(,lie ,_,;y.._• :47•01t rrirau .),„ -- rr:Tbvircian. .iohnAwei._ -I•T c -vc Series, Vol. VI, No. 48. Strictly in Advance $2.50, Otherwise $3. p o stage 20ots, to be paid where delivered. —The American branch of the Evangelical Alliance, in calling the churches to the celebra tion of the week of prayer, have issued a revised schedule of subjects, which we shall print next week. —We are requested by Dr. Fowler to say that the respective Chairmen of the Joint Committees on the various Benevolent causes of the Church, are expected to put themselves in ciimmunication with each other, and arrange for getting the Com mittees to work. The Presbyterians of Philadelphia are re quested to meet in a. social' reunion at. Horti cultural Hall, on Monday evening, December 6th, between the hours of seven and ten o'olock P. M. Tickets can be procured gratuitously at the Board of Publication, 821 Csliestnut street, and at the Presbyterian House, 1334 Chestnut street, on Saturday the 4th, and Monday 6th of December. —The Joint Communion services were attended by full—not crowded—congregations last Sab bath afternoon. They were full of solemn enjoy ment total who participated in them; and they aided most appropriately to express as well as to heigh ten the feeling of Christian brotherhood among the churches. In North Broad Street - church, elders from twelve different churches aided in dispensing the elements, and, besides Drs. Stry- . ker, Reed, Cunningham and Wiswell, appointed for the purpose, Rev. Messrs. Mitchell and New kirk and Drs. Schenck, Greer and Mears took part; thus both the newspapers were represented, with the churches. The. union meeting of Wed nesday night will be reported in full, in our next issue. When the deficiencies in the Tylethodist Book Concern were first mentioned we expressed our earnest hope that the facts might not prove so bad as at first was feared. Now that'the investi gation is complete and the report of the:commit tee published, we feel compelled to take a differ ent tone. We refer to the remarkable yai=ueness, with which the *hole matter' is treated' 'by the committee. While serious losses in one department and mismanagement in another are admitted, no amounts are named, no particulars of the writing are given, and no intimation breathed of a pur pose to bring any party to justice. In this brief report, made up of four Short resolutions, every thing that truth, or the importance of the affair demands may be contained; but considering the great notoriety the matter has acquired, there was not enough in it to escape the appearance of evil or of sheltering wrong. Frauds in religious institutions and in church officers are scandalous and humiliating enough ; but the whitewashing and covering of a fraud, in such relations, is sim ply outrageous ; and every approach to such an act, and every attitude towards fraud which could, with any show of fairness,' be construed as an attempt to whitewash it, should be avoided with religious horror. We think our Methodist brethren owe it to the public, whose attention they so widely aroused, and to their brethren of every name, who are sincerely concerned for their honor, to make a full and frank statement of the facts, and to prove unmistakably e either the false ness or the triviality of the charges, or their own purpose to pursue a policy of unswerving justice. We publish in full, on our second page, the so called " Syllabus of Errors," which, at various times, have been stigmatized by Pope Pius IXth. It is a condensed, conpected view of the opinions of the Pontiff upon almost every point on which the age is at variance with the Romish Church. Of course, many of these points, particularly those among the first fourteen, are aimed equally against all true religion, and the censures of the Pope, so far, represent the general sentiment of the Christian world. There are also veritable errors in regard to a godless education of the masses, described and denounced, in sections 45 to 48, but they are conjoined, in the statement, with those wise and just conclusions which are now leading all governments, to shut out sec tarianism of every kind, from the system of' pub lic education. . . The most serious mistakes made by . the Pope, however, are those pertaining to the relations of Church and State,—the rendering to Cmsar the things that are Caesar's. The reader will find the true doctrines of the rightful independence a nations and society, of the Romish Church, condemned as errors, from the nineteenth section or the Syllabus to.the end. But it was in the long Eueyclical Letter, which was sentforth with the S)llalius and dateolDecember Sth, 1869, that the utter antagonisabetween the Pope and mod ern society and civilization was most clearly and offensively stated. Note especially the sentence quoted approving from his peed ecessor, Gregory liar 70 XVI " The insanity," namely " that liberty of conscience and of worship is the right of every man ; and that this right ought, in every well governed State, to be proclaimed and asserted by the law." Oar readers, doubtless, remember the intense excitement which the issue of the Encyclical and the, Syllabus kindled, especially among the gov ernments and secular press of Roman Catholic countries. Almost unanimously they were re garded as hostile and dangerous; and instead of meeting deference and 'obedience - in such quar ters, they were outlawed. In the Church itself,' on the contrary, so far as represented by the hierarchy and the denominational press, the deo uments were received with almost unanimous ac quiescence. Ultramontanism grew is power everywhere in the Church. rassaglia's.eloquent voice was silenced in Italy. And only when Fa ther Hyacinthe appeared with his bold, indepen dent, evangelical utterances, and a few notes dissent from Di)Ringer and other German Bishops were heard did any exception appear to the gene ral course of the current: t And so it has seemed that the CEcumeni cal, Council would not advance beyond the posi tions of the Encyclical' and Syllabus of 1864; and'that thd assemblage would prove one of the, most abject to the Papal Supremacy, the most in tolerant of heresy, and' the most thoiough expo sition yet knoWn of the intensest shade of Roman ism—scarlet double-dyed. But this remains to be seen. THE FRATERNAL' SENTIMENT. Purity is before, peace, and truth must be maintained at any cost of feeling. And a health ful freedom of thought must never be surrendered, although the bon& be silken, - and the knots be tied in the sacred name of Christian 'Charity. But when purity and truth and liberty give con 'sent, then the renewing of old ties and the full flow of fraternal affection are matters of unalloyed and universal joy. Such a happy glow pervades all the' Members of the reunited Pr'e.shyterian Ghtlrcl r_, witlui9,4r% exlgit*Eto: It a naeti Christian experience - : -a real growth in grace. While we pray, somewhat anxiously, that fruits proportionate to the magnitude of the movement may grow from the Re union, it should not be forgotten that true Christian union, on such a large scale, is already one of the choicest of . God's spiritual gifts. It already proves that prayer has been heard for the advance of the Church. The kingdom of Christ, which is the kingdom of love, joy, and peace, has made pro gress, in intension if not extension. Stumbling-- blocks have been taken out of the way. The stimulus of mere denominational rivalry, always in, danger of becoming worldly and of leading to re-. sults more showy than sound, is removed. The union, which , must be looked upon not as' the work of scheming men, but of divine Providence working in the hearts of the masses of both branches, with its flowing together of, deep and tender sympathies—why may not this be re garded as Pentecost ? Why fail to discern its blessed and present significance ? 'Why cry to God anxiously for a blessing, without full anff grateful rectignition of what we have ? Wl4r not confidently see in this very work of divine grace, t the guarantee of greater works to come? There seems to us every reason for laboring with the elasticity and energy of a joyous hopefulness in this Church, which has been enabled to give such a conspicuous example of the grace of broth erly kindness. We confess that we could not, and did not, express ourselves thus freely a few weeks ago, when it seemed to us that great revivals must follow this union, in order to, create warmth enough to weld the two branches into one. Now so many proofs have been given that the needful degree of heat actually exists, that we recognize a revival as already in progress, with unwonted and precious manifestations, and giving promise of the abundant Converting influences of the Spirit. We cannot but believe that the'fraternal senti ment itself will spread. Not that -we. are think: ing of new denominational unions, although they are bound to come; but we look for a still deeper decline'of mere sectarian feeling among the va rious branches of Christ's people, who already have made such rapid progress in spiritual unity. We expect to see the downfall of exclusivism, as a denominational characteristic, among all bodies claiming to be evangelical. Suspicion and jeal ously and disparagement of other bodies of true Christians,- must no longer be taught along, with the first lessons of repentance and faith. Propa gandise; proselytism, and sectarian rivalry must be superseded by that cordial co-Opera tion and healthful zeal, which the different divisions of the same army may cherish in exe cuting their own shares of one grand work. Christian men will be more ashamed than ever II AY, DECEMBER 2 1869. of division and alienation. A conscientious stub bornness upon forms and ceremonies and the ve hicles of praise, and nice points in philosophical theology, and all matters not plainly prescribed in God's word as belonging to the essence of god liness, will be crowded into a narrower corner than, ester. In individual churches, in Christian families, and between Christian brethren, we expect to see • a marked growth of brotherly kindness. In the name of this greater Re-union, we rebuke all dis cord, division and'strife at home. Choose this auspicious time fox: the' settling of church and family and personal quarrels. Strike out all dis corda:nt netes in this PeaCe Jubilee. The quar rel, of thirty years, ,involving the standing of hundreds, of thousanda of Chrihtians and touching questions ofhisteric magnitude is magnanimougly settled ; what business have feu to keep 'elite, your petty, miserable strifes ?'','Lay off that pride, which is mostly of the devil,' and which keeps, you apirt.' Conk to an' understanding. If you cannot eplain the past to riidtual satisfactiOn,' mutually bury the past,- and 'start out, hand in• hand, and abreast ,of this great movement; in- a new life of revived , Christian.;brotherhood. Let not this favorable hour go bri.let not the sun Of this bright Re-union go dowl4-upon your wrath. To godliness add brotherly kiiidness,:and let bro therly k.indness continue. • WOMEN AT THE 'CLINICS. f We deem it most unfOrtunate that our women candidates for medical honors 'sad duties should have so compromised thedeliacy of their sex, as. to thrust ,themselves upon the,clinical lectures of the , Peniisylva - nia .Hospital, thitherto attended solely by persons of the oppossex. In the es-', timation of all people, with wpm modesty is a jewel, they have done serious damage :to their: own'cause. Their very plea, hat such attend ance is necessary to acquiring 'professional know ledge, will confirm people .iri the conclusion, which they were strongly inclimed to hold before,, that the medical profession ,<<l one incompatible; With the femaleeharacter. That which requires the sacrifice of delicacy, refinement, modesty is, not'fit for man, much less for woman, who is' fallen, as,soon - as she ceases to be modest. Only in a world , completely upside-down, must woixiant sacrifice modesty, in order, to work out her des' L' , tiny.' Undoubtedly Undoubtedly the students of the Medic..l Col leges were boorish in their treatment of these, women viiitants; their 'conduct is pot to be Coin mended. But when women defy the universally recognized laws, of propriety., when im_fact they unsex themselves, what else can they expect? Chivalry towards the bold eyed, unblushing: ob 7 servers of miscellaneous surgical operations, ins , open view of hundreds of. young, mea, l In the nature of things, it was impossible. Nothing is more certain to abolish the lingering remnants of chivalry from our age, than this rude brushing away of virgin delicacY and reserve, the womanli ness, in fact, from the nature of woman. That refined sentiment of courtesy , and deference which even 'the , rudest of , our 'countrymen feels and' shows . to persons of the opposite sex, and which is one of the crowning proofs .of civiliza tion, is a tribute from the, coarser to the gentler, tenderer, finer nature. Let but the 'woman disap pear, and nothing deserving such deference re- Shall the 'medical profession then be closed against women ? We leave it to themselves: to answer. If they cannot acquire sufficient know ledge of the , profession without offending against the great cardinal instinctsnf nature, then nature and nature's God are against the attempt: It is rebellio against their ordained position. They are false to themselves, and it is the calling' o f no one to be that. If, however, they can pursue their studies without scandal, or sacrifice of delil cacy, as we had supposed they might until their recent to the hospital, then we are inclined to think that they will prove eminently fitted for many branches of, a profession, which is-so in woven with family life. Wo can see,: too, how a woman with a medical training could be emi nently useful in missionary work.. And thOngh there is much in the position of a female Physi: cian which seems at war with a right standard of female character, the community at large is, we imagine, somewhat eager to have the' experi ment fairly tried. And the truest friends of woman's elevation regret most deeply that the women themselves, by this demonstration at ,the hospital, have put their cause in such an unlovely light. They thought it necessary, and they went into it bravely. But if it be necessary, then so much the worse for their cause. Thedeliberate judgment of the public must go with the unani mous declaration of the Faculties •of our two medical colleges; the medical. Waifs of various hospitals and the profession at large in our city, numbering nearly two hundred physicians, who say that the privileges which these women-etu dents ask for, are an offence against decency and perilous to the morals of society. And all must regret that the conduct of any individuals, otherwise deserving the name of ladies,' com pelled men of true delicacy and refinement to write's° disagreeable , an .explanation as they felt constrained' or, made , it incumbent upon editors to discuss the matter at all in their col., REVISION OF THE STANDARDS., In London, the Standards'of the PreshSierian' ChUrch were composed. From London .onmes , the'first public proposal for their revision dr' abridgement. The 'ministers and elders of the' 'Preibyterian churehei held monthly Aneetings' for the `discussion of topids of Church interest.! At these, anessa3r on'some such subject is read by a person ashignedlto.write it, and discussed by the.rest.' At the , ' November meeting Rev. Mr. Murray, pastor in Croydon' church, London, read a. on" Our'Attitude towards Other •Chitreh es," towards the close of which he said: ' "'Those , wholhink that, in placing the Confes sioh hikh as we do;'we forget the -precept to 'call no mammaster' will be silenced if even = af ter attempting, to revise, it, we' should find very little requiring excision or alteration. Men made it, and men can altar it. The Spirit is with us as with thein, and we should at least let it be known: that • we. could be orthodox, scriptural Presbyterians still, if it were found:that some points could be better stated than by the, great and good Westminster divines. , (Applanse.) Whether ' for popular use a .shorter Confession might be made in order to present our reading of Bible truth more easily to inquirers is .a not uniffit.' portantahought. Granting even. its, perfection`, is it ,not too cumbrous for ordinary service? (Hear, hear.)' If to the dbetrinal statements of the Shorter Catechiem,,with some alterations such as that proposed by Dr. Candlish the other -day, a summary of principlei of government and mat ters omitted from the Catechism were added, a useffil manual , might be made. ,For the great work bafore usWenned handy,.ready instruments,,,; Our' success 'hiiliertolias depended nsuelr on idle fact that NIVe . have gone out little encuMbered with human paraphernalia as compared, with some others, and. this may perhaps be carried farther, till, as. Christ's soldiers, we .learn to dispense with human Modifications of. Divine weapons, and ;stand' armed with the whole armor of God. (Ap plauseo. Meantime as a remedy against the not impossible' deficiency of office-bearers -who ,may. be equally unable to accept cordially the Confes sion, or to sign it unaccepted, we might adopt the forma question put to elders and deacons by the Anierican Presbyterian Churchei. - Ours is this: 'Ddiyon sincerely own and declare the West-. minster Confession of Faith as approved by the General. Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1,647, to be the chnfession of your `'faith, and do You ownthe doctrine therein contained to be the trite doctrine, which you will constantly adhere to?' Theirs is: 'Do you sincerely believe: and adopt :the Confession of Faith of this Chuich as, containing the system of doctrines taught in the Holy Scriptures ?' To this might be added a negative question! Of the nine spea.kers who' commented upon Mr. Murray's paper, four referred to his suggestions in regard to the Standards. Mr. J. E. Robertson thought the Confession Of Faith was too long, and that there if - 6r e - things in It which ought not to be there in the present day, however much adapt ed for the time when it was prepared. He lie lieved- every word of the Confession ; but for other people's sake, he said they ought not to pit stumblina-blocks in the way. As Mr.' Murray had said, the less of baggage they had the better in, their onward march as soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Professor Chalmers admired the clearness and comprehensiveness of Mr. Murray's address, and also the courage he had shown irisomeof his statements. He had been taken to task at one time.for having given, utter ance to opinions of the same kind; and he was glad to find others sharing them. . . ln a conversation which he hid in 'London fifteen or eighteen years ago with the late Di. Cunning ham, that . diAinguished man stated that he had also difficulties in askinc , elders to sign the Con fession of Faith.. He was struck the other 'day find in a work of -Dr. Cunningham's this state ment : " This,is a Subjnct to which the minds of men must be devoted..". The question was not as to the truth of the confession, but as to its a d a ptation to the present day. If they were to make progress in England, they must not present anything that was only characteristic of a par ticular type of Presbyterianism. Mr. Michael stated that the subderiftiOn4hich elders were required to: -take' in. the United Presbyterian Church was not the'saine as , was•required in Alia English Presbyterian; 'but . something like the American. It was:—" Do you acknoWledge the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the'Cate °hiatus, Longer and Shorter, to be an exhibition of the sense ire which you understand the Holy Genesee Evangelist, No. 1.228 f Home & Foreign Miss. $2OO. Address :-1.334Pim. Street Scriptures ?" Dr. A. P. Stewart looked some what with suspicion and apprehension on some of the views in the paper, while he approved of others. This was the third time he had heard at these meetings changes advocated in the Confes sion of Faith, and it was ministers who always led the cry. One thing which always struck him was, that they were never told in what respect the changes were to be made. (Hear, hear.) Be deprecated these attempts to create dissatisfaction with that which had hitherto been and still was a barrier against all kinds of errors and heresies, for, it was the Confession whicb had enabled Presbyterians to preserve the purity of their faith. ' ' 5e give these expressions of opinion to show -tka.t theological thought is not stagnant in the older Presbyterian, Churches of Europe. The :special topic has not been much discussed on our iside of the: ocean, and we presume that most Presbyterians are content quieta non movere. But in Churches where a rigid adherence to the 'Standards is.required, their revision will be urged as,a matter of Course. The`Fifteenth Anniversary of the Y. M. C. A. of this city, was held Tuesday evening, in the Academy of Music. Addresses were delivered by Judge Strong, Rev. Dr. Wiswell, Geo. H. Stuart,t 'Esq.,- and others. The Report shows a total membership of 2,951. The agencies em ployed to attract young men within the circle of religione influences have been as varied as a Christian ingenuity, which is all things to all men, could suggest. They embrace a Reading Room furnished with newspapers, periodicals, 'and a library of several thousand volumes, which is now receiving additions; a weekly Bible Lec ture ; and weekly Prayer-meeting; a course of Scientific Lectures during the season; monthly meetings with Essays, Discussions, &c.; classes for instruction in Penmanship, &c., and a Lyceum for the -younger members. Upwards of fitty sermons have been preached to young men during the .10,,t year, at the request-of the Association ; andlhe very best effort yet made in our city in the way of open-air services, is due to the Associ ation, which for a time kept eighteen such meet ings in operation in as many different localities, reaching, it is estimated, as many as ten thousand persons every Sabbath afternoon. Destitute young men have been furnished with lodgings and meals, employment has been secured for many, and a list of good boarding houses is kept for the accommodation of strangers. Circulars have been sentto country pastors and newspapers, asking their aid in bringing young men, coming from the country, into immediate relations with the Aisociation. Over $26,000 have been re ceived in contributions, members' dues, rents, &c., and the entire cost of the building, No. 1210 Chestnut street, has been paid during the year, which must certainly be reckoned one of the most prosperous in the histou of the Association. Too much credit cannot be given to the indefat igable Secrecary, Mr. Thomas Marshall. —The particulars of the excommunication of tlieliormon editors and proprietors of the Utah Magazine have been reported by 'a correspondent of the Chicago Evening Journal. Their offence wasthe expression, in theirj ournal, of independen t onthe develoPment of the mineral wealth of the territory - and on keeping up the price of Tabor. Oa these'points, Brigham Young had pro mulgated his opinions in the negative, and these editors, for advocating the opposite side in their journal, were brouglit to trial on the 23d of Octo ber. ' During the trial, the question was put Iciy the editors to Elder Cannon, one of the Conn -61, whether it was apostacy to differ honestly with Brigham Young? To which he replied: "It is apostacy to differ honestly with Brigham Young. A man may be honest even in hell." D. Wells, also one of the Council, said, in relation to the above'question, "You might as well ask the question whether a man had a right to differ honestly with the Almighty." The editors were expelled, and their magazine proscribed. One of the Council, who ventured to vote against the sentence, was instantly cut off. The decree of proscription will doubtless prove sufficiently effec tive to' destroy the business and ruin the prospects of the proprietors. They are said to be thorough Mormons otherwise, one of them having four wives, and their nriagizine 'being accustomed to advocate the system. ' We have little sympathy with these victims of their own superstition, but such instances of flagrant oppression call for vig orous measure's 'against the whole intolerable abomination. Since writing the above, we learn that the magazine is still published and that its tone is defiant and even exultant, in view of a better day coming to liormonism
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