New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-02

A COVe0anIeI, III an luIcIosbiuB ACbtOA "hAOh
breathes the spirit of the faith describes the charac-
ter and teachings of that most orthodox OF minis
tiers, the Rev. DR.. James r. Wilson. who is NEIL
toned rs among the last who deserved the name
of Covenanter. The account of DR.. Wilson natur-
ally involves the history Of the rise and fall OF the
Albany Church of the Covenanters.
DIR. WILSON AND HIS ALBANY FLOCK.
THE WORLDLY SACRIFICE HE MADE TO BECOME
THE LEADER OF SMALL BAND or PRIMITIVE
CHRIsTTANS-FIGHTING PRIDE AND VAIN-GLURY
--CENsURING THE AMERICAN FATHERS.
TO The EDITOR or The Tribune.
SIR: AS one test of the public mind in re-
gard religious person try to and
remnant even who remember with respect tire
Solemn League and Covenant :" or who venerate the
memory OF the saints ana sufferers whose moral and re-
giuus neamcnts preserved TO us by the pencils Of
Woodrow and John Fox 1t is my belief that the fortune
Of Dogenes would attend on such search prosecuted
with more lanterns than the Cync employed; ana
that its outcome would bnt establish the sOrrowful fact
that faith Of the Primitive Church, its ecclesiastical
habtudes and traditions. longer hold place in the
thoughts or affections of the masses Of the people.
Since boyhood and am now old, have not seen
Covenant who was much more than Ieiess eDgS OI
that nOblest OF human characters. Indeed, am not
without fear that the species has become extinct inc
last to deserve the name, Of whom had personal
knowledge, was the Rev. DR.. james +. Wilson, who,
long ago. entered into the rest that remaineth for
such as lie Having occasion to seek
him, I met q raw-bOned man OF almost
gigantic stature and OF great severity OF cOuntena ncc
He seemed to be about the of seventy yet his hair
was but little If at all banched, and favored an i'm
uressi.n that his bodily vigOr WAS unmpaired. His
brOws wcro blshy. OYoThaaging, and appeared the
more prominent because owing to the loss Of teeth his
cheeks had fallen H. Hl5 cOlloquia tone was sngullry
soft OF his proportions. and gave no hint of
reserved force that enabled him at will to pat forth
perfectly stentoriln ! learned from his friends
that he was at the head Of educational bshment
In Philadelphia, enJOying salary prOpOrtloned 10 his
great at ainmcpts. When 1t came to his knowledge
that mt q hamlet called ColdenLam. near Nevburg, q
score Of the true flock were subsstinS without
sherhcri. he threw his conspicuous and wellpaid
position and ministered to that omnlDu load Of saints
during several years. living the while largely upon
and SALT his salary in none Of the years exceeding
$3.50 There happened to he another fragment OF be-
levers IN s spiritual desert, Albany, aud In process
OF time he became IT'S pastor This congregation, now
ever rich in faith had been spared the stewardship OF
much o. the wealth OF this world and the Doctor found
It expedien to exc out his income by teaching school,
fret heard him preach in the wooden building. still
standing on the corner of North Pearl and Orangests
the live whence had swarmed at IN earlier day irst the
Baptsts and then the Methodsts.
The isolation OF this little company from the surround
ing community was due chiefly to the unhappy circum
stance, that llere WIS TeBumJ HO CNu
which the people OF God could in conscience recognize
as OF divine ordination. IN Dr. Wilson's phrase, "God
had been deliberately voted out OF the American
CONSTITUTIONS; wherefore His people could not
accept 20 contemptuOus an instrument. This eriev-
GUS defect IN the fundamental law formed
the burden Of many OF bis dlscOurses. Not
that he counsee resistance to the authority In exercise
undcr IT, but he did insist upon absolute and complete
dIsuse OF every political franchise and method from
which submmission to 1t could be inferred. "Touch
not taste not, handle not the uncican thing expresses
the policy he cnjoned and was adopted by his people
elections nlerdlctcd but the Folding OF oce under
The Government WAC too mOnstrOus 10 be Thought o.
except as the utmost limit OF apostacg.
cESsURING DEAD STATESMEN AND QuARREILING
WITH THE LEGISLATURE.
The goddess feature OF the Constitution melted the
doctor TO frequent discussions OF the moral and religious
ouates OF the who made It, and while IT panied no
one 10 hear Jefferson, and the "lewd fellows OF the
haser Sort" who thon now. mainly made mp his fol-
lowing denounced Atheists. Frecthnkers and what
not his Impeachment OF the pioy Of Washington, VINO
caused irritation among of his hearers. Il ap
peafrd that Dr. A6ercrOmbe: whose church Washington
attended when IN Phi adcphia had told Davidson that
on communion occasions Washington was accustomed
tn withdraw before the sacrament had been admins
tered, which mOurnfn CIRCUMSTANCE ~ Mis99 T'aled
became embroilcd with the House Of Assembly.
motion mS nv was made to invite the clergy OF The
city to open ia daily sessions by ITayer Mordeeai
tested some opposition s9p;eGueny. Dr. Wilson re;
the men who crucited the Lord OF Lie and Glory to
object to prayer in an aSsenOaSe processing TO 10
christian. The House declared itself insucd by this
t1unt 10 one Of It's members aud revoked the appoint.
mcnt OF the offending clergyman as one OF lis chapains
the doctor reminded II that he could scarcely DO
nellcd from position he had neither sought nor o"cu-
| HE'D rne congregation certainly WAS enlarged by
eg"l II ms of this public nature hut the church
| was not was II strengthened IL was perceived
mhprto had nroyOkrd nothing but contempt, began
| now to ahrIde the thn-sklnnod among us;
WhnG WINS called public OPINION and by cOwardly sus-
| eestons that something apoluGctc or conciliatory
| would wei! beht our CIRCUMSTANCES sill dlopslcal
sort OF prOsnety attended Us, nnd IN somewhat pnny
condition migrated to new brick ediheo u Westero-
ST.. much more cleglnt anu C9 ON tnaii
the old that watchfuness was needed 10 Keep down
Knit With ns came also not few of the distractions
had hoped leave behind. may say lnde H. mat The
new roof covered more perpr%its h1 'h I % QUE.
and some Of them were hkeiaEhleu lmo H ., was
| uroioundy alarmed and wounded by trustworthy AS
suranccs that, among leading members OF his church,
men could he found who, II they had not sought official
station would by M means seUrn II wnen altalhhIle
lie denounced moro vehementy than ever tn" ain winch
Ind proved seductive enough 10 misead angels and po-
| tent enough to disturb the pcace of heaLcu-uuha-
LIVED low ag m" ,bt seasons Of calamity are often
picccd Il or attended by manifestations so inconsistent
fcrrcd To nothing else than Divine interference win
the laws that control human affairs Anont rms time u
| came To be known that some among Us had Deen IN.
duIgrd wh visions which, fairly interpreted 1nsined
fears Of woe To- cone ao WI, IA" ymuse Of S@
elf olnr 10 and frO" as In jobs time but whether
shc vas IN the body out OF the body at the mo-
mcnt she was rs little able TO say as saul once was;
nrlthpr would she reveal tho name of member who SD
| strisiuey rrsembleu the 1end that he might have
n,ssr,l tr his own While thus distracted y doubts
md fears news came that Dr. wyc. one ofOur idealsI
had almost written idols and his soD had gone 10 the
MI In Philadelphia. and In the face OF the uminary
hat betrayed the act, but did not withhold It's light
hnd-VotPd OstcnhtiOus recognition OF tho ire
I,ous government AGAINST which we were bearing 80
uohir "A testimony Ibis 4" the feather That broke
The camel's back" Our church rent rs II by nitro
gIvcerine The whole society had constituted only
fragment and by this upOstaey tuere was lett Ony 'he
| fragment OF II fragment
TURNED OUT OF THE NEW TEMPLE
The brick temple whose auty had allured us TO the
PRIDE had been butt largely at the cost OF the
only really rich member of the society, who retained
l,p upon II that entitled him To control the building
HIS conformation OF Dr. Wylics detection rendered It, In