The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-05-31
Ine Frs.bylerlan FeeonelIIa,IoB.

that shows itself in all the seets. Such
attsmps are likely 70 be Successful ~
proportion as the differences are super
fetal, or the conditions of reconciIla-
ton are radical. II the differences are
radical and the unities SUPERFICIAL the
effort does not promise an equaii9' sat-
fsfactory resHlf. Ever since the re-
formation loosed the human mind from
thrnIdon. two parties have appeared,
and more or less Yfsibly divided every
reliuious sect. Some wished more
form. others less; some construed the
dognas literally, others Interpreted
them freely; some attached more, 9TH
srs less, signihcance to the sacramento
and rites; some exacted rigid compli.
ance with denominational usage In
matters Of church administration, 9TH
ers deemed such things Of small mo-
ment, and were quite willing TO saeri-
ice them 70 ends which they regarded
as being more vital. The differences
everywhere, and were due to the same
causes. Sometimes they struck in, and
sometimes they lay loosely on the sur
face. Every sect has or has had its Old
and its New Schools. The great sects,
like the EpiscOpalians, Baptists and
PresbyteRiAus, and the small seCts Ike
the Cniversalists and unItarians, the
| SWedenborRians and the Quakers, As
general thing, the more radical the
/ sect, the more radical is the differences
themore conservative the sect, the more
I radical the agreement.
The Presbyterian Church has a very
noble record, and very ancient one.
In social and civil revolutions as well
as in religious, 1t has played distin-
guished part. Il has given powerful
and famous men to the company OF
preachers and reformers. Lofty in
faith, uncOmpromfsinR in doctrine,
frm in discipline, austere in morals,
WelI.knit in organization, In admInis6
tratlon vigorous, In spirit earnest and
devout, Il has done well Its part in
fostering at once religious zeal and po-
litical liberty. But even the Presbyte-
rian Church could not escape from the
dlsintegrating nt0fthOughtand
feeling. The marks of old dissentions
are visible all over its body. Emigrants
from Scotland and the north OF Ire
land brought Prssbyterians to the
American Colonies SO early as 1890, and
before the end of the century several
churches were established in Virginia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania. and New
Jersey. By 17l6 four Presbytsries had
been Instituted, and a Synod formed.
so long as the members were mainly
Scotch, and Irish, and Puritan, the Sc
we're integrity of the body was preserV-
ed; but foreign elements poured in;
Frenchmen and Welchmen, Dutch and
Swiss, brought their native and acquir-
ed DeculiaTities; opinions began to
conflict, not SO much on points OF faith,
whether spiritual or theological, as on
points Of discipline aud Observance.
The education of ministers, the mode
Of testing their fitness to preach and
administer the saGramsntB, the rules to
be respected in their ordination, the
binding nature OF this or that Tegula-
ton In the form Of worship. To trace
the course Of these disagreeInents would
be impossible here. They broke out
again and again with great violence,
the more rigid party ususlly prevail
liberty gaining incidental AdVanta-
ges.
The ordination Of Mr.. John Rowland,
In lTIs, by the New Brunswick Presby-
terry, in defiance OF the decree Of the
Synod prescribing special feature in
the examination OF candidate, fur
nished one occasion for dIssension.
Whittield's visit to America divided
the sympathies Of the two parties In the
Church; the stricter disappearing of
the Irregularities OF his procedure, the
A18oE hhIuAuB 4uLO 6uEuu6lAsn II DIS
favor. The Synod was broken in two
in 174I, the Old School or Conservatives
making Philadelphia their stronghold !;
the New School taking up their head
quarters in New York. This breach
was healed In I75S, the independents
holding out the olive branch. During
the period OF separation, the New
School had gained in number and infiu-
ence over the Old, but both were strong.
This reconciliation lasted till toward
1880, n period of about seventy years.
The organization OF the Presbyteries
and Synods was perfected in that time.
The rules OF practice and standards OF
government were revised, rearrauged
and published; the order OF discipline
and OF worship was prescribed and fix
ed. The Westminster Confession OF
Faith was sanctioned, with slight mod
itications. The Catechisms were re-
adopted almost precisely as they were
before. The basis of harmony was SUI b.
stantially the stout old Scotch Presby-
terianisn1, rounded away a little to
adapt IL to the United States.
But the troublesome spirit was not
dead. The Strict Constructionists and
the Liberal ConstTuctionists existed,
and whenever the old questions came
up the old controversy came up with
them. In 1887, the body fell asunde r
againi the bonds OF union after Sc
we're strain, gave way at the same old
weak spot. The ordination clause and
four Synods, those OF Genessee, Gene
va, Utica and the Western Reserve were
set apart from the rest. The schism be-
tween the Old School and the New
School, rs we know them, occurred a
generation ago. For the last thirty
years, the Presbyterian Church has
consisted of two distinct bodies, wholly
independent ofeach other as 10 govern
ment and administration. Both In
creased in wealth and Influence. Both
had Synods, Presbyterian ministers,
churches and communicates. Both
supported foreign and domestic mis-
s1onSI boards OF education, publishing
committees, church building commit.
tees, and all tho appliances for doing
evangelical work. The Old school. fn
1850, had six, and the New School had
i've theological seminaries. Judging
by exterior signs, the number oi
Synods, Presbyteries, churches, minis
tiers, studenIs, professors and commu.
nicants, and the amount Of money
raised annually, and the extent Of
work accounted for, the power of the
Old School preponde over the New.
II 1t were not that disputes are apt to
be bitter In proportion as the subject Of
buelh - lNElHlnR5 u T-houI0 excite sur
prise that the work Of reunion between
the wings Of SO powerful an organiza-
ton should be thought difficult. The
present arrangement is in the most
competent hands. Two Committees,
each representing one OF the General
Assemblies, have charge of the details.
These Committees are composed of
able, devout, and conscientious men.
The spirit, on both sides, has been
sweet and friendly, The terms seem
to be fair. The reunion of two indie
pendent bodies on equal terms Is the
end contemplated. II the tendency
as many say II is, toward unity, In. this
case II ought to show its power. The
resistance to be overcome Is less than
u would be in any other denomination
Fhe unities are fundamental. The d.
versities are superficial There Is a