Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-10-16
90 EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE

rr-EsDAY, OCTOBER IA, 1878.
nr EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE.
LAST week the sessions of the Evan
5;csl Alliance brought together the
5I,st Christian intellects in the world,
y. the discussion and deliberation upon
w., most important questions that per-
.,er the Christian mind. Anentire day
~. Given to the discussion of "Chris-
,',oifv and its Antagonisms," another to
w. Christian Life" another to
"Jodcrn Literature in it's Relations to
-. i.tianity," while christianity and
-.uH Government" and mo Popery'
,..r ont dissertations from the finest
.5oIars Of the age. Dr. Parker. of
london. DR.. Woolsey, Canon Free
-,n,le. DR.. Currie and Henry Ward
g..obcr were among the men who took
.,active part in the proceedings, and
N who were present and saw these
.,rts of the pulpit and heard them
.raI in ponderous sentences and deep
.soIastic phrases upon the evils of in
sar,v. superstition and heathenism,
,.,a entertained by an intellectual feast
,.t wiu ice long remembered, and will
,.,t them on a series of reflections that
aI doubtless carry many of them to le-
..i. That will be profitable for them.
,.lwe wish to have it understood that
.ad Intellectual feast, and as furnish
,r relaxation from severe labOrs to
,... listeners, this alliance has resulted
IN great good.
Bat while we acknowledge the pow
.,a work done by these laborers in the
Masters Vineyard, it was something of a
..9-i,e to the average mind that so
rorh talent, dealing with evils that all
boarded as so immense and that can be
rrcome only by united army, should
assemble deliberate, discuss the questions
mIaji0urn without arriving at a single
result. 1t appears that the fruits of this
alliance have been just what are the re-
rts Of many of the reform movements,
9eihe temperance conventions of the
present day, a superabundBnce of very
rood talk. The world appears to be go
1.thr0Ugh an age of noise and talk.
Everybody thinks himself competent to
,gealyice and make speech, and af-
Ter that is done, to settle back with a
Conviction that his whole duty is done.
hg0uld require a mathematician of
xiii to figure out the many shades of
difference in the theological notions Of
ae members of this alliance, and of
those differences, when enumerated,
there would probably not be found a
single principle of the least Importance
olle great plan of salvation, held out
@adying world by the Son of Man that
cane to save sinners.
The Christian organization is not a
0gs.ative body, and its work is not to
Command obedience to it's edicts, but it
j topersuade conviction and create an
interest in spiritual affairs, and this Ali
ace would have been a powerful auxili-
yto the work in hand, if it had in
some way settled the minor and unim-
wrtant differences that breed discord
nod disputes between churches and
Christians, and brought them into great
rlarmony to work in the Masters ser
rice with renewed energy. If it has
lad the effect to bring the people to one
-1d and animated with one spirit the
minds of men, it has done good, but SO
lr as it has sounded the tocsin of war
ainst Popery and Catholicism, and
red animosities and widened the breach
etween the Catholic and Protestant de-
limitations, it has been a positive evil.
We care not how cruel and revengeful
we're the early adherents of the Catholic
church against the Protestant dissent
.s, it is no ground for keeping up
eternal war between those two great
wings of the Christian church. All his
tory teaches that the most depraived ex-
ampIcs of cruelty, have been the perse-
cuons of religious bigotry, and it should
be the desire of every follower of the
Savior, to cultivate the Christian Graces,
and show that religion neutralizes
the deprayity of the heart and sweetens
1e cup of kindness that he holds to his
lfdel or dissenting fellow man.
Among Protestants there is too little
unity there are those who are not treat
ed as evangelical, and those who con-
slider themselves most orthodox refuse to
fellowship others, because they interpret
Tie promises of the gospel as broader
and less conditional than themselves.
Now we should have been much better
satisfied If this Alliance had found some
way to heal these differences, if they
bad extended the hand of love and fell
oUship to the Catholic and shown the
I1fdel that they loved him as brother,
aod were ready to use their power and
earning to save sinners and attract them
to the foot of the cross by the attract
ions and joys of the true faith, instead
Of using their time and eloquence in de
aoncations of popery and declaiming
about antagonisms. We looked in vain
10Y the spirit of humiliation and love in
much Of their work, but we hope we
aave misunderstood it and that the re-
suits will be full of good fruit for the
ayng of sinners to repentance.
SUBSIDY POMEROY %KKOT.
Tho tnlncrraY,b tolls VIC tbat OF fnalvf