The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1867-11-27
CONVENTIONS AND THE CHURCH.

1ne NaullluS anu NduulluS anpi0iOn Va
certain class of laymen, who have the itch OF
talking themselves into a greater notoriety
than the ordinary course of ecclesiastical meet
ings affords, and the well meant efforts OF
others to find out new methods of converting
the world, threaten to etupso much religious
machinery outside of the Church that we
shall, by and by, have to go out of what is
usually termed the visible fold' to look for
our brethren. There is no end Of Conventions
and their assumptions We feel like putting
forth note of warning in advance against
this thing, which is running to degree OF re
hgious riot and amazing pomposity among our
energetic and wide awake neighbors IN the
North and West. We would not wish to say
aught against good men and good works, but
to our mind, and as we have learned the les
sons of experience, high religious festivals and
rapturous demonstrations of brotherly love are
net always the signs of sound state OF rell-
gion or prevalent Christian charity. And
when people are gifted with such an enlarge
ment Of zeal that the bounds Of Zion do not
afford scope enough for their efforts, but they
must go outside to do what they might more
quietly have done at home, and then boast
that they are ahead of the Church, we are
apt to think that their zeal is ahead of their
knowledge, and that their labors and speeches,
however well meant, tend to confusion and
disorder.
In the happy Constitution of our republican
system of Presbyterianism there is place for
every man; there is pSnty of room for all
diversities of gifts. The layman can speak in
the prayer meeting, or the Sabbath School,
visit from house to house in the congregation,
rule in the Session, and make himself heard in
the deliberations of the Presbytery, the Synod,
and the General Assembly. The two last are
great annual conventions of God S people, and
the Presbytery is a semi-annual meeting in
which ministers and officers of the Church are
called together to consider things pertaining to
the Kingdom. and where every thing directly
affecting the moral and spiritual welfare and
happiness of man and the success of religion
is legitimate subject of inquiry. These are
family meetings of our good old mother the
Church, within whose house we learned our
first lessons, and until we have tried to their
full extent the effect Of these social and reli-
gious reunions, and found them wanting in
adaptation to the highest and hottest ends,
we are inexcusable if our best efforts are ex-
pended upon some new scheme of mans de-
vice.
There is in some Of these Conventions a
spirit of fault-fnding towards the ministers of
Christ, and an Impotence and want of respect
towards the preaching of the Gospel in the
regularly appointed way-though it be the
principal means ordained by the Head Of the
Church for the advancement of His Kingdom
among men. The gentlemen of the laity seem,
in some instances, inclined to take every thing
in their own hands, and one who calmly reads
their crude speeches and contemplates their
various measures proposed for doing the work
of the Lord, may form some idea of the Aimsy
literature and loose theology which the Church
would soon have, if the regular teachers OF
religion were made to yield the ground to such
indiscreet and reckless guides. There never
was day when there was more need Of thor
ough preparation, and system, soundness, and
wisdom in the pulpit and the pastoral work.
The very facts now passing under review
show that leading Christians themselves need
to be instructed in the order of Gods house.
Not considering the vital Importance Of a
trained ministry, they would blindly commit
the Church to religious denS Fm, fatal
to the ends which they profess tchsVe in view.
They would destroy the school where they
learned all they rightly know of religious truth
and duty, and under their high pressure sys-
TEN, produce a race of religious dwarfs and
fanatics, whose pretensions would be in an
inverse ratio to their diminutive knowledge
and wisdom.
The Young Mems Christian Association is a
very good institution in its place, and so are
other societies for the union of Christians with
view to some special work. But all of them
need to be held in with bit and bride. The
Moral Reform societies, it is well known, have
often attracted disguised infdelity to their
ranks; and some which profess religious ends
founded upon the Bible have been so perverted
as to yield, as we all too well know, the btterest
fruits of fanaticism. Hence the best of all moral
and religious organizations outside of the church
are looked upon with suspicion by many good
men, and their excuses have drivensome ofthose
who really sympathize in their objects, to for
sake them altogether, and fly for safety to the
Church of God and the institutions strictly
within its pale, as the only proper guardians
of Christian effort.
We have noticed this fall in our Synods and
Presbyteries deplorable scarcity of lay repe.
sentatives. We imagine that in most cases
they are quite as well able in pecuniary strength
to attend these meetings as their ministers are.
As the present is, according to one of our CO.
temporaries, emphatically day of Conven-
tions," we are led to hope that the first care
of elders, deacons, and other members of our
churches will be to see that each congregation
is constitutionaly represented in those old
fashioned assemblages where the prayers and
counsels of Christians are so much needed to
make them efficient to the promotion of the
cause and that before the prevalent spirit Of
imitation introduces any new schemes, we will
all be fully led to look to the operations of our
Church, with its several committees for For
eign and Domestic Missions, Publication, and
Education, and see if the organizations, the
Conventions, and all the ordering of our house
is not adapted to carry out the highest views
for the moral and spiritual renovation of man
and afford the widest scope to individual zeal
in the cause of the Master.
Failure of Papers,-We were exceedingly
mortified last week to find, by some mistake
of the pressman, the issue of the paper fell
short about 90 Comics Most Of nnr snhscri-