The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1872-11-20
Home, home, etc.
For THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.

BRUSSELS, October p, 1872.
Dear Brother Brolgn
did not promise to write to you or r.
W. Hunter, because I knew that would
have to write a number Of private letters,
and did not know what command of my time
would have. But the fullest letter l have
written was to my daughter, Mrs. HOge,
which you can get by writing for it. IspOke
Of the travel from Liverpool, and of what
had seen in london no to Sunday 9th.
That was a glorious day, feast of fat
things. We went to hear DR.. Cumming.
It was communion Sunday. The pulpit
stands in the side of the church, the pews
are high backed, aud perpendicular, all cush-
iOned; but the interesting services soon made
US forget the discomfort of the seats. The
preacher is tall and thin with fine intellec-
tual face, full Of benevOlenee. His voice is
low and sweet, but his enunciation so clear
and distinct that he could be heard on the
lower floor, and in the deep amphitheatri-
cal galleries; all the pews above aud below
looking towards the preacher. He CON-
menced With a hymn in Rouses version.
The singing was led by a choir, the cOngre-
CATION generally joining-there was no in
strument, but all the music vocal. Like the
voice Of the preacher, it was soft and sweet.
He commenced with reading a portion of
the 11th chapter Of 1st Corinthians, which
he then expounded in a clear, beautiful and
instructive manner for fifteen or twenty min
utes. I forgot to say that the first hymn
was followed by beautiful and appropriate
prayer After the exposition there was an
other prayer, then another hymn. Then
came the sermon on the text Looking unto
Jesus" Nothing could exceed it in beauty
and spirituality. He said We were not to
look TO the church, or the priest, or the
preacher, or the communion, or the forms,
but to Jesus. He explained the nature Of
Faith, Looking, } in a simple and beauti'
fal manner. He invited all Christians in
any branch Of the Church Of Christ to com
munieate, requesting strangers to signify
their wish to one Of the elders. Each com
municant laid a shilling on the little prOjec
ton running the length of every pew, and
the deacons passed along and collected the
contributions. The services at the table
Ike everything else, we're beautiful and ap
propriate. Oa the whole it was one Of the
sweetest and most delightful cOmmunions
ever attended I had left my own church il
Baltimore to commune in Mr.. Jones tht
Sabbath before left home, not knowing
that should enjoy such season again il
many long months.
Monday morning we breakfasted in Lon
don, and we're borne rapidly in one Of the rail
road coaches to Dover, through beautiful.
cultivated country, in two hours. Enbarke,
in q small steamer we tossed on a terribl,
rough sea, almost every lady suffering in
tensely with sea sickness, but in less thai
two hours we were safely landed at Calais
There We took the cars again, passing thrOug
fat country all the way to Brussels
The contrast between France and EGG
land was very striking. The husbandr.
much more sloyenly, the buildings small
mean, and dilaPidated. At the Belgian lin
We were stopped, and all the baggage take
out to undergo a merely formal examination
As at Liverpool, the officers were gentleman
ly, opening only one of our trunks, and the
passing all the baggage, showing every disp'
Gtion to avoid annoyance to travellers. Fc
such annoyanees you must come to our Ow
free country.
Entering Belgium the whole face Of tt