, 1874-06-01

1Tf!h LILO lFleNuh1p OF llttla ottu 10 tle bclo4"
nrrllp Of student, nnl the glory Of an ompiro.
Qnarrols never BOW tho seotB of Christianity.
Dlscortas do not nlnko wiso men, but only atub-
born mon; Thoy ntld TO our war power b,it not
to our philosophy. But WHOM mon sit down to
thoughts. as lovers ucnd lottors to each othor II
Is not long boforo tho better ideas OF The ono
party will hayo takon poaBossion Of tho spr,ta Of
both. Christ caino In tho name Of peace, tAero.
becauHe peace rms tho atmosphere OF bolh
heaven aud earth, aud was 1nirrorod III that being
who was to bo both Son Of Gotl and son OF
Man. No doubt thoro has boon many time Tor
tho sword In the affairs Of nations, aud tho f. f.
ture nlay again, for asglt wo know Justly grip
In blood; but 'as to tho progress OF religious
opinion, fully believe tlat oil computation. al
severity, all pnr'Hausl from tio 1ys OF con. ,'aa
BOT bnc]s tho CAUSE 1t Inns tried to forward, Inns
awakened wrath instoad Of faith, nnd has mado
soldiers and bandits moro rapidly than
Christians.
Our ago docs not loayo liz to conjecture. It
Furnishes tlB with long and grand illustration
OF gradual emancipation within tho fold of
ryligton. In tho past twenty-five yonrs thoro
hus prevailed n wonderful poace i'll theology and
q wonderful brotherhood among tho Hccts.
roar In tho pulpit and pow, but doyelopmont OF
tho central ldoaa Of the Christian religion. Tho
world has mover soon u poriod In Which .Eoaco
aud thought wero 90 boautIfuliy blonuod. Ilere
had boon before this date. ages OF peace, but
also Of inlolouco and stupidity. But, Of periods
in which peace Ia seen joined to q universal aud
most intonse montnl notivity, ours aeoms tho
vory first iu titnc anil IN elninenco. Aud ~ oil
this past generation Of penco, tho mnthod OF ro-
form has beon golng forward,-that OF o1pol'iug
bad Spirits from tho house only by having them
we'll crowded out BY good angels coming In Ut
every open door and opon window. 70 f1do po-
Ina foarod IN tue A,minian loueo againas the
cp|onist's crocd, nor has tho Arian been tlreat-
ened, nor tho Qualer been despiaed, nor lhs tho
1Io}Wew been reyled as an outcast whom all may
rigltfuy cnras; but exnctly tho opposite courso
has beon pursued, and When at Inst nc como to
gather up results, NC lind that moro error and
superstition Aayo dtau away in our century than
woro killed by atl tho cruelties Of tue ages that
tonches US ttat tlcre is no ''rogross to bo conf
pared with that which urges forward good ldaas
with 3 loving spirit. and says little about tho
ideuB that may bo supposed to be foolish or
fourtha of tho Presbyterian clergy and people
havo moved away from tho fatalism and
partialsM Of tho original systona. ard thu. they
neither hold tho carly Ideas about Gods plana
ment; and yet This glorious progress Is the re-
| Hult, not Of attacks upon tho old, not Of trials
for hercsy, but OF such worldwide preaching Of
Sayior for all men. Of all atonement tor all, Of
Father for as md Of human reaponslnilisy, Aa
ishoti IDEAS do not como back, nud finding the
mind empty. swopt, and Earnishoa, onter in
again, aud, taking sovon other bad doctrines
| worse tllan themselves, but. looking in upon
their recent homo, thoy find tho whole louso 90.
! cupicl by d most positive group OF happy idcas,
aud it only remains for tho exiled spiris to bid
tho house farewell and dopnrt to remalu In dcs-
ort places forever.
It il now becoming manifest as tho excellence
Of this ora that it III compelled to announce tho
best itleas i. can. and tllon leave them to the
public Judgment and need. If tho sisteenth cen-
tnry desired to fling out some doctrine, tho re.
ception Of tho dogma did not need 10 depend
upon the yaluo Of tho dogma, for there was nj
ways force On hand ready to mako tho now doc
trlno aprcad. But the ninctcenth century is de-
ntod tic ola moans Of propagatiag idGas' md if i
Gamaliel: "lf this counsel 10 Of mon, 1t will
come to naught; hut II it he OF God, 50 cannot
Of psrsonai independents, ali fagots and apatllc-
mas being wholly out of tho question, the Church
il compelled to re}y for succcss wholly upon tho
quality Of hor ideas. There is nothing left to
world will bo tho judge Of her. value, and this
peculinrity of tho world has driven the Church
from chickering's to reflection. aud, instead OF
shaking her crowned head like nj angry Cesar.
comes = living Evangelist, and, with tito crown
Of oliva-loayos upon her torehead, saSa; "Come
aud lot als reason together"
As In tho vaat world Of induatry the nations
aproaa out their goods in Germany, in france,
| IN England, in America, and are compelled to
aat in ailoaca whilo tue great merchants walk
along aud compare the skill OF Belgium with tho
| skill Of franco, or the elegance Of paEiB, 30 i'll
tho Christ1un doctrine all forco being set aside,
tue churches arc compelled to unftlrl thoir doc
trines. and leave tho yaHt passing throng to say
F! which are the WordB nearest the heart OF Jesus.
aud which will bring most Of righteousness and
hope to tho spirit Of man. Force abandons tho
Hn1t3 rrjo
| Abuse and intimidation and quarrois are all in
| vain TINT only ,sill bo succoss, which shall
! iu QUO grasp contain tho most Of reason and tho
most of AolneBB, and tho most OF jesus Christ.
| It is this pnculiarity OF our ago that brought
tho Evangelical Alliance up from nothing INTO
| being, that there might bo some statement mado
OF truth that should secm ablo to outweigh tho
| glittoring genera1itles Of tho nf!delu, and that
| might turn tho worlds critical gazo away from
what is small falso in ouch sect, and entico it
to survey Of what is grand in tho religion Of
| the Savior. Thnt Alllanco il an effort to lind
| Christian goods which tho Church may venture
to axpoHo ia my marriott OF tue civilized nhtions,
and, exposing those valuabls doctrines, they ad-
| journed to cut off quarrel and debate, and to
givo timo for TINT silent, calm 1eliberation which
always seems to bring tho mind uoator to its
Maker.
It would appear that there Is now taking place,
in all the Evangelical Church, reform rapid
enough and thorough enough for him who
| most need B tho power to forget tho Church'a
matters nud to look for n few years after the
| world that las no Church. no human friond to
love it, aud almost no God to allure it to heaven.
It ia not tho discussion of old doctrines before
prosbyterica and synols tho world demands, but
o brotherly argument and pleading with men
who nro without argument and without hone.
Tho Church is boing silontly reformed. Wa
can afford to hand over all tho dark
doctrinea and false doctrines to the
solemn silence Of tie next ten years., 1u that
awful stillneps OF neglect, thoy have been alnl-
ing in tho totimo Of rou all and II. tho aoleun
silence Of tho future, it no human complaint
oven 10 mnch III breAtLes whisper, tlloy will
20 down iuto an oblivion to which no waking car
ever como.
There nre railway bridges SO constructed Thai
as timbers BECOME weakened they may be rc'
moved ono by one, unh yet 10 hour como wlaer
tho worlds great traA.o need cease to rumble t<
and fro across the grcat chasm ananned by tht
great yiadnct. Tho passengers feel no fear, asst
drea1n not Of the displacement aud replacement
<tan.t