsinning heart,
Then, Lblra, shill I fully know—,
Not till then—how much I owe.
When the praise of heaven I hear,
Loud as.thunders to the ear,
Loud as many waters' noise,
Sweet as harps' melodious voice,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe.
The Clouds will Break.
A beautiful example of trustful hope is
given in the experience of the persecuted
Christians of Madagascar. When the mis
sionaries were driven from the Island, they
left about tyro hundred converts. Some-of
these kept a journal of what befell them,
and this, extending to some five hundred
pages, , has lately come to light. It opens
with the words, " Fear not, little flock."
These are followed by a, hymn, which is
literally translated thus
" Not long will last
The night storm,
Not many days
Bring only sorrow,
Yonder the dawn appears,
- For happiness is near.
" The clouds will break,
The darkness vanish,
Accomplished. be the Word,
It cannot fail,
But we shill see, ere long,
The land good to dwell in."
It was twenty-five years before the, night
storm, passed. away ; and many of theat early
witnesses were its victims. The journal
records their persecutions and sufferings.
Yet so true and faithful were they, that the
good seed was continually multiplied, and
whenithe dawn appeared, the two hundred
had increased to seven thousand. In spir
itual as in natural husbandry, the night
had ''proved a time of . growth, and the day
brought the glad harvest. •
Oh, will not Christians of this land trust
God through the night-storm. His word
shall be all accomplished. " The clouds
will break, the darkness :vanish," and we,
too, shall see ) ero,long, " the land °boa to
dwell'
The Triumph of Christiiii-ty.
- Millions'of men, I know, are still idola
ters; millions of men are still Mohamme
dans; and.-millions -more still worship
Brahma andßudha., But a . single Chris
flan nation of Western Europe outweighi
them all. When these millions will begin,
in-large numbers, to accept the Gospel, we
cannot tell; but we know that they need
the Gospel, for • they -are men. And we
know, too, that sooner or later, they must
receive it at our hands. Where the Gos
pel puce went, winning its victories, it can
go again.' In the vast strategy of th
-Christian centuries of conflict, Asia an
,Afriea were indeed abandoned for a time,,
but ,clur troops are returning to contest
anew the'ancient fields of victory, and al
ready enough has been accomplished to
- make us confident in regard- to the 'final
issue
What we need now first, and most of all,
is a better Christendom. Three hundred
and thirty.five millions of mankind now
answer' the Christian roll.call ; and they
hold in their hands every art, every sci
ence, and nearly every resource of strength
in existence upon the globe. - Their land's
are filled with plenty; and their commerce
whitens every sea. Already they clasp the
round earth in their stalwart arms; and it
only remains for them to lift it up, and lay
it upon the bosom of its Lord.—Rev. R. D.
Hitchcock,;D.D.
Prayer.
Fill up the void'spaces of your time with
meditation and prayer.
They are' the safest who are most in their
closets; who pray, not to be seen of men but
to be heard of God.
• It is a comfort to Christians apart to think
their prayers meet before a throne of grace
and their persons shall meet before a throne
of glory
There wants nothing bu►t a believing
prayer to turn a promise into a perform
-once.
God is a great God, and therefore he will
be sought; he is a good God, and therefore
he will be found.
The breath of prayer comes from the life
'of faith.
Whatever-you want, go to God by faith
and prayer, in the name of Christ, and nev
er think his delays are denials.
They that spend their days in faith and
prayer, shill 'end their days in peace and
comfort. ---J. Mason.
The Soul Undying.
How can it enter into the thoughts of
man, that the , soul, which is capable of re
ceivinv., nciw improvements, to all eternity,
shall fall away to nothing, almost as soon
as it is created.
Are. such abilities made for no purpose?
A brute arrives at a point of perfection
which he can never pass. In .a few years
he has all the endowments of which he is
capable.; and were he to live ten thousand
more, would be, fhe sitme thing he is at
present. Were a human soul thus to stand
still in her econmplishments, were her fac
ulties to be incapable of further enlarge
ment; I - could imagine it might fall away
insensibly,•and drop at once into a state of
annihilation. But can we believe a think
ing being, that is in a perpetual progress
of improvsment, and traveling on from per
fection to perfection, after having just
looked abroad into the works of the Crea
tor, and made a few discoveries of his infi
nite goodness . , wisdom, and power, must
perish in her first setting out, slid in the
very beginning of her inquiries
- - Diedssty is to merit go shades to figures
,in - a picture, giving it . strength and beauty.
—M . Cheyne