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$3 00 By Mail. $3 50 By Carrier. 1
50cts Additional after three Months. 1
gntrviran ,Ittoltgtttiait.
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1868.
A PERSONAL GOD AND SAVIOUR.
Great were, the privileges of personal inter
course with the Deity, and marvellous were the
tokens of His personal presence enjoyed under
the older dispensations. Enoch and Noah walk
ed with God, bolding converse with Him doubt
less daily. With Abraham God talked, as friend
with friend, so that his title of Friend of God,
has come down through Arabic tradition,.as well
as in the line of Old Testament Scripture. God
talked with Moses face to face; showed him the
terrors and the glories of His presence on the
Mount, held long discussions with him and heard
and seemed to yield to his remonstrances.
'When Israel, of the Lord beloved,
Out of the land of bondage came,
Her fathers' Clod before her moved,
An awful guide in smoke arid flame
By day, along the astonished lands
The cloudy pillar glided slow;
By night, Arabia's crimsoned sands
Returned the fiery column's glow."
Dean Stanley calls this sense of the overwhelm
ing greatness and nearness of God " the priMa
ry stratification of the Religion" of the Jews.
And he ingeniously explains the well-known ab
sence of frequent clear references to the Future
Life in the Jewish Scriptures, by this very pe
culiarity. "The Future Life," he says, "was
not denied or contradicted—but it was over
looked, set aside,,, overshadowed, by the con
sciousness of the living, actual presence of God
himself." A personal God, with visible and au
dible manifestations of Himself closely connected
with their outward daily life, may indeed be
conceived of as tending to limit the, religious as
pirations to the present life.
That which constituted the crowning point of
these visible, personal manifestations of Deity,
was also their end. The grandest of all such
privileges and the antitype of them all was the
sight of THE WORD MADE FLESH. Blessed
heir eyes who saw Hie glory, the glory as of the
Only begotten of the Father, full Of grace and
truth ! Yet a greater blessedness, under the
Gospel, was to follow this highest of blessings, in
which the Old Covenant shared with the New
and became one with it. It was expedient that
Christ should go away that the final and best of
all Dispensationi—that of His Spirit—should
come in now, no more to the outward sense and
in a comparatively limited sphere and upon great
and critical occasions only, but as a personal, yet
infinite Spirit. God the Son is present with the
spirits of all His people. Free as the wind that
bloweth where it liateth, close to the heart as
thought is to the mind, Christ lives in His peo
ple by His Spirit. "Lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world." If the reader
would compare the Old and New. Dispensations
as to the different modes in which God vouch
safes His presence in each, he may read the
thirty-thiril chapter of Exodus, in connection
with the first part of the eighth chapter of Ro
mans, and he will see how limited, how much, in
the sphere of the,senses, is the glory of the one;
and how profound, how spiritual, how identified
with the work of Redemption and bound up with
the Future Life is the other.
The personal, intimate presence of the living Ro:
CI comer, with His people, is a blessed fact, as much a
filet and a far more blessed fact than the visible, au
dible manifestations of God under the old Covenant
sir than the presence of the Word made flesh
among the men of His own generation. That
presence is a fundamental fact in a genuine,
living Christian experience. Christ is with us
liy His Spirit, not a mere power, influence, or
transcendent mystery, but, as we believe, a fact
it the consciousness of the heliever, a some
ibing which he may more or, less .distinctly and
ilytically know to be besides and above him
, IC; Spirit speaking without the aid of the me
,iii'inism of eye or ear or nerve, directly to spirit;
messing—that is the inspired terni—giving in
t pendent testimony with our spirits, to the great
~ perimental, consoling truths of Christianity.
We urge upon every child of God the duty
' , nil the privilege of this spiritual form of expe
rience under theiNew Covenant. Know the joy,
l i t: strength, and the purifying power of an in
v. aid sense of a perional, present Redeemer.
.k to make it part of your every-day life.
With it, as a far better guide and support than
visible Shekinah, make your pilgrim-journey
rough the temptations and trials, 'and under
burdens of life, towards the river of death
xi 1 the promised land. Attempt not to live
only by the power of abstract, or imperson
convictions, but connect with the highest
'' l l.(‘ of duty,' of love, of gratitude, a personal,
the present exercise of whose grace
15ju1y69
saves you, whose present approval you are to
gain, who is a living, almighty Friend closer at
your side to rescue you from your enemies, and
whom your sins grieve into withdrawal, to your
deep discomfort and injury. Venture 'nowhere,
unless you have reasonable &round to believe He
will go with you. Make the prayer of Moses
one of your daily, hourly supplications: If Thy
presence go not with us, carry us not up hence.
SPEECH OF THE .REVe DR. IHUSGRAVR
Before the Old School General Assembly at
Albany.
In a recent nuniber of our paper we called at-'
tention to the speech of the Rev. Dr.' Shedd,
before the Old School General Assembly. The
speeches there made, by prominent members of
that body, are of special significance as interpre
ting the action of that body, or as enabling us
to understand in what sense the basis of re-union
was adopted, and with what expectations it was
sent down to the Presbyteries fbr their action.
In this respect, the speech of Dr. Musgrave
may be supposed to have a special significance
and value. Dr. Musgrave was' the Moderator of
the Assembly, and, as such, his views might .be
supposed to represent the prevailing:views of the
Assembly. But, in addition to that considera
tion, we are told expressly in the Report of the
speech that he was ",requested to nddress the
Assembly;" as if his position would give ; to his ,
remarks a special importance, or,,as if he was
supposed to be in, possession of facts , which might
be of special value in determining the action of
the body.
The part of his speech which, in this respect,
has a special significance, is the following :
"Our New School brethren.have also approached
us doctrinally. I believe them much sounder, as a
body, than they were thirty years ago. They will
not now tolerate things which they tolerated then;
nor do we now call men to account for' a' Word. We
now allow differences of opinion amongst ourselves,
which we did not then a110w... I conscientiously .be
lieve that nine-tenths of them are substantially as or
thodox and sound ris we ourselves. A few still adhere
to their old heresies. But these will soon be 'gone
and their errors will be corrected by a perfect sancti
fication in glory. h would have no union in which
errors cannot be disciplined. We enter into thisunion
because they_ say they . agree•- with . us. lAA , us ` men
unite, but let us discipline them if they are riot with
us. We shall be in the majorityy and, with Dt. Breck
enridge's half, we shall have a large majority. My
opinion is that every real heretic should be disciplined
for his heresy. With this. understanding, let uweriter
into this union."
On this extract, as representing, we may pre
sume, a very respectable portion of the Old
School Branch of the Church in reference to the
question of Re-union, we propose now to Make a
few remarks.
The. Rev. Dr. Musgrave has,been,as divergent,
if the term may be allowed, from views once at
tributed to him, if not actually held by him, as
perhaps any one connected with the Old School
denominatiod. In the year 1830 he was referred
to by the late Dr. Robert Baird, as a young man
of large and liberal views; as sympathizing with
Dr. Skinner, the Rev. James Patterson, the'Rev:'
John L. Grant, and men of that class, - in his
opinions in theology, and on the proper means
promoting revivals of religion, in contradistinc-.
tion from the views of the Rev. Dr. Green,:the
Rev. William M. Engles, the Rev. George PottS,
and the men of that - class; and' as a man Who
would be found 'on the side of the former of
these gentlemen in the controversies ,which, it
was foreseen, would be likely to arise on' the re
moval of the Rev. Mr: Barnes to the 'pastoral
charge of the 'church on Washingtdri' Square.
There, were, at that time, few mon 4/ the resby
terian Church who were so wellacquaintedwith
the views of the ministers of the Church, and
especially in and around Philadelphia; - aS Dr.
Baird; and if his estimate of the 'views` of Dr.
Musgrave was correct, then his subsequent course,
for nearly forty years, will .justify the remark,
which we have made, that there are few men in
the Old School body whose course has been more
divergent from the line on which he , started; arid
from what was anticipated of him—for there' ie
no man who has been a more firm, constant, uni
form, consistent and resolute Old - School man
than Dr. Musgrave.
His conversion to his present views on the
subject of Re-union is supposed to have occurred
about the time of the meeting of the Union
Convention in this city, in Dr. Wylie's church,
last autumn ; and the, beginning of his attach
ment for his New School brethren, and his de
sire to be identified with them, is supposed, so far
as the public has any knowledge on the !subject,
to synchronize with that event. He distinguished
himself in that Convention by hiss efforts' to se
cure a re-union ; he was most hearty arid fervent,
and we doubt not, sincere in his public prayers
that this might be accomplished. .-
We have already remarked that from the po
sition of Dr. Musgrave, his views are to be re=
garded as of special S in interpreting ,
the action of the Old School Asseuthly,.and:in
PHILADELPHIA,
enabling us to understand in what. manner that
Assembly understood the Basis of. Re-union,
when they submitted it to the PresbYteries for
their action. Dr.' Musgrave vieiVs,'Of the sub
..,
ject, as Opressed in this speech; are comprised
in the following particulars:
(1.) That the New, School "brethren" have
"approached the Old Acictrinally."
(2.) That there ' Veen an approac of the
,•
Old School towarile the New.,
(3.) That there are, notwithstandiug some , still
in the New School bcidp" who adhere to their
old heregies."
(4.) That, in
notwithstan g is, a union o u
4 I th . sli
be consummated between xlm two. , , .
(5.) That, on the consuinmation of the union,
c
the United Church should , roceed. forthlvith to
the work of discipline, in - o der' that the Church
may become pure and the. ,' what with the re
~.: i, .
moval of a part .of the ; remaining heretics , by
death, and of the, rest by displine, ,the Church
would have before it the prep cot of ,-a speedy and
perfect sanctification', or ora perfect union.
The first orthese points het has expressed in
the following language : ..0•Our New School
brethren have approached its dOperinally. I be•
' lieve them sounder as a•body than they were thirty
years ago." Dr. Musgrave has not statedon what
evidence he has form - edthis view, and it • would
certainly. be difficult for him,_ or an I)9.e' else, to
refer to any, proof on ille, subject. :There have
been no declarations of prespreries,,Synods, or
. of the General Assembly, implying that there has,
been-any change, in then' doctrinallviews in thirty
years. There has been L) disivOwarcif the doe=
trinesaffirmed in'the Protest orthe w nii
nprity in
1 • . liiiii4
1837, designated as. the i ' T„rpe,, Doctrines,':; ands
adopted at the Aubarn-Conventionas 'expressing
the-views.of the New School Church; there has
been no material' change in the current literature
aid, , , „ ;
,_ . . • :4. ,
of the body, , so far as :flppeais, there has
been no marked change in th,e style, and charac
ter of the preaching. , ,ilt.'wonld ebe difficult, -we
think, to find more merCin the New SchoblUhnich
who preach the doctrine of "ii,limited atonement,`
or the doctrine of natural i4litx, Or., the .doc,
trine of the imputation of'adam's iiin, in, the.
sense that his. posterityare 'bl'ameworthy fdr it,
than there were =thirty years' ago. Therse''Were,
none then; there are none now';; ,at least, Di: Mti,s:
grave refers to none.
In regard to the second of these. points; that
there had been• an,, approximation of the Old,
School to the New, it would be have been equally
difficult te'refer to any public:eviden'ee'that there
had been `any such apiirnUation. ,Therelhad
been no "deliverances," to use their own langua
tge; on the subject,---there had been no acts'of
'Presbyteries, Synods, or the General Assembly,
indicative of any snch change. - There'had been
the' ,
up to time of this speed' no authorized ut ;
teiance, by oily Qld School ,body in theland, of-,
firming that the viewS„entertaine'd, by the Old
School at, the time. of the division of the Church
werdttloo rigid, severe,'stern / and that the views
atthat'tiine entertained b'y, the New 'School body
were , sound, and , orthodox. Their. Theological
Seminaries, had - not, changed . the; model of i their
teaching; their Board ofPublieatiOn had with=
i
drawn none Of the 'bnoks sstad . by'thern as ex
pies.iie of the Old Schnol theolpgy, nor have
they 'admitted into their catalogue, any books in
culeating New, School doctrineap,their principal
'Periodical-- The' Printean , ./i'eviett—Atai underi
gone' no change; and iheir recent publications
not connected With , their Publication Board, do
not differ materially , from what,they were thirty
.years ago. ,One,of the books recently commended
by the Old School Church most highly, is Dr. A:
A. Hodes book on the Atonement. lt contains'
no New 'School views ; It
,makes no, approxima
tion to the New School, manner of Tepresenting
the Atonement. There is not a , statement, pro
'bably in it, which would not have been approved'
.by Dr. Gireen; by Dr Junkin; the Rev. WM.
3.i.`Engl i es,,d there is net a statement in it per
taining to the Atonement, in reference to which,,
if an opposite opinion had been ,expressed; thoie
gentlemen would not have regarded 'the 'authof
'as departing from the faith, and as justly charc , e-'
able with heresy.
The third point in Dr. Mnsg,rave,s addtess is,
that there are, notwithstanding, some in the New
School body, who adhere to their'old :heresies."
Who they are, or how "numerous theY,lpaY be,
he has not'inf4irmed u. t Nohames are Mention- .
ed, no , indications are., given, as to,,those , who
should be subjected to " after'.. the.
Union shall be , consummated, All:that• can , he in
ferred froth his langjiage i is, th.t they'are probably
those who were in the, tchureh at the time of the.
division, since , they,are ,referred, to as those who
adhere to.their old hethesies : 'not as those 'who
have embrace& heretileal 'cloetrines recently. It
would have been instructive at least if' th e e ; Mod
eititor of the Old Schpoj ,Assenthly,, who ,had
litures i9 111111411111 t,t0,000.
--g have beenLt
' •
taip --
in the R
nher oraaniz 4 0_868.
tei
country in millet', - . e his views
gAse who have disregaittedTl
we, and have perverted - risei,,,,,strid h ,
• ." rescind their illegal
y
THU
RSDAY JULY
been. especially " regnesced" tog,
ards the
the snbjedt, had informed the body w w iip i -,„, 4 i t mi . i i,
numerous, they were, that the,',Ublted 'Chun ,
and Day
Might have fa clear comprehension, 'd the, nature I '
and extent of the •qcrjc_ef disciphne.befte. it.
The fourth , pointotin Dr. MnsgraVefs' spedch'is,
that the 'Union offtlielwo bodies'bhould be eon
stiininated'ndivithatindinittiiis: ifie l Whele ar.
gument is to this Act He declaresPPMK
the. Union. He g employed all his influence To liave
the proposition robot down to thel'resbyteries for
adoption. That isjithe OA School Chinch idiow
urged to recer;Pe back those whom they" nought to,
expel thirtjfOtii-: years` ago; against whom the
" Act and Testimony" Was patised; on whose ac
count mainlithe,Church was rent asunder,;, and
against whose opinions the " deliverances" of the
Old . School boili.have",:been constant, urgi9vVat
ing, and clear, for a period .1f more than thirty
years.
The,remainingpoint relates to the views of , Dr.
Musgrave' as ta"the manner in which the united
Church is to he made and kept pure after the
union shall be consummated.' On this point his
views are - expressedwitheut ambiguity or, hesi
tancy. The methods are two: Death and ,Disei
piine; the 'act, of God and the act of the Church.
Of the former of theselmethods he says: " These" ,
[the few who adhere to their 'Old heresies] " will
soon be ' gone, and their errors will be corrected
by a perfect sanctification in glory." The other,
method, is by the action of men---141the Chunk.
Thus he says,' would have no unitmlin which
errors cannot be ' 'We l enteij in'tO ttis
unio'n 'because they 'say [the italics are ours] they
agtee Let us, then
,pnite, but let • us
discipline,- them if they are not with,us: we
shall , be in the Majority: My 'opinion is that
every real heretic should' be disciplined for his
heresy'. WITH THISDE
,UNRST*NDING, LET US
TEH T IFTO THIS, EN
. UNIOIf." , T
How far ;these rvieWs-express the sentiments of
the Old , SchOol'Assembly, - we' have no means of
judging. The sentiments of the Moderator, how
evek, :aij?Sar have been received with no
marked distienkor clisEipprobation, and, we think;.
one cannot be wrong regarding •them , its inter
preting, in ;some 'degree; %he actieit `of 'the Ah 7
seMbly at Albany and illnitratinc; aninzus'
with which the," pasis",is sent down for the ac
tion of the Old School. Presbyteries.
Assuredly, if the views of Dr: Musgrave, are
a properinterpretation of the action of 'the Old
School Assthnbly, it ;is not difficult to anticipate
what may,beeipected to follow on, the consum
mation of the Union.
'By those who 'have been familiar in any de
gree with the history of the Presbyterian . Church,
it, will be recrillected that all this is much in a
line with the action of that part constituting the
Old, ~School pertioto of the Church hiiherto:
There - seems to be soniothing fascinating to, their
minds generally, as there is ,evidently to the, mind :
of. Dr.,Mupgrave, inthe idea of," It
wavin this way that _theyendeavored to •purify
the Church thirty-five years ago. They aeleeteil
three cases' otit of , iriany,'and madethose cases
proininent in the Church; in the attempt, to sup
press a heresy; and failed in each of them. Their
course since the' dioifion has been much in the
same line; their fondness for"discipline," his been
rnanifeeteil at almost,PTery meeting.oi their Gen
eral Assembly. In the thirty years in which the
New Scheel' has existed as a' separate body, 4e'
think we, may• safely say that, there have hot
been fife eases' of complaint or appeal to be ad-'
, •
judicate& before the General Assembly; We think
we may say, with equal truth 'that .. theie t ; has
ra:relYbeen a single meeting of the,General As•
-
sembly of the Old School-in which there has not*
been quite that • number,, in • onehran or •another
before the body. The perfection off the Church
will be when these cases shall be "multiplied, and
when , an abundant opportunity shailloe fuinished
for 'Manifesting the power of the:piiUrbli;in pre-'
serving its intritY i#l this manner. , "IW • OULD
HAVE," says Dr. Musgrave, " 'onion IN WHICH
EE ORS.. CANNOT. DISCIPLINED." This is to
tie , millenitun of the Church.sof Christ on earth;
this," if Dr.-Musgrave hai doirectly expounded
the vieivof the Old School body, is, the pros
pect with which the,New School, will, enter the
Union.
The . .,/: 4 o4)yterian , of July 18th has an
article nearly twor columns long: on-the " Pitts
burgh 'Circular," which proposes a 'different
of Re-Union from that adoPted,by the As
semblies. professes to notice our own, article
'on * the sameiCircular, but while,it urges, through
a columwand a half, the superiority of the -sim
ple Confession , of Faith as the doctrinal Basis, it
haS not a word tcri4Y upon our proposal to
tho right of examination where it is ; left, by
Constitiitiou of I the Church..
fius
ws we have t
ViVangelist, No. 1157.
'Adders $2.50 H. Miss. $2.00
CRITICAL Sksq-,-.1334 Chestnut Street
It must be ad mitL 'lE LATE GENERAL
by' no means a modei,7.
Wafrtictil
cana 6 le
out of
of con
wais is
as all
It was
to hiss
tidn was intense' 'At - times a dozen or even 7
score, would be, on their feet at once, demanding
the flotor. The excellent brother in the chair,•
lacki.'ng the, peremptory element, which, combin
ed with courtesy; ieso indispensable to an effi
cient Moderatorship, was often ~completely at a
loss. Things got quite beyond his management.
And it was quite often that the, duties'of his of
flee were supplemented bythe , sag,acityjof a clerk
or of a member on the floor. The _Moderator
was perhaps too conscientious to,. make speedy
decisions which might not be correct:, or he was
devoid of that prompt judicial instinct, which, in
the governing mind, runs so far ahead . of ieflec 7 ,
tion, and becomes so satisfactory a reliance to its
possessor and those under his direction.
`But if the Modersitor, was not peremptory,
therewas undoubtedly a peremptory tone in the
body on Re-nnidn.' Strong convictions seemed,
to he felt on this subject, cropping out in an
patience of delay and of opposition; Re-union
men seemed to feel, or unconsciously to intimate,
that theirs alone was th&true Scriptural and ex
perirnentollY pious side of the question. Doubt-
19s without any such design, these strong feel
imp led to some of the, breaches of courtesy and
good order; to, which we have referred, and
which startled some `members and obserlers
resemblance to scene not unfrequently witnessed
in ariothcr. ri
t
Presbyean Assembly, where arbi
trary rule is more common. shang in .ours. i The
events we. refer to, are such- as : 'O9 Th'e difft-'
culty with` which tEr. l 'P l atierZon obtained the,
[finer to present — hi§' dissy etiling!..4inion, and the
414, almost i amounting failure, to secure a
,reference of:his paper afterwards,,to the'Special
Comniittee. ,, Mr. , Eva, of 'this 'city, twice tried to
secute'thig letter point; but the tolerable notice,'
of the Moderator was oaly gained when Prof
H. B. Smith reiterated the, neglected motion of
*Mr. Eva. (2) When Dr: Patterson yielded the
flodr on Wednesday afte i tnoon' for adjourninent,
Dr. Adams, Chairinan of the Joint Committee;
not member' of the body, was, introdi
meet some of pr.'„l' t is statements, ,as Dr. A-was
about leaving 1 - :larrisburg, and noltnither'tippov ,
tunity Would . have been allowed
But the tone of the conelhding,'pri'loosl!;:.Q.'s".'
remarks it dennneiatlon of opponents 9 t : Re r .
union was, such. An to lgave,the..Asiemblyin a
very high state .of.excit,emerit,4.iiiPns 'midst .
7 hich a: motion was made '
for
• Re2uniob the queAiiin" l articles'
be taken at once, notwithstanding the unfinished .
condition of f.:ir.,Patterson'A peech: ...It was only,
after Dr. attention to
this position , olthingS, that sad=
dect and' all motion's were '& l 4We j g-5 ,There
was a clispositiorynaiLifested on the . part of leadl•li
ing friends of tho,ltteeigi t gf, tifoa*eXAteport to
thrust upon those who objected
tide,' but whe' were dot' n kifigibiett; W 4464
as a whol4, the an , 477 e of,voting efther di
rectly for. 'or against gie,Tenill. krtic.lA, and so
for or againskthu whole,Report, AS an indivisible
document. It was•with very great difficUlty that •
these persons goti:the 'opportimity which" they
sought of epreising dissent from the' otii,Ar
tide without being put I,n, the, negative. on the
entire subject ; FinalJy,when through the in
vention and persistence and grand. vocal ability
of Rev. W. T. Eva, aided by Dr. Butler, the
Permanent Clerk, the permission was gained and
the, roll 1(
was; about to. be called in order, the same
zeal,qus,layman whom we have before mentioned, -
rose •up, and• with an unpardonable breach of
'order and courtesy, put it to the consciences of
the brethren that, in disienting from the Tenth
Article in this manner, they were t going before:
the world with thesame moral impression which
would follow a downright negative vote ! He
was not interrupted or:rebuked; and a brother
on the other gide, 'whe attempted to prolonWthe
scene of disorder by, saying something,,to : break
;the force of these, remarks, was forbidden.to 'pro- •
• ; •
-These are' Some{ Of the ekplanatioim of the dis
order' which it'various :times for three days tiik
fortunate)), Marred, the proceedings. We speak'
of them, not'its l•rep . reSenting any itgg,rieved
but simply in the way of a frank criticism; sq..;
to furnish. out little cotittibution { to' the'•pieseiva; 3 ,
tion of { - things . scr! preeidias"al ,l the`dfgnityind -{
scrupulous 'OW highest ebolesiastioil l .
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