Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-05-10
Ez-On our fourth page win be found

talnlng a memorial on the suolecs vi
slavery. which was adopted BY the
Athens Presbytery. at their recent ses-
sion. and ordered to be sent to the As
sembfy. The article was handed Us by
friend with request TO publish, and
in complying with his request we take
the liberty to state that our views and
feelings are far South Of the doctrines
contained in this memorial, as every
one knows who are acquainted with us.
We have devoted much space in our
paper. the past few weeks, to the ac-
commodation of friends, on the sub
iect difference of Old and New School
Presbyterians, with the hope of arriving
at the facts that have caused the split,
and we must confess we know very little
more now than we did before we opened
our columns to the subject. We deem
it dangerous to pursue this matter fur
ther, without giving offence to one and
probably both parties now engaged in
the dispute, and sooner or later shall be
compelled to interpose our rule and cut
short the controversy that now threa-
tens. And as the difficulty now exist
ing viii in all probability be submitted
to the decision of our courts, renders
the present the most suitable time to
drop the matter so far as the columns
of the Journal are concerned. With
this determination we insert the follow
ing in answer to W. T.'s communication
of last week, which viii leave the par
ties upon equal grounds, and shall be
the last our friends will hear of the
matter through the Journal:
The DocTRINAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE OLD AND New SCHOOL PREsBY-
TERIAEs.
SIR:-Your quotation from the Gin
cinnati Gazette, in the Journal of the
Sd inst, contains a very sad and very
serious remark, equally true and weigh
ty, viz: that the disputations between
evangelical christians, on the minor diff
ferences of opinion between them, while
all hold together the grand distinguish
ing doctrines of our holy faith, are
much to be lamented. This is most
true, and every one who truly loves the
Lord, and consequently His true mysti-
cal body, the church, would lose no op-
portunity of contributing his drop of oil
to calm the troubled waters. But mis-
representation, however involuntary,
has not this effect, but rather is like
pouring "vinegar upon nitre." Now
w. T.'s statement in his second position,
the Theological difference" seems to
me not correct, both positively and neg
atively. Positivcly-does not the grand
difference between the Calvanism of the
Old and New School, lie in their respec-
i've views of the Doctrine of Election?
The o. S. believing, and most clearly
md explicitly expressing the same, in
Ter Confession of Faith and Catechisms,
hat specific number of the human
amily were, irrespective of either faith
" works, foreseen in them, elected from
III eternity to salvation, that these would
De saved and no others could? The
Y. S. are in this point Arminian and
leny this. Now negatively, also, W.
[. seems incorrect, inasmuch as he in
imates that the o. s. believe that Christ
suffered "remorse and eternal punish
nent." | have been acquainted with
livines, thorough o. s. men, and am
luite conVersant with the writings of
hat body, and never heard of such an K
dea among them. To say that their
Idmited doctrines lead to such an absur- {
lity is one thing, and to say they be- !
leYed, and did not rather repudiate it {
S false inference, is another.
As to w. P.'s first position, the {
difference" that the t
chools are "born different" the one
'phlegmatic, the other sanguine. -
DR.. I. must surely have intended this c
Or joke, and yet the subject is too t
rave for such a joke. 1 must there L
ore leave it, only saying that those ac-
Iuainted with the natural temperament T
f o. S. divines, from Calvin to Chal- :
ners, will scarcely agree to the correct
ess of this statement. t
The Cumberland Presbyterians of F.
I, acted quite honorably in this partic- e
lar; they frankly acknowledged they a
eld, in one or two particulars, doctrinal J
Jews different from those specified in P
he standards of the Presbyterian r
h.lrch. They most faithfully gaze up il
heir claims to the property of tie mother
hurch, and published their standards P
nth this emendation. IL
The grand pity is that all these secta- a
ian walls, separating in every place C
hose whom "God has joined together" v
IL: all who (truly born of the Spirit)
I'VE the Lord Jesus Christ as their God Il
nd Savior, and are'walking consistent 2
:, the pity is that all these walls are I
OF taken down with one heart and one II
lind by the altogether movement of
e church in every place, according to h
he Saylor's last recorded prayer for
lem, 'That they all may be one; that o.
le world may believe that Thou hast
mt r,