It would not be difficult to show that the arguments commonly adduced to prove the immortality of the soul are really worthless to such an end, but of great value to show the immortality of man. Of these, the first argument in Butler's first chapter is an eminent instance. Whatever force it has, it loses when wrested to the application which is there made of it. Nor must that wonderful book be interpreted as claiming that nature teaches a future state, but only as showing that the doctrine once known is not inconsistent with what we observe in nature. The utmost we suppose, therefore, which the light of nature can do, is to keep us from yielding to a crazy and imbecile infidelity. And he who does yield to it, does violence to his own nature, while the man who treads the heights of a sublime faith in all that the Christian's God has revealed us, is acting in accordance with his nature, and stands securely on the firm ground where nature feebly points us, but can not lead the way.

The unaided powers of the soul are capable of much more in every other direction than in that of religion. There, the malignity of sin specifically blinds us, and what the powers would otherwise be equal to, is by means of this kept from us. If it were not for this, it would be impossible to account for the meagerness of our attainments in this direction. When we compare what has been accomplished in other departments of investigation the highest attainments here seem meager indeed. The doctrine of man's immortality points so obviously at a resurrection as the means of accomplishing it, that the arrival at the conception of it seems almost inevitable. Yet the resurrection being once known to the whole race, and even then not retained, teaches us the depths of the depravity and the fierceness of the malignity against everything spiritual, of the fallen human soul. When the Apostle Paul discoursed at Athens, the multitude heard him patiently until he spoke of the resurrection of the dead, when some mocked, and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. This doctrine interferes with the reign of death, and consequently with the dominion of the God of this world. And herein has the enemy of all truth manifested much cunning, in that he succeeds in destroying the doctrine of Christ, without attacking that which is more patent. For inasmuch as the Lord

Jesus proposes to save men, and man is a compound being, his salvation is equally thwarted, no matter which of the component parts fails of the redemption; and the adroitness of the deceiver is manifest in this, that he attacks that which is not brought so prominently before us, and in behalf of which we are less jealous.

In view of all that has been said, we arrive at the conclusion that there is no immortality save through Jesus Christ. He brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. He did it by destroying death. As to what death is, all are agreed. It is the separation of soul and body. If immortality is brought to light by destroying death, it is by re-uniting soul and body. Immortality is the endless continuance of life, nothing else. Whether or not the soul after death, unkept by the power of God, would not fall into decay like the body, we can never know. The fact that it then exists, whether by its own force or because upheld by infinite power, is an earnest of the immortality that is to be perfected in the resurrection. The salvation of Jesus Christ is not only, therefore, the redemption of the righteous and their endless peace and joy, but a lasting triumph over death itself, accomplished by entering its dominions, bursting its bars, and leading forth from its demolished gates every human being ever brought beneath its power, and in changing millions of others in the twinkling of an eye, before they are smitten with its demolition. In meditating these high themes, let all men know that there is a second death not inconsistent with immortality, and unless they put their faith in Jesus Christ it is begun in them already; and let them seek now that endless life which begun in them here shall continue, and themselves live and reign with the Lord Jesus, when he shall have put all things under him, and there shall be no more death!

ART. V.-The General Assembly of 1862, of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.

SOME PRELIMINARY STATEMENTS.

A LARGE number of the readers of this Review are not members of the Presbyterian Church; but at the same time they are persons by whom that Church would naturally desire to be understood and appreciated; persons whose high culture and influential positions in life, make it at once a kind of duty on their part, and, we doubt not, a gratification to them, to accept the general information which we now propose to give. The rest of our readers-members of that Church-will readily observe that the following notes and comments on the General Assembly of 1862, are somewhat influenced by that consideration, as well as by others, too obviously connected with the state of the Church and the country, to need any special reference to them.

This Assembly convened in the First Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio, on the third Thursday of May, being the 15th day of the month: that Thursday of that month being the day on which this great Court of that Church has always met, annually—and on which the highest tribunal of a number of the other branches of the great Presbyterian family throughout the world, annually convene. The body was dissolved, as usual, by its own order, on the 27th day of May,-after being in session two weeks, lacking one day. There were in attendance on its sessions, about two hundred and fifty ministers and ruling elders: the number of the former somewhat exceeding that of the latter; though, by the constitution of the body, the number of each class is designed to be the same. Both classes of members are elected by the Presbyteries to which they belong― according to certain fixed principles: both are ordained persons-both are Presbyters-both are Commissioners; the former sit under the designation of Bishops, the latter under that of Ruling Elders.

The body thus constituted is a Court-not a Legislative assembly. It is the highest tribunal, and the bond of union between and above all the parts of the Church-and is called the General Assembly of the Church: that is, the Church itself in

assembly: not by all its Presbyters, but by delegations representing whatever the whole of them would represent, if all were present. The power of Rule in the Church, is held to be a joint power, and capable of being exercised only by tribunals, constituted in the name, and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. These tribunals are held to be composed only of ordained persons ;-all of whom are invested with such portion of the kingly office of Christ, as is delegated by him to his Church for her gathering, her protection and her advancement; and one class of whom, namely, ministers, are held to be further invested with whatever portion of the prophetic and the priestly offices of Christ, have been delegated by him to his Church, for her comfort, edification, and sanctification, and for the evangelization of the world. These tribunals are created in the following manner. A complete congregation of Christian people, has a minister and a certain number of Ruling Elders; all of whom jointly constitute the Court, or Tribunal, or Parochial Presbytery, or (as we call it) Church session: and every Presbyterian Church in the world is thus organized, when complete, under this Church session-created by election by the congregation, and an ordination which is in its nature Presbyterial. These congregations are not wholly independent of each other; nor is this Church session the only tribunal of the Church. But a certain number of these congregations, each with its session, unite spontaneously, or by order of a higher tribunal, and form a much larger body, which is called a classical Presbytery, or simply a Presbytery, and which embraces all those congregations with the tribunals of all of them. A certain number of these Presbyteries unite spontaneously, or by order of a higher tribunal, and constitute a Synod. And the whole denomination unites, as before explained, in its General Assembly. Historically-this is the way in which a few Presbyterian congregations spontaneously constituted on this continent within the two last centuries-have been developed into the numerous and powerful Presbyterian denominations, which now compose so vast an element of the religious life of the American people. Theoretically, it is held by most Presbyterians throughout the world, that this is the divine model, set forth in God's Word, for the ordering of the Christian Church. It will be observed by the thoughtful reader, that a

Spiritual Commonwealth thus organized, is complete, no matter how small it may be-while it is also capable of being extended over boundless space, and innumerable multitudes. It is, in its nature, free, popular, representative—yet with elements of stability and endurance, apparently perfect: an institute, very hard to derange, very easy to be rectified, almost incapable of destruction.

The Assembly, after being opened by a sermon by the retiring Moderator, the Rev. Dr. John C. Backus, of Baltimore, and being regularly constituted, held its sessions in the hall of the House of Representatives of the Ohio Legislature, which that body had invited this Assembly to occupy. The Rev. Dr. Charles C. Beatty, of Steubenville, Ohio, was elected Moderator this year. The unalterable habit of the body, prevents the election, a second time, of any Moderator; a habit founded in wisdom-but having some inconveniences, among the rest, that of exposing the court to the constant risk of having an unskillful presiding officer. Having sat in many Assemblies, and been present at most of the remainder, during thirty years, it is only just to say that we have seen few better Moderators of the Assembly, than Dr. Beatty. Dr. McGill, of Princeton, N. J., was elected stated Clerk of the Assembly (he had served for some years, with great credit, as its permanent Clerk), in place of Dr. Leyburn, late of Philadelphia-who had removed into the revolted States, and gone into the service of the schismatical Assembly lately set up in that region. We are not in possession of the minute of the Assembly touching this matter. There was some conversation in the Assembly about Dr. Leyburn's case-and about the general course proper to be pursued concerning the schism on several occasions. In the formal minute on the state of the Church and the country, which we print on a subsequent page--the Assembly expressly declined to take special action concerning that schism, at this time. In certain individual cases, it seemed necessary to remove persons charged with special duties which they had neglected, or could no longer perform, and appoint others in their place. It was the manifest feeling of the Assembly, that the restoration of the country ought to be followed, and might be followed by the restoration of the Church; a feeling which made itself manifest on the numerous occasions, and in the variety of ways, in