The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-07-07
From the Free Christian Commonwealth.
CHRISTIAN CAND0R versus CHRISTIAN
COURTESY.

CHRISTIAN CAND0R versus CHRISTIAN
COURTESY.
81 wish ever to be courteous, but still
more to be candid" said some one in the
Mobile Assembly. The sentiment involves
a great Christian principle which seems too
much overlooked in this day. With too
many Christian people, what they deem
Christian courtesy is exalted among the vir.
lures to such degree, that the virtue of
Christian candOr is cast into the back ground.
And, as usual in all times of trouble and
strife, designing men soon learn to practice
the grimaces of pious Chesterfeldianism,
and pass them off upon the. unwary for
Christian courtesy. Many too, from an en-
tire Misrepresentation of the gospel precept,
"Be courteous" as of the gospel brotherly
love, fall into such habit of mask-wearing
as sort of Christian duty that the mask at
last seems to grow fast to the face, and they
become uncOnseiously insincere and uncan-
did, as well as utterly careless of any obi
cation to stand fast by and witness for the
truth as it is in Jesus.
We have been led into this train of reAec-
ton from reading the resolutions reported
by Rev, A. A. E. Taylor, and adopted by
the New York Assembly, touching fraternal
relations with the Southern Church After
preliminary "whereas, reciting the mag
aanimity of the Assembly last year in re-
cOgnizing the Southern Assembly, and CIV
ing such slant to their action as to make
it seem to "dead-letter" the Pittsburgh &C
ton of 1865, the Assembly
Resolved, "That this General Assembly
hereby conveys its Christian salutations to
the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church in the Southern States, and gives
expression to its sentiments of Christian
fraternity and fellowship towards the minis
tiers and members of that body.
And as we inherit and hold with them
the same ancient symbols of faith, the same
forms of government and of worship, thus
representing before the world the same sa-
cred principles to which our common ances-
tors witnessed, and which we have maintained
together in the past; and especially since we
occupy adjacent and in many places common
territory, we deem it due to our one Lord,
and to the best interests of His kingdom on
earth, to express the desire that the day may
not be distant when we may again be united
in one great organization, that shall cover
our whole land and embrace all branches of
the Presbyterian Church.
Resolved, That the Stated Clerk be di-
rected to forward copy of these resolutions
to the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian
Church in the Southern States
Now we should not be surprised to find
that some of our Christian peOple-pOssibly
some even of our ministers and elders-are
disposed to accept this as the solve branch, "
and under the mistaken views referred to
above, suppose our Church bound in con-
science as Christians to answer back, ex-
pressing desire to fly into the arms of these
relenting Northern brethren.
Far be it from us to insinuate that MIR.
A. A. E. Taylor and his brethren are con-
seiously insincere in making this utterance
of fraternal Christian salutatiOns. They no
doubt desire bye cones to be bye-gOnes.-
Far be it from US to dispute the gospel max
i'm, eff thy brother repent, forgive him
yea, even "seventy and seven times. But
one cannot forget that while the call is,
"Repent" "RepentI" the requirement is
also, Bring forth fruits meet for repen-
lance Even if constructively We are to
interpret this resolution as a sign of repen-
lance on the part of our Northern brethren,
we find no sign as yet of the "fruits meet
for repentance. So far from that we can
not but regard the manifest effort to cover
up the past sins against their Southern
brethren as bad sign. "He that covereth
his sins shall not prosper, but he that con-
fesseth and fOrsaketh them shall find mercy.
And besides, on the very same afternoon,
perhaps, in which the Assembly gave utter
ance to these Christian salutations, and hopes
of reunion, it gives utterance to the calum-
NOUS allegations of a certain Kentucky me-
mortal, and votes $4,000 out of the Lords
Treasury to be invested in the business of
judicial robbery of the Christian people of
Kentucky, to whom they send these Chris
tian salutations.
Aside from all this however, we desire
both for the benefit of our Northern breth-
rem and of such Southern brethren as may
be captivated by these "fraternal saluta-
tons" to set forth in the most summary
manner the difficulties which should, on the
principle of true Christian candOr, have
restrained the New York Assembly from