ahr, ic . 11.. 7!itv,:bpirrian New Series, Vol. V, No. 3^ JohnAWeir 15ju1y69 PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 'lB6B. $3 00 By Nail. $3 50 By Carrier. 50oto Additional after three Months. 1 gtmrritaitgrulaghttian. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1888. SUPREMACY OF THE SPHERE OF FAITH. Who, by searching, can find out God? 4 ques tion which gives a hint of •the limits of the rea soning faculties. By themselves, they cannot in troduce us to the highest objects of human inter est. The stream' 'cannot rise 'higher than its fountain. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is within the reach of reason, must belong to the sphere of reason; Amon, indeed, in its right exercise, would make us aware of its own limits and so point obscurely, to something beyond itself. Rightly used, it would be ready to receive and act upon truth, originating in a• source beyond its own powers of discovery, as its highest privilege and most beneficent exercise. But its great, radical fault, and the proof of its share in the fall, is its perverse disposition to ar rogate to itself the supremacy among the faculties and to rule out everything that will not render an account at its bar. The supreme power of the soul is that which makes us cognizant of supreme truth; that which ranges beyond reason's utmost confines among spiritual realities; that which produces conviction without an intervening process ,of reflection and ratiocination; that which never has asked and never will ask of such processes the right to its conclusions, or the means of defending them.. The conclusions of science based':on the adthitted imperfect testimony of the senses and the defec tive and uncertain operations of the understand, ing, must be inferior in authority to the absolute assertions of the faith-principle; the varying and often contradictory phases of scientific preposi tions and systems cannot claim comparison with, the eternal realities of faith; the scientific ten dency, which is felt and which can be followed by the few only, , cannot aspire to dominate the universal characteristic yearning of the 'human race; science, which makes us better acquainted with the relations of our material and temporal existence, must be regarded as the most danger ous of the foes of humanitrifiti4fUSeeto the comparative insignificance of, its whole, sphere, and its subordination to that class of truths which points to mates higher destiny, his celestial relations and his kindred to 'Deity, and if it claims to comprehend absolutely the whole of man's interests. Self-love, self-respect, con science, hope, aspiration, the yearning for rest, in perfect truth and perfect love, the outcry of con scious guilt and the fearful apprehension of judg ment to come, the sigh of the broken hearted— these deep voices of the soul affirm, with linen-, swerable emphasis, the supremacy of the objects of faith over every possible result of the processes of mere thought. The most carefullyr:drawn con_ elusions of science, which contradict the funds_ mentals of faith—the 'existence of 'a personal God, and of an immortal inimaterial soul, the possibility of miraciles and of a revelation, the distinction between right and wrong and the future state Of ewards and punishment, the need and, the possi ); fifty of an atoning sacrifice and a perfeot Saviour, mustgo down. No amount of argument, no chain demonstration cap establish conclusions in the Orld which are at war with , thstwhie4 supplies 1.8 downright necessities of living men. The iffiest achievements of science cannot suppress, the heart of man, a joyful echo to that faithful' ying, that Jesus Christ came into the world save sinners. Even after the hopedfor triumph the godless, material science of our day, and silencing of the pulpits and the schools of elegy, the aching void of the soul will secretly onstrate the indestructible vitality of the, h-principle, and it will, abide its time and take revenge in new and stupendous forms, of au _tition, if not allowed its natural and legitiMate• se as man's guide and governor• through the Such results, though their possibility in ,this llenwoild is Admitted, we do not for a moment nticipate. But amid whatever vicissitudes, we re sure the victory must be with that.principle f faith "which o'Vercometh the world." This tone the builders may refuse, but it shall be the eadstone of the ,corner,, Thosoever shall fall pon it shall be:brolon, hilt upon whomsoever' it hall fall, he shall be,-ground to powder. Dar Amid such vast convulsions' of_ nature as he late South Amerimin earthqualle, the query uggests itself, what is thdretio hinder'ilui still idet Otead of such devafitatioSlUUtilliilolvds he wholli • globa, and the Calie race Of man ? " hat•is, Qur confidence in the stability ofuur) arthly :surroundings ? The merely • scientific ad ltse' nothldg but vaguei ot, tthibifig that can be called SifitUsWei„iiillie' question. The believer in God'sprovidence and in the plan of Redemption, can • promptly' say : the world is certain to be preserved , until the moral ends of its creation , are answered. It is saved from general catastrophe for' the ' sake of the Church. Nature is no: blind . ir l ieSPoOsible force, but is controlled to work out end. than its own. Under. these higher ruling ob jects alone, it can claim to be !called a Cosmos. Rightly read, nature . testifies most clearly to moral ends in her awn " structure. The' .great geological catastrophes, , eras, and progress, in, ages past, all join to.point to man, and to prepare this world to be. his home, his workshop, and' his temple. We canodt 'doubt ' that' such`':leaser; though dreadful catastroPhies; as we Fitness, are equally'under Prbvidential, Control, and , eqoallY tributary to the interests of our race. THE TREATY 'WITH CHINA. • The most secludectand inaccesaihla of foreig,9 nations hitherto, the tote most reluctant to form relations with 'others, and the -most' arrogant in' its Self-importance and• self-sufficienc,y; I l leoNT seems to have fairly and voltintarily adopted the , oppo site policy, and in a. manner unheard of, is invi ting all civilized nations to form friendly alliandes with itself, for all the purposes ' , usually contem plated in internatiobel f intercourse. ‘Aforeigiter, an " outside barbariau h an American, was chosen to lead this unparalled, universal embassy,of :the Celestial Flowery nation; and, Its mark of the Chinese estimate set Upton such servicies,:his sal ary,'originally fortf thousztud dollars per annum, has beeii doubled, 4 w are told an American ' • resident of Shanghai, duriag the progress of the mission, without Mr. Burlingame's knowledge or request. / ;'• ' The treaty latelY'eendluded between Otir gov ernment and this novel embassy is worthy of con sideration. It will probably.be of. more signifi canoe than that formed ,with anyiother power, since we are the nearest ;civilized neighbor of this vast empite, and are likely to carry on the. greatest trade with Chine, ,not only for our own purposes, but on account of. Europe as well. Oar: own advanced positiontt before all th e continents , Otti t ie globe in ,beingtraversed l eom * pletely, from ocean to ocean, 14 a — continuous 'line' of railroads, will make us the medium of commerce from one side to the other of the . old world., It will be easier and more direct to get from tbe'Eesiein , to the Western shore of that body of land, throuilt the 240 degrees of longitude, in the ,roi4t, of which is plaped North America, than throngh the 120 , `degrees of actual distance which, sepa rate& the Thaines River from the Hoing,ho;since the 'actual time of travel via the Pacific Railroad will be leis than one-half of that consumed by theold. ,route, via, the Cape of Good , Hope,, The, first.two articles of the treaty coneede , the simple rights of China to her own territory', over her own subjects; and to such parts 'of 'her Policy, as she dees not, choose , to bripg within , the condi tions of a _treaty with other nations. ,The Third provides for Chinese 'consuls at our .ports,ott the same terms with those enjoyed by Great Britain and Russia. This will furnish protection to the ChineSe emigrants in the ports-of Califoimii 7 , fO j r inatabae, where they have been subjected to such abusive treatment as is only paralleled by that visited upon the freedmen of the,,South, and as every class of men ; not holding a recognized posi tion in society, are liable to meet. For an out raged Chinaman to get justice in , California, has , been an exceedingly rare thing, as the laws of the. State do not a allow a Chinaman to testify against a white man. ; , The presence of a Consul . at San Frameisco, Sacramento, Ste., , ,be ; :a guarantee, that such' unredressed. wrongs will be- Come,matter, of negotiation between the two gov-, ernments.. ' Article Fourth enlarges the scope of ,a, clause in the treaty of ten years ago; by vwhich., the Christian's of our country and converts in ' Chiba were exempted from persecution : , The present treaty secures toleration for our' CountiyMen of every.religious persuasion, and, in return,.stipu-, latesthat, as with Americans in- China, 'so 4 ' Chi nese subjects in the United States shall enjoy entire liberty of conscience, and shall be exempt from all disability or,ersecution on account of their reli giousfaith. The mutual:right of sepulture :is also ccinc'eded. Whether this article will be un derstald asencouraa b ino• o Chinese immigrants to introduce the entire system of Budhism, with its orders of priesthood, its public observances, its• temples, and its corrupt and' contaminating hea then practices and abOininationa, is Or,' exactly clear. Already the:fifteen or tWentiilibilsa.nd of these people in San , Francisco haveilt, temple of somelretensions, with a hideous idol-which they worship, not far frOm the buSiness"centre 'of the city. ' As this Vast' people, ' embra6i4e one-t itd of 'the - huitiar` family; knacks at the dooi.)I6 o Ol'ill'', country, through 'one of our MU citizens, itlated to St well known minister of the Gospel,' ifjnoeix t-- - Christian man himself, and asks. entire equality. of religious privileges for Budhirim, as fdr Chris tianifyi it semis an appropriate time for uI 3: to ask aft& our 'Own'a repute as Christian' natiud; how far 'such a charactet, if we actually possessed it, would restrain us, from grii:nting the whole bur den.of their prayer, 1 Admitting that we should: toleratef these people in their owni chtisew , belief,i which'. no one 4oubts, do we not, by &finding' entire liberty' of conscience and exeMptiO r n i frcim i all disability i on account of religious ,and, worship--do Iwo not concede a principle radically and dangerously inconsistent with our religions tositicin as u Christian' nation ? Hive We not' slighted, ant:Lao:endangered those greilt *ref principles derived from the Bible, which:actnally,l lie 'at theloandation of our laws and of our isteric4:l' as a free people, in this offer of pOlitieally' eqUaliOig with theM the worship of false gods;' Of to ' no:go s a all, e perpe ra a ttn and "the Cton o natifinsin the name of religion 7:Or is.our tianity so well-grounded ,and: rightfully Oonfiddnt. thatit`can more than ettdure, can meet and, by the unaided poirer 'of 'its truths, 'tranlifertethese idolatotla into nominal folloviers, at least, of As" Christ, before, they have inflicted serious miaChiel, upon ourselves by their publicly allowed heatheia ish obserViincesl • It inuSt be remembered that these fift:y'thon ' sand Chinesein California are but. the advance guard of what may tern. out a .mighty eastward. moveindnt 'from the most populous hive of hu inanity in the World, which, , like theamarchnf dintindlive anidtals, rats, locusts, army *thins; squirrels,nnts, in vast nut4ers ; like thediigia; tions of,Goths, Vandals, and _Saracens, and, like, the 'movements. of rebellious hordes in China itself,`maybe,utterly'beyond the. control •of the. more :civilized; htit"nurherically :"rdoes',. Shall we beckon this heathen Maas to our Shores,. with the,express. understanding >tl at tlieir ,hea c , theuisnrishall *ork them no disadvantages .?,• Or, to turn horneward, are we not reminded,,bylthe concession, of • this fourth article, of the protracted' t (Aeration of the nuisance of poligamy l in the heart. of our' country,_ udder, the •nude religioni ?; _And is not the .persistent.hphtly of our 'politikans towards this enormity; as practiced by, our ` own citizens, a significant hint as to the possibility that similar practices of our, heathen neighbors, in the name of religion, enjoy like sufferance, if any political end were to be gained' by it? Is'a combination of Chinese add of Mey-' mon interests such , ad impossible thing in thefu-, 'titre, after this , treaty, has, produced , its , expected • 'results, that it should 'be dismissed with a laugh? Or shall we promptly the criminals of Utah' the alternative of abandoning - their Public and avowed immoralities, or of coming ` under the dis grace and penalties of the law, and at the,same, time netify the Chides° government, that the, fourth article of the treaty, cannot he consteued to allow practices abhorrent to Christian niorali t. 3 ? could not do the latter consistently, unlees we also did the. ormer. • The; remaining, articles of the Treaty do not call for special,:' comment. They are, Fifth provision for regulating the Coolie traffic accord ing to the ordinary hUmene principles of irumigra-' thin ; Article sixth guaranteeing to' citizens , Of. each nation„the .right to • unobstructed travel or residence in either country, with the.same privi leges, immunities and exemptions which are ac corde d to the citizens or subjects of "the most favored nation ' —a provision which will probahly • lead, to the settlement, and, perhaps, naturaliza tion of many Chinese among us, who are now; merely adventurers;and bring a hetter class of this people to our shores. The "most favored.' nation;" natiikn'' clause of this u article,,shOws, that . China has not advanced, beyond her former-narrow con cessions• as to the right of residence';' foreigners , are not allowed to settle in the country aflarge,, but only in the few ports on tie outer bodadaiies" of the Edipire, throWn open to foreigners by ex isting treaties. „Mr. Burlingame has !not yet suc ceeded in liberalizing the nation to 'the point of welcoming foreigners to a residence in every part of their wide dominion:; A l .rtiele seventh pro - vides for equal enjoyment of educational facilities in ,both countries by,the citizens of both. Arti cle eighth, and last, gives opportunity to our Gev ernment, to take part, by the appointment of,En.- gineers, in any improvements, 'such as railroads, and, telegraphs, which', the ibhinese Government shall, of its own option, and: under its own- con ti of .undertake to carry out. ' - This 'treaty has 'provoked a grat 'degree of jealouty`and ill will in the newspapers of Aug ; land, but it seems to ,that the move*entia the , hands of -thii Embassy,, although headed„:l4 ant American; is of the broadest inteinaiionaPhhar actei!,' and ''cOnteinplates, admission o'.f + China into g the, .i.41, - CATOle"of'i k 44' J 4 rt s Li c!.: h!iti tlonalities which ,profess to be governed by a re gard to the principles of justice in their dealings , iwith . one ariother, and will thus protect China against another such an outrage , as the Opium War. True philanthropists ought to .rejoice at such a result, and ought not to find it grievous if the nation which has..helped China into such a proud position reaps, , for a time, .a somewhat larcrer share of the advantages. Fresh opportunities and duties in the Evan gehzation of China, it is vary easy to see, are brought to the American Churches by this Em bassy, led by , an American, .and by this treaty which brings the two nations into new and more general relations. May God enlarge our plans,, our gifts,. our, spirit of, self.consecraiion and of prayer, in proportion to the grandeur of the emergency. ARE :THE ;OLD AscßOok. SACRAMENTAL ~; CALVINISTS? The North-western Presbytekian,. p. S. pa per of Chicago, notices our article on the teach-, ing,s of the Westminster Standards on the subject of the Sacraments in a style very different from that adopted by its Philadelphia: coadjutor.- It quotes , largelY and "continnouslyowhat we•aaid bn the. subject, and 'represents .us . with as muck faii •neas.as we can expect from 'a theological school which is in a .stater of , ehronio alarm. , • It is in deed as fairas We can expect any thoroughly Old SchooLman to , be, in regard to any: one who dia- Bents from him. •Ontnne point he gi'es to bur anewer. He takes theeground that; the:loalvinistiO doctiine of the sacraments is that of the , Old School .Church as such.' He accepts the Calvinistic doctrines of Baptismal Regeneratinn and of a Eucharistic Real• Presence of Christ's 13ody and Blood;' not merely as stated in the Westininster Standards,' but; also 'as embodied. in our quotation from the Scotcb. , Confeesionl of 1560. He 'is:as fUll and'ex plicit as any one could desire, .denouncia,g the Zwinglian doctiine as' an attempt to "retire the supernatural from! 'experimental Chriatianity," an "opposition to.the;presence.'of Jesus; by 'the pfficienCY` of the Hely Spirit,ln the sacraments." We are -gratified; and .we- are -sure- The Pres byterianlyill belo,--4oubirsurs that- The Re formed Church .Messenger will be,so,—to find our 'Chicago, friend : tic, explicit here. But we Are not less astonished than gratified. If this „is Old School doctrine, then that. Church Aas been hid ing its light under'; a bushel to a very ,greviOus :extent. We had supposed 7 —with most othersr— that the common Protestant doctrine (of the Sacra . ,being commemorative rites) had obtained, with some few exceptions, within her pale. We are certainly not aware of the opposite doctrine being advocated T from any of her pulpits --we are certain that it has not been so from her • press luntil The Noilh, - Western - Presbyterian set the igood example. the _N:orgt Western kindly tell us—and we think .The . ,Refprmed „Olturch 'Messenger, and The Presbyterian would like to know alSo, in whiCh of the numerous issues of the'o. S. Board from the pens of our Old School :divines, we shall find the, orthodox doctrine yin dicated against a galpsaying,generation Earther,_ The , Nortla, Western. Presbyterian, re pudiates Zwingliaeism not only for its own sake but, as "New .scl i toolt „Indeed, th,e editor seems to write under the impression that we have spoken, 'of it ,as such. ; We do not believe,that,t,here•is theslightest differeore betw,een the two Branches, of. the „Church la this regard. We distinctly charged Zuinglian, r views ow ! the Pre:byterian Churches which-speak the English language.; we might.haye excepted,, the American German; Re formed,Church. We believe that the case is precise-. ly with us as it ismith t tlte Old , School. - The g,reat mass of both, churches are utterly,,iudifferent to the,,doctrines in question. ~Of the few. who have Itad,their attention, aroused, to the subject, the greater part reject Calvinism and accept Zuin-, glianism. Thak there are ex,ceptions in both Branches we know, , but , they are probably 'as numer-ns, in our Branch 'aa„inithe• Other Branch. Unless some very sudden, rpolutton fi shottld , take place among.his followersis,n, „eye_ nt not h impossible, in the ,present state !of. excitement , apd, we doubt if Dr. Erskine will find,a haker's dozen of the most obstructive:Q., S. men, • Fho will sub- scribe ; to his doctrine of,sunernatnral sagrament,,s, — ff a Eucharistic real, ,presence „of..the „body and blood ,Christ,,and,,a baptismal ;regeneration. Let r him count noses, ~ • ~ t, Oil two. .other rintstodr briticlas sorely mis interpreted us.. He tbokt: our , reference to John - Locke'si"Philbsophy *Comnion.Sense+,..ai an • endorsement of thattgreat '!Philistine,". and bases thereon, all sorts, of admonitions .and •;ceriaareat ,ast,tonliew Sehooltielianbe uptin.philosopliic sys-' tems:t, ;we , x ndividnailyl differdfrOw, the o. *en , ,aitiall,. , it.is in; being. ;much:, more, decidedly, Genesee E - va,ngelist, No. 1166. Ministers $2.50 H. Miss. $2.00. I. Address :-1334 Chestnut Street. opposed to John Locke than they are; and it has always been the very characteristic of the New School to lay no sort of stress upon a man's philosophy of things, provided I;t4 has " the root of the matter" in him, in head.and heart. The North Western gravely infers from our article that there exists in, the Now. School Church an clement, which may be appropriately designated as Taylorism, which would " retire the supernatu ral from experimental Christianity," " intred,nee the Philosophy of Common:Sense , as an expounder 'of Christianity," and teach that "regeneration is but' a , change of purpose," that "man needs not a new life but only aid, the , aid of illumination, roor.sl e suasion, favorable surroundings, etc., to do ,all ,that the Gospel requires." We can only reply that such a representation of. even the most de cided New School, men, would, like the Protest at. Albany, be merely ridiculous, were it not that there are perhaps many in the Other Branch who will accept it as true. They are simply a mis-statement too gross to be ranked even among caricatures, for a caricature pre-supposes some kind ,of resemblance to, the thing carica tured. • The article closes with a warning to its readers not to accept our representation of the doctrine of the Confession as reliable /. as ~being made up in the most arbitrarY way, of detached sentences, strung together, with words ,which we have in serted. Such a caution cannot stop. there. We challenge our critic to specify, any point in which we have misrepresented the Confession. If we have done so, show it; if not, the editor , is bound in courtesy to'retract his pstiagrlph implying that we' have. se' Dr. _.E. Wentworth; in. amote to Zion's Herald; proposes to correct the statement of oar 'correspondent GENESEE, that, the members of the Chinese Embassy are notidolators because Con fueianists:,;--Ic.. . "There is an image of Confucius in every ;school-house, tot, which pupils pay. reverence, homage, worship. There are, sometimes, if not 'always, images of Confucius,,in the temples of Confucius, and, *here there is; no image, an an- I cestral tablet,rand at the annual and Setni-anbual ,sacrifices offered in the Provincial temples, al:li pals, grains, silks, music and prayers are offered at the shrine of Confucius. The 'old Confucian temple at Foo Chow hacl,in it a wooden image of Conflicins, 'which was burned when the temple was deStroyed by fire: The followers reverently gathered up the ashes of 'the idol,,urned them, buried them, and raised a huge tornb,over them, as ,the , Romanist would say, with °. imposing ceremonies.'" Intelligent, observ,ers in China are not agreed as to whether any real worship is designed in these proceoings ser Street' preaching is being prosecuted in New Yorli' with a good deal of vigor, such men 'as Stephen' H. Tyrig„ Jr., and Geo. J. Mingins throwing themselves heartilfin to the ivoik. In ,our own citrit can' hardly be, sai&to" have been ,dropped in past years at all. 'Mr. James G-rant .of the First H. P. Church has long conducted these ont-door setvices in connection.with their long established colored mission school in St. 'Mary street, and his efforts 'have been ably sus tained by others, among whom we .notice''Mr.' :Geo. R. 'Stuart, Jr. On recent Sabbaths, quite a: :number of localities have been occupied on Broad, street for this purpose, the young men. of the city:having put their hand, to the plow. Dr. Allen of the Third Church has 'not been, be hind in this good cause. The current `in bu r r Presbyteries on Re-• union is all one way.' Without turning aside sly more than to record an occasional diasent from' the2d'and the 10th articles, the Plan of the,Joine COminittees is adopted everywhere: as a whole. There is no tarepering or tintering with that' Which both Assemblies adopted, and to which they gave such a satiafactorY explanation by the' Report of the Special Committee, on the one hand, and the Answer 'to the Protest on the other. , .16r*Our readers will observewith interest the large amount of information which - we are 'able to lay before them in regard to our own Church. It will be found. that noi one of, our denomina tional papers is so full in this - irespeet' as THE. APLERICAN. PRESBYTERIAN'. JiliSt now, the 'meetings of Presbyteries and Synods demand a. large space, but as:the question of Reunion is, under discussior4.our , readers will not think us too,liberalinkut ;policy... To make the different' parts of thuCkurch , known.to each other, and for keep alive a low of spiritual 'sympathy, by; prompt' and full interchange of thoughtand in 4 telligenee,:are leading objects of newspaper ea-. terprise in the= religions world.
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