amnionPrEzinjtitialt.
THURSDAY, JUNE, 10, 1869
REV. JOHN W. HEARS, D. D., Editor.
No. 1334 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
TILE, EDITORIAL COMMITTEE.
Rev. Z. M. Humphrey, D.D., Pastor of Calvary
Church.
Rev. Herrick Johnson, D. D., Pastor of the
First Church.
Rev. Danl. March. D.D., Pastor of Clinton St.
Church.
Be!. Peter Stryker, D.D., Pastor of N. Broad
- St. Church.
Rev. George F. Wlswell, D.D.,'.Pastor of Green
Hill Church.
Rev. E. E. Adams, D. D., Prof. in Lincoln Uni
versity.
Rev. Samuel W. Duffield, Special Cor
respondent.
111 r. Robert E. Thompson will continueto act
as Editor of the News Department.
Correspondents in every Presbytery and
Synod will promptly furnish us with fresh items
of news from their respective fields.
stir Entering Switzerland by the Simplon,
Dr. Adams' Address before the Old School As
sembly, Page 2d. ; Dr. Anderson on Foreign
Missions, and other Book Notices, Religious
Intelligence, Page 3d. ; lireventing Mercies
(Poetry), The First Pantaloons, (Concluded),
The Locusts, Woman's Influence by Phebe
Cary, Ministerial Consecration, Page 6th;
News of our Churches, Temperance items,
Miscellaneous, Page 7th.
The General. Assembly.
MONDAY MORNING; MAY alst.
- [As our reports of the Assembly's last day
were necessarily imperfect last week, we give
them herewith more fully.]
Delegates to Corresponding Bodies.
The following list of Delegates to corresponding
bodies, was reported and adopted. No delegates
were appointed to the Old School Assembly of
1870, as it was taken for granted that at that
meeting each of the Assemblies will attend as
Commissioners upon the other:
General Assembly, Cumberland Presbyterian
(all the Delegates are ministerial) : Isaac Emory,
or Nathan Bachman.
General Assembly, United Presbyterian : E.
P. Pratt, D. D., or G. M. Maxwell, D. D.
Synod of the Canada Presbyterian church:
G. W. Heacock, D. D., or A. T. Chester, D. D.
General Synod, Reformed Church in America:
Peter Stryker, D. D., or Richard H. Allen, D.D.
General 'Synod, Reformed Presbyterian : 0:
H. Taylor, D.D., or Joseph Chester.
General Synod, (German) Reformed Church :
Z. M. Humphrey, D. D., or Herrick Johnson,
D.D.
General Synod, Evangelical Lutheran: E. D
Morris, D. D., or J. L. 'Robertson.
General Conference of the Congregational
Churches of Maine : Charles S. Dunningyor 'Au
gustus Seward, D. D.
General Association of New Hampshire : John
W. Mears, D. D., or George A. Howard.
General Convention of Vermont: Theodore S
Brown, or George T. Everest.
General Association of the Congregational
Churches of Massachusetts: William Aikman, or
Thomas Street.
General Association of Connecticut: William
E. Moore, or John Patton, D. D.
Presbyterian and Congregational Convention
of Wisconsin : Arthur Mitchell, or Warren
Mayo.
The German Theological Seminary.
A resolution recommending the establishment
of a German Theological School at Newark, was
discussed. Dr. Poor urged its adoption. He
spoke of the well-known deep interest of the
Presbytery of Newark in the evangelization of
the Germans. It has been discovered that the
immigrants from the land of Luther were not all
of the Hans Breitmann stamp, believing that the
Infinite was "one eternal spree," not all material
ists, or infidels. Seven German churches are con
nected with the Presbytery of Newark. One in the
city of Newark is exceedingly prosperous, with a
crowded house, supporting its own pastor, contri
buting to our causes, and supporting a missionary
in Germany. Another has a pastor, Rev. George
C. Seibert, who is the editor of the Botschafter,
and the peer, in intellect, of any in this Assem
bly. He says the Presbyterian Church in this
country, is better able than any other to unite
the Lutherans and Reformed of his countrymen ,
as they come to America.
We can carry forward this work as rapidly as
our faith warrants. The great want is,. German
pastors who are familiar with American Presby
terianism. The difficulty with German students
trained in English Seminaries, is that they lose
their facility in the language, and their sympathy
with their people. The attempt to secure a Ger
man professor in Union Seminary, having for
some reaion,—suspicion of heresy involved in the
German language, perhaps,—failed, the NeWark
brethren had to act for themselves. There is a
small building secured, and Rev. Mr. Guenther
the owner, and a man of high ability, is to be
Hausvater and teacher of Homiletics; Mr. Sei
bert will also take part , in the work. It is asked
that the brethren will send good German young
men to Newark for instruction, supplying them
with funds for board and lodging. The funds of
pur Educational Committee are inadequate to
the needs of students in such an institution.
Four or five are already in training. A large lot
of' ground has heen'secured for a building, if it
comes to be needed. Dr. Poor referred to an
objection which appeared in one of our papers,
to the effect that thia plan fails in Americanizing,
these people. He replied that we must not..xott
till they are Americanized. It takes,generations
to do it. We must meet the Germans *here tli 3 O
are, or we lose them altOgethes. The RaPtists
and Methodists have seminaries: If twenty ',years
ago there had been a Germanrnicological'Sem
inary in this city, would the 'fiat have been as
they are nbw—not'a single Germaii%N. ;Pres
byterian Church; and the SabbaA• Desecrations
and Lager Beer abominations at such' a height?
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1869.
In Newark, these people help us in maintaining
the Sabbath and shutting the lager beer shops
on Sunday. They will vote with us tomorrow
against running the cars on Sunday. (Applause.)
The leading German Democratic ward in Newark
has become the banner Republican ward, by the
evangelization of this element. (Dr. Poor was
applauded, but it was questioned whether he
could continue in this strain in order.) They
helped us in the war, as no other Germans have
done. It is high time for the Presbyterians to
take hold of this work. The influence of the
Germans upon our country in the future he put
above that of the Freedmen and any other class
of citizens.
After remarks by Dr. Stearns, Rev. Arthur
Mitchell and Rev. A. M. Stewart, the resolution
was adopted.
Our Relations with Great Britain.
The paper from the other body proposing joint
action upon our relations with Great Britain was
considered. It is as follows :
Whereas, There are no causes of difference
between this country and Great Britain, but such
as ought to be peacefully adjusted; therefore,
Resolved, That the General Assembly would
earnestly exhort all Christians under its care to
offer fervent prayers to Almighty God that He
would, by His Holy Spirit, so enlighten Wand in
fluence the understandings and hearts of the
rulers and people of
• both these nations, that all
matters of difference may be amicably settled,
and a lasting peace preserved. And this As
sembly would affectionately and earnestly appeal
to the Christian sentiment of the public.
Judge Foote thought there was little
hood of war, but when he remembered that many
in Great Britain sympathized with our rebellion,
and many in our country sympathized with every
rebellion in every other country, he thought we
ought to join in prayer for peace.
Dr. Sunderland said his opinions were opposite
to the views of perhaps the mass of the members
on this subject. He considered the matter legi
timate for our action. But the paper implied the
false views that equal blame rested on both coun
tries; and that war was to be more deplored than
the sacrifice of justice. War sometimes is a direful
necessity. We had our punishment for slavery;
and it seemed to him that England needed a
sound drubbing.
He dwelt upon the great and manifold wrongs
of which England was guilty as •a nation. He
discussed her conduct during our terrible and
well-nigh fatal struggle, and in spite of pleas in
her behalf; he asked whether England was our
friend now? Eight-tenths of the English people
would exult over a misfortune to our nationality
to-day., Her cabinet ministers sneered at the
Cretans in their efforts for liberty, as they sneer
ed at us in our struggle.' .They spent ten millions
in two weeks in preparing for war with us on the
Trent. affair. Where were our Mansfield, our
Miltbn, our Shakspeare; as they are often called,
when the press and the pulpit and the nobility
were arrayed against us; when the merchants of
the Clyde sent out the Alabama like a sea-wolf
to prey upon the white flocks of innocent Ameri
can commerce? The real cause of their better be•
havior toward the last of , our struggle, was be
cause " the monitor" had come.
England needs our fostering sympathy more
than we need hers. When. our affairs are more
nearly settled, let the nobility of England be
ware. We will avenge ourselves by a war of
ideas and principles that shall overthrow the last,
remnants of feudalism. We will carry the war—
(Elder Lane wished to know if this was in order ?
The. Moderator said the remarks were in order
of the resolutions were.) Dr. Sunderland said
God had given our nation a mission; if he would
only crown it by a high Christian inspiration
commensurate with our destiny, we should be
blessed by other nations. [Applause.]
Rev. John Ford complimented the eloquence
of the speaker. But he wished Great Britain to
be rectified by the hand of God and not by man.
[Applause.]
Rev. John Waugh was very sorry that such a
speech was uttered—that, any one should intim
ate a wish for a war between the two nations on
whom the salvation of the world depends.
Dr. Booth moved the indefinite postponement
of the resolutions. Carried by a division.
Three additional reports from delegates to
foreign bodies were received. These and those
previously read were ordered to be printed in the
Appendix.
Dr. Poor reported on the Bohemian Reformed
Church, resolutions recommending their objects to
our people, also providing for a. representation of
our church in the Assembly of their Church next
year, commending Messrs. Von Tardy and Cas
par to the American and Foreign Christian
Union, and suggesting that their addresses be
published in the religious papers connected with
our body; and that a Committee of three (Drs.
Poor, Herrick Johnson, and Hon. W. E. Dodge)
furnish them with a letter of commendation.
Evangelical rnion.
Five representatives were appointed to meet
representatives from 'other judicatories in N.Y.,
city in. October next, provided the highest judi
catories of other evangelical bodies make similar
appointments, to consider the plan of co, operation
presented by the Reformed Dutch Church. The
Moderator appointed Dr. G. W. Heacock, Arthur
Mitchell, Dr. T. S. Hastings, and Elders Strong
and Haines.
The Adjourned Aissembly,
Judge Haines reported upon the composition
of .tho adjourned General Assembly a preamble
with the following Resolution: In the judgment
of this Assembly, those Commissioners only who
have presented their Commissions, and whose
names have been placed on the roll, will be enti
tled to ,participate in the meeting of the Assem
bly in November, except in case of a vacancy
occasioned by death, resignation, refusal or ina
bility of any such commissioner to attend, in
which event, it will be competent and proper for
Presbytery to supply the vacancy by a new elec
tion or appointment. Adopted.
Adjourned to this afternoon.
MONDAY AFTERNOON, MAY 31st
The reports of the Standing Commitees on
Home Missions, Freedmen Church Erection,
and Education were severally adopted. Messrs.
Farr, Wurts, Drs. March, Eva and Shepherd,
were chosen Trustees of the Presbyterian House.
Rev. Drs: Few Smith,Burchard, and Mr. Burn
ham were chosen Trus.ees of the Church Erec-
Lion Fund, for three years ; Rev. Dr. Norman
Seaver was elected Trustee for two years, and as
Auditors of the Fund, Messrs. Joy, Sylvester, and
Ketcham.
Dr. Fowler and the Free Church of Scotland.
Dr. Booth's report on Dr. Fowler's letter, upon
the methods and peculiarities of the Free Church
of Scotland was taken up. The proposal to give
the matter of liturgical forms to the hands of a
Committee, created debate. Dr. Fowler was
pleased with this proposal, though it was not a
point in his report. He had been led, contrary
to earlier opinions, to look with favor upon the
Sustentation Fund. He also explained the work
ing of the deacons' courts. After remarks by
Dr. Humphrey favorable to the consideration of
the liturgical question, Dr. Adams moved that
the report be recommitted for action at the ad
journed meeting of the. Assembly. Judge Alli
son admitted the difficulties in regard to the deo,
cons' courts as a substitute for Trustees ; but the
law could easily make the change. Trustees as
an exclusively temporal office, are an anomaly
in the Presbyterian Church.' The session ought
to have the control of thesinging. Why should
Trustees, who do not profess to be Christian men,
be able to lock up the treasury against, the
Church, because they do not like the persons
chosen for the choir? He had known a church
in which the Trustees insisted on having the su
preme control of all the monies collected for
benevolent operations in the congregation. Mr.
Brier of California, said Trustees were often
quite as good as elders and deacons, and in this
young and vigorous country he did not want any
methods or customs or advice importedfrom
Scotland, and moved indefinite postponement.
Mr. Tatlow said this was an omnibus bill and had
a horse or donkey (liturgy) in it, and he was
ashamed of it. Mr. Brier divided his motion to
postpone, so as to cover only the Trustee and
liturgy questions. Dr. Adams referred to the
relation between Church and State in Scotland
as making all these attempted parallels more dif
ficult. As to liturgy, the older he grew, the
more he desired simplicity in - worihip. (AP
planse.) •
Dr. Booth opposed postponement and defended
the report. He referred to a church building in
New York Third Presbytery, which was shut for
a year by Trustees against the wish of the'
Church. The Committee have withdrawn the
matter of Church ritual, but they do think uni
formity desirable in marriage and burial services
and in receiving church members.
The Report was recommitted for further ac
tion at Pittsburg.
A. Report on Systematic Beneficence was
adopted. •
A proposal to recommend the Evangelical Ad
vertising Society was indefinitely postponed.
Rev. Dr. Herrick Johnson, Wm. E.,. Moore
and elder Alex. Whilldin were appointed a Com
mittee to draw up a new deliverance on Amuse
ments and to report at Pittsburg.
A Greeting from the llfelhodist Preachers , As-
sociation:
The following communication was read
To the General Assemblies of the Presbyterian
Church, in session in New York
DEAR FATHERS AND BRETHREN :—The New
York Prekchers' Meeting, composed of more than
one huncreed pastors of Methodist churches of
New York and vicinity, have unanimously adopt
ed the following minute :
Whereas, The General Assemblies of the two
principal Branches of-the great Presbyterian fam
ily are now in session in this city, we take plea
sure in sending to them our fraterlal greeting
and assurances, of our Christian love and fellow
ship. We rejoice with them in the prospect of a
speedy reunion of the two Branches of their com
munion, and pray that their prosperity in the
future may be even greater than it has been in
the past.
We also express the deeii conviotion that 'the
time has fully come when allevabgelical churches,
forgetting the sad estrangements of the, past,
should come nearer together, and, united in heart,
aid in maintaining throughout this land, a sound
morality against Sabbath desecration, intemper
ance, and all other forms of vice, and a pure re
ligion against Rationalism, Ritualism, and' Ro
m an ism.
We hope the day is near at hand when the
most friendly relations will be established and
maintained between the' Presbyterian and Meth
odist Episcopai Churches.
The Rev. L. H. King, D. Curry, D. D:, and H
B. Ridgeway, D. D., were appointed a`Committee
to present this action to the respective Assem*-
blies. B. M. ADAMS, President
i ALEX. MCLEAN, secretary.
New York, May, 31st, 1869.
The paper was •received with gredt' applause,
and the General Assembly directed its Stated
Clerk to suitably acknowle'dge the receipt, of it,
and reciprocate the ,fraternal' greeting.
Vote of Thanks:
Dr. Humphrey, in
, presenting resolutions of
thanks,spoke of his interest in Knickerbocker"s
veritable History of New York ; so much of that
as describes the hospitable customs of the people
is still true, whatever else may be false., We
have not had a lump of sugar suspended over the
table, or buckwheat cakes 'for bed-clothes, but
the people have enveloped us with kindness. We
shall carry home vaster ideas of the greatness of
New York as a centre of influence, and of help
rendered by its churches to our causes. It is
indeed a grand city. - •
Our hearts , have been thrilled by the, occur
rences of •the last few, days, and I believe that
we have reasons for confidence in the prosperity of
our chorales in Reunion, such as have not even
been alludedto. Even those who have had most fear
will feel more than satisfied. The glacial ridges
of Mt—Holyoke still remain and may always re
main, and remind us of what has happened in
the past. But they are becoming mantled. with
green; mosses are growing and petals of flowers,
are falling upon them. Let us not stir 'these.
growths, lest when removed, as in Virgil's figure,
their roots' may drip with blood. As 'after the
union of the Deerfield river and the Connecticut,
the rapids below Mt. Holyoke are utilized in
water-power, so may our united forces be made
more effective. He had no doubt; a cordial wel
come would be given to the Assemblies when
they finally meet and unite in the city to which
William Tenn gave the name of Philadelphia—
a name which will also then be appropriately be
stowed on our bodies.
Elder Aughinbaugh assured the adjourned As
sembly of a cordial welcome in Pittsburg.
The resolutions of thanks were adopted.
Dr. Prentiss made the response in behalf of
the churches in New York. Alluding to the
building operations in progress on the adjoining
lot, requiring the use of powder, and a violent
explosion having just occurred, he expressed
pleasure that the brethren regarded themselves
as blessed rather than blastel! (Great merri
ment.) [Quite a number of the panes in the
fine stained glass windows have been broken dur
ing the sessions of the Assembly by the stones
thrown out in blasting the cellar.]
On behalf of our churches and of the families
whose hospitality has been so kindly acknowl
edged, allow me to say, Mr. Moderator, that we
regard your presence with us at this time as a
special favor of Divine Providence. Your com•
ing has been looked forward to with deep interest
by all our people; we have anticipated it as a
very solemn and eventful moment in the history,
not of our Church only, but of the whole Chureh
of Christ' in this land. Nor have our anticipa
tions been disappointed. The great transaction
of the past week isdestined, I cannot doubt, to .
fill a lafge space in 'our future religious annals.
The Reunion of the Presbyterian Church,"'if
consummated in the 'admirable spirit' in which it
has been here initiated; cannot fail to prove an,
immense benediction .our ,country and to the
world. May we not hope that it is the beginning
of the end of'those ddplorable 'divisions, which
have done so much , to give aid and comfort to
the enemies, and to 'paralyze the friends, of: the
Gospel? May we not, ttt -least,, confidently expect
that henceforth the Presbyterian ~ Church is to be
heartily and thoroughly and visibly ONE, and
that, her eye no longer darkened or"troubled by
old strifes,' she will arise and ldok forth upon this
land and the, whole world, benignant as the morn
ing, fair as the'moon, clear as the sun, and teiri-
Me as 'an army with - banners ! And if it should
please God to render this meeting of the General
Assembly of 1869 thus memorable, I cannot but
think that spme reflection of its light and beauty'
will abide ever upon this sanctuary, where the
momentous act has been performed, upon all our
churches, and upon this great city itself. We
thank you, therefore, for your coming to us, ; and
for all your. fraternal and Christian service and
fellowship while you have been with us; we
congratulate you upon the grave priviletre of hav
ing taken so great a part in this grandßeunion
movement; and, wishing you a safe and pleasant
return to your 'homes, we offer up , fervent Tray
ers that our risen Lord- and Master would go
with you and bless you, nnd have you and yours
evermore in His holy keeping.
And now, Mr. Moderator, will you pardon me
for a personal allusion ? . Amidst all. the high
enjoyments of these favored days one sharp re
gret has again and, again risen in my mind
—the regret that a 'very' dear friend, who
represented- my Presbytery • with me' at
risburgh, and: who is , a greatly lieloved mem
ber of this congregation, 'has not been pre
sent to share in our joy.- You will have an,
ticipated his name when I say, that no other
living man has done more, might I not add with
out wrong? his done so much, to prepare the
way for the Reunion of the Presbyterian Church
in these United States. How gladly he would
have stood with me
,to welcome you to this
Church of the - Coienaht! How 'happy he would
have been to join in our prayers and praises and
thanksgivings 1 When in February last, at the
command of his physician, he fled across the
wintry, ocean, shattered and broken down.by
over-work in the service of the Church, and esp,e
cially in the cause of Reunion one of hisparting
words was the expression of his fervent hope
that the blessed consummation might not be far
off; and that nothing might'occur to hinder of
mar it The Reunion of the Presbyterian Church,
first of all, and then the union of all. Evangelical
Christians in doing , the Master's work here and
over all the earth—these two things were the
burden of his soul day and night. He loved to
repeat the lines•of Blake,
" I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall the swordrest in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land."
When we shallhave built. Jerusalem in this
broad and pleasant land of ours, no name of our
day will be worthy of higher praise than that of
HENRY B. SMITH. (Great applause)
Adjourned with Singing, Prayer,' and "'the
Apostolic
,Benediction, to_ meet in the • Third
church, Pittsburg, November 10th, 1869.
OUR .EXOHARGES ON .REUNION.
The. papers of both,branches concede that Re
union is now a fixed fact. All are at least satis
fied with it, unless we except the N. W. Presby
terian, which up to the present time, has had
nothing positive to say. ,;Of our other exchanges,
we commence by giving an extract from the
Catholic TelegTaph, the shrewd but coarse organ
of the Romanists Oineinnxti. Some of its
language we' prefer not to reprint. Its article
is headed "Esau. and. Jacob," and, commences as
follows: •
' During the past week, the two schools of
Presbyterianism have been holding separate sy
nods in New York City, repeating the oft-tried
effort to break down`the wall
,of division, and to
live together in union, which they mistake for
unity. After indulging a dignified hatred for
thirty years, during which. the stern Presbyterian
spirit would make no advance,' and listen to no,
compromise,' the rigid followora of John Knox
have been brought to, terms by the Infant School.
. . . While they had been clinging to Kirk• and
they found too late, that the knowing
ones l of a late generation, by preaching more
popular religion, had got possession of the land.
The Presbyterian Esau; a rough, , uncouth', hairy
child, first-born; though he wag, . had allowed his
birthright to slip-through his fingers—the younger,
son, the smooth-,faced Jacob, caring very, little for
Calvinistic predestination, exclusive salvation, and
has, by his finesse, made good ;his title• to the
inheritance of the saints. . . The Old School had
but a choice of two evils, extinction or - coalition •
and theee youthful evangelicals, retnenbering,
the time, when they sat at the 'feet of such
Gamaliels as Beecher, Brownlee,.; Springs and
others, and having some reverence left for the grey,.
hairs of these pleading elders, granted as moder
ate terms as could be expected."
Of course, the Telegraph does not expect any,
thing to come of the Reunion. Unitarianism,
the origin of which it, with singular oblivion of the
facts, ascribes to our division, will soon swallow
us both up, and Romanism will alone remain a s
the "foe of all shams" in religion.
Quite opposite in spirit is the view taken by
the Church Union. It doubts the value of the
movement in its bearing on a more general union,
and on the question of the advance of Christen
dom. It says:
• "The phenomena of the Presbyterian move
ment through the past three years have left the
observer quite in doubt whether there was any
progress in it, and many developments of the
past few weeks have tended to confirm the doubt.
In place of any hint or a desire to relax. the
bonds of former ages in , favor of progressive
thought, and in favor of drawing closer to other
Christians, by lowering party walls, there is an
evident determination on the part of the leaders
to reaffirm Calvinism and a zeal to consolidate
Presbyterians for the sake of making Presby
terian power overwhelming. 'Such represents.
tive men as Dr. Musgrave, on the one side, have
taken pains, in a manner which has shown that
it was no accident, in preaching and speaking to
bring out in all force the distinetive tenets of
that system, and openlrte proclaim their de
terminate purpose to insist on Calvinism as the
ultimatum of Christian doctrine. And the party
of the other side makes no manner of protest,
and seems quite ready to strike hands for the
maintenance of this system in its integrity.
" The fundamental principles, and causes which
in formertimes brought the unhappy antagonism
must be shed, outgrown, cast away. If a true
Catholic spirit is to come in with the church of
the tutiire, it is to come in, not by piteous cries
to the effect that we ought to be united—and we
must be united, and it is a shame that we are net
united;• but it is to come in as heralding a new
era of Church history, a step in advance of the
past, a manly, candid, searching review of the
principles, the method's; and the misconceptions
of the past, and a decided forward movement
upon an advanced stage of action. If in any
particular case we fail •to discover the signs of
onward motion we fail also in our hope of any
enduring Christian. fellowship.
- "If in a critical moveinent, where vigorous
discussions are called out, where grave decisions
are to be made, where a fresh start is to be made,
and that while the whole church of Christ is in
mortal combat with new forces of the powers of
darkness,
and while eierywhere men's hearts are
quailing because former methods, and ideas, and
conceptions of ultimate Scripture truth are found,
as far as they are human, to be wretchedly out of
relation with present emergencies, if, under such
circumstances, we find a church has no reply to
the demands of
. the age, if it is powerless to do
anything more than to reaffirm ipsissimis verbis,
the Calvinistic confession, if it has indeed learn
ed nothing but that in these centuries of think
ing, then their great movement is reactionary
and not progressive. It marks no step forward.
It is not'in the interest of Catholic unity. It is
a death.struggle rather than the pushing of a
new bud of life."
The Church Union is inexcusable for the is
shown in this closing paragraph. Dr.
Hodge himself steadily disavows the ipsissima
verbs theory of subscription. The ordination
vow, the language of which is purposely made a
part of the Basis, says the Confession of Faith
is to be received as containing the system of doc
trine taught in the Holy Scriptures.
The H. Y Christian Advocate has a long and
well considered article on the subject, which is
viewed as matter for the rejoicing of the whole
Church. The final paragraphs, on which we omit
criticisms which would readily suggest them
selves, are as follows :
"The freer rendering of the doctrinal stan
dards by the New School men, though in de
fiance of grammar and logic, will be an advan
tage to the. other wing of the conjoined body;
while a larger infusion of sound orthodoxy and
of a consistent rational theology into the former
from the new compound is something greatly to
be desired. In the reinaugurated era of good
feeling that may now be anticipated, it may be
hoped that each party will supplement the other's
defects and modify its excesses.
"It may be a question whether, on the whole,
there has been any real progress made during the
newly completed cycle in the history of Amen
can Presbyterianism.' We have believed that
there has been, and that the position of the new-
IT unified body is in advance of that occupied
forty years, ago. Still we must recognize the
union as something accomplished by the reces
'sion of the more aevanced party, if nor, indeed,
as a reactionary movement. It remains for all
classes in the body to learn the true meaning of
their own standards, and' to distinguish the doc
trines of grace held in common by Lutherans,
Arminians, and Calvinists from the dogma of
predestination, which is peculiar to the last, and
its only distinctive featufe. And in that, the
only proper sense of the word, the newly con
solidated _Presbyterial:6sta of America is as Cal
vinistic as ever."
The Christian, Herald well and truly says:
"Puring the conferences and discussions here
a great . many plain things have been said frankly
and "courteou - sly, and nobody has got angry. It
is understood that we go into this union just as
we are-Mr. Barnes and all the rest of us • and
that we are to .be,.after the union, just what we
were before it. And our Old School brethren
go.in precisely the same,way. We accept of Dr.
Hodge as Subsiaitially orthodox, and of the
Princeton theology as not inconsistent with th'e
Calvinistic-system. We are to let the dead past
bury its deact, And all the grave-clothes too. We
are,going to live andja.bor together for the Pres
byterian Church of 'the future—a Church that
is to be holier, more charitable and more aggres
sive than any Presbyterian Church in the past
has been. -• •
-so- For News of otr.AChurohes see head of
first column on the 7th page (inside.)