ET revival character, but simply the grave and occasionally tender character of an ordinary large meeting of Christians. Sawyer's translation reads like a travesty : "And after breakfast Jesus says to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you you love me? And Simon replied, Yes, Lord, you know that I am your friend.” Ekavdalıgerai is always rendered "offended with me," &c. The tendency in our churches here is to gather enormously in a few favourite spots. I have never succeeded in getting a single man to leave us, for the purpose of building up weak churches, and I have had every occasion to ask it and press it. As population moves up, each of the lower churches in its turn dwindles. It is just the same with the Baptists and Methodists. The old John street incunabula cannot be cited as an exception, as that house is kept as a sort of relic. The Episcopalians are the principal free-churches, since the Methodists went over so largely to pewsyism. I observed in London that the parish system does not prevent this evil in towns; the great throngs being generally at some newly erected shrine. NEW YORK, January 4, 1859. 66 I wish you and yours a happy New Year. Ours always begins laboriously; and as it came in on Saturday, there was not much rest. My reins, by occasional suffering, instruct me, with regard to weakness and mortality; and at this moment I am ailing-though unusually well in general health. I read a MS. by a Liberian minister, in which, not content with mentioning their "ladies," he speaks of them as fair ones." My sentence for 1859 is: "God, my exceeding joy;" Hebrew, "the gladness of my joy;" Greek and Vulgate, "the gladdener of my youth;" French (of Ostervald, giving the force of ) "le Dieu fort de ma joie et de mon ravissement." May He be such to us all! I have just read 200 MS. pages of a journal kept by Williams, secretary of the China legation, during all the proceedings which resulted in the famous treaty. Thirty-two vessels were there. One is led to pity the poor Chinese; and W., as a missionary, is very much on their side. They were, as you know, very near Peking; in the Peiho River, 40° N. He speaks of the British as selfish and surly, and is very severe upon the opium matter. Our negotiations were materially furthered by the wisdom, kindness, and peaceful tendencies of the Russian ambassador, Count Poutiatine. Williams thinks China will at once be flooded by Jesuits from France. They number their Catholic natives at 800,000. He also thinks it doubtful whether 1 1 Alluding to the custom of general calls on New Year's day. Protestant missions will be greatly benefited. The timidity of the people, in their greatest masses, is made more striking than ever. Their forts at the mouth of the river, were demolished almost instanter, and 3,100 were slain. NEW YORK, February 11, 1859. I have just come in from our Mission Chapel, where nineteen have been admitted on examination, making nearly 70 in the Chapel, during the year. A very able paper is struggling here, called the "Saturday Press," a really dignified literary print. Why does not Everett [in the N. Y. Ledger] give us his reminiscences of Germany, Greece, St. James's, or even the Socinian pulpit? وو NEW YORK, March 4, 1859. Mr. Everett is now speaking, [Oration on Washington.] I had an offer of the devotional performance. This part of ministerial duty has always been very revolting to me. I really miss Walsh,' and few perhaps do. About six months ago, I sent to the "Journal of Commerce an article on Walsh, with, inter alia, some account of his "Appeal." How yearningly one's thoughts go after the destiny of a soul like his! He had noble, rare moral traits; his patriotism seemed never chilled by expatriation; he was always the American, and of an old time type. Good, worthy, equable, honest Dr. Carnahan is gone; abiit ad plures." Till your direct testimony came into court, I would have almost made oath to the statement of the preface. It has been 1 Mr. Walsh died at Paris, February 7, 1859. Many passages in preceding letters show the high regard in which Dr. Alexander held the literary character of Mr. Walsh. He attributed to the daily reading of the "National Gazette," while yet a young writer, some of the prominent peculiarities of his own style. Perhaps this influence caused him to sacrifice somewhat of ease and fluency to the exact and classical stateliness demanded by his model. He himself called it (in Walsh) "twists of diction." 2 Dr. Carnahan died March 2, 1859. 3 I had corrected a statement in the preface of his "Revival Tracts,' which mentioned that the celebrated stanzas by his brother Addison, entitled "The Doomed Man," inserted in one of the tracts, were then published for the first time with the author's consent. I informed him that the poem had been sent to me by Addison, and was inserted in the "Sunday School Journal," (April 5, 1837,) and that the original had a stanza which, at my recommendation, was omitted as being too horrible. It was the sixth, and read thus: "But angels know the fatal sign, And devils trace each livid line the common on dit in the family for years; he has talked of himself as "the doomed man" constantly, seeing the reprints, &c. I will try to alter the stereogram. You doubtless have received the "Prescott Memorial,” and have read the alleged dictum of P. that Robertson's "style was that of a schoolmistress." But see Philip the Second, i. 356. “Robertson . . . recommended . . . by a classic elegance of style which has justly given him a preeminence among the historians of the great emperor." I am, (as I suppose we shall say,) truthfully yours. NEW YORK, April 4, 1859. The signs look like war in Europe; who can estimate the awfulness of such a conjuncture! I find four or five letters from Walsh, chiefly about the Review. The last "Knickerbocker contains some irreverence to the manes of our quondam friend, Dr. McHenry.' My irritation of the larynx has been on me annoyingly for about two weeks. I have, for the first time, to treat a case of spiritualism. A man, well educated, sound health, good habits, strong mind in every other direction; but perfectly hag-ridden by spirits of his wife, his father, and Robert Hall. He sits up sometimes whole nights, writing; or rather his hand is used by the spirits; the character varying with the spirit. He himself is willing to believe it demoniacal possession; but I have not felt clear to take this ground with him. I have had a heavy stroke of indisposition these last few days, and was unable to preach yesterday afternoon. Mr. Jenkins [of Philadelphia] preached last evening [in Academy of Music] with great acceptance; Plumer comes next. A member of my church talks of building a church for some poor congregation in the West. NEW YORK, April 19, 1859. For the first time in my life I have been attacked with something like chills-now about a fortnight. The beginning was a tremendous shake, which made all quake again; since then, crawls, or whatever be the name of those simulations. During these the feeling of "misery" has been very great. I have spoken to very few persons of it, but since the beginning of the year, I have lost all power in the middle-finger of my right hand. The finger stutters in writing; indeed, I cannot use it at all. Whether this is paralysis I know not, but I regard it as a Divine 1 Editor of the "American Monthly Magazine" in Philadelphia, for which we had written in 1824. monition. I am under regular and active treatment. Writing, which was a solace, has become a very burdensome task. 1 1 On the 26th April he wrote: "I have to preach a Sunday School sermon next Sunday. My chills are suspended. Deo gratias." On the 1st of May I heard him preach the sermon referred to, which was delivered with what struck me as an unusual and unnecessary power of voice. He preached again on the following Lord's-day, (May 8, communion; 1 Peter ii. 24,) which proved to be his last sermon. On the 9th he wrote to me, "My health has steadily gone down: yet, through mercy, I was enabled to get through the communion services. I expect to sail for Richmond on Wednesday. I shall probably be addressable at Drake's Branch, Charlotte County, from the 14th to 21st, and afterwards at University of Virginia till 29th." On the next day (10th) he wrote: "A change in the signs of Providence has changed my plans. So obviously my cough has increased, and my flesh decreased, that Session and Trustees, motu proprio, last night ordered me to vacate from now till October 1. I propose to go to Virginia in about a fortnight. Don't stay at home an hour; but if it be fair I will try to drop in chez vous some day this week." On the 12th his report was "No changes." On the 25th--" though all packed up, and on the eve of starting, we are forbidden by the doctor to go, in consequence of my severe cough, but more particularly a fever which comes on at night. Plans uncertain. I have not gained any. I endeavour to cast my burden on the Lord." In the correspondence of this month he wrote, (in dissent from my opinion that it is better for ministers to prevent actual invitations to new positions which they know they would not accept) as follows: "All my little observations confirm me in the judgment, that such things should not be crushed in ovo; though my own practice has been different. A man runs before Providence, who answers à question before it is asked. The case cannot be before him, till he knows the vote, &c. He has a right, as Christ's servant, to the testimonial in his favour, even of an appointment which he declines. His congregation have a right to the credit derivable from his preferring them, in case of refusal. The simple, natural method is the best." It was also during the low state of his health in the middle of this May, that he wrote for "The Presbyterian" an affectionate notice of the Rev. Henry V. Johns, D. D., of the Episcopal Church, then recently deceased. From that article I extract a paragraph of biographical interest : "The first person with whom I ever talked freely, respecting the infinite concerns of my soul, was Henry V. Johns; and he has told me that a like remark would be true of himself. It was in Nassau Hall, then the principal edifice of Princeton College; and in No. 27, in the 'second entry;' a locality fresh in the memory of old Nassovians. We were boys of sixteen; though I was about to commence bachelor of arts. Such conversations begin, one scarcely knows how; in a short time we had unbosomed ourselves to one another, and entered upon a close and tender friendship which I trust in God is never to cease. During the days in which Henry was under the work of the law, and humbly doubting whether indeed he had attained to justification or not, he used to walk in the grove behind the college, which, alas! with other forest shades of my boyhood, has long since vanished away. As he strayed, musing, his eye was attracted by a small folded paper upon the ground; this he picked up, and afterwards showed to me; it contained these words: And they that are Christ's have crucified NEW YORK, May 28, 1859. As I am ready to catch at any little straw of amendment, I feel cheered by being very slightly better to-day, though after a bad night of vexing dreams and wakings. My cough is in abeyance; the disguised chill and consequent fever return every evening. I have taken a refreshing drive for three successive days. Upon any fair calculation of probabilities, how likely is it that a promiscuous assembly at Indianapolis will decide a question aright for the whole church? I have long looked in vain for any scriptural or rational foundation for supreme "courts," having half a continent for their scope. This feeling of mine does not extend to Presbyteries." UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, June 7, 1859. Your alternative of a tour to the West [in preference to the South] would not have suited me at all. I know nobody there, and conveyances and railroads are not what I need. In Virginia I have mountains, numerous friends, at whose houses (as here) I can be sheltered, with sweet, rural quiet, and daily horse-exercise. I could not have come even here, if Dr. Cabell, with considerate kindness, had not gone to New York for me. At the time Dr. Delafield arrested my trip, my cough and expectoration were excessive. I had night-sweats, and my pulse was at 120. It has come down to 84. The journey has done me good, though I have very bad nights. The weather here has been almost cold the hills and mountains are beautifully clad, but the corn is not so high as in Jersey. Strawberries still linger, of fine quality, and plentiful. We shall probably remain some weeks here, and at a magnificent farm of Mr. Franklin Minor, about five miles off. ; After having written and printed a good deal about sickness, health, &c., I find there are pages of experience to turn over, which are quite new. Especially do I see that we may be brought into stumbling and stripping dispensations, of which the flesh with the affections and lusts, Gal. v. 24. Try yourself by this!' The incident made a deep impression on us both, carrying to our apprehensions at that time something of the supernatural. We have talked it over in later years, and there is reason to believe that it had a moulding influence on Johns's experience and life. Soon after this we became communicants, at our respective homes." 1 May 30.-"I have had a somewhat refreshing night's rest, which I have not had before during some weeks." In a few days (June 2) he set out with his wife and youngest child for Virginia. All his arrangements indicated that he thought it probable he should never return; and as the train passed Princeton his emotions gave unequivocal signs of his reflecting that it was likely to be the last view he should have of that endeared place. |