, 1874-04-20

pastor ohoBo his t0xt from tho ilfoenth vorso OF
the eighteenth chaptor Of the Gospel according !
to 81. Mark" Downro Of tho loaven OF |
phariaoos."
Tho phnrHoos, ho said, wero tho ariatocrats |
Of tho old jewish thoocraoy, proud Of their
position rs tho constituted oraoios OF God, and |
oHtentntious In their piety, 80 that thoy fro.
quontly foil under tho consuro Of our Lord, aud !
incurred His anger. Thoro woro, howovor,
many points in tho plety and general character
OF tho Pharlaooa worthy Of imitation. They
were very devoted to tho aoriptures strict In
their Observance Of tho Mosaic law rigidly I'd
boring to the rulos Of morality. THAR char
actor as q scripturo-loving aud q -law-koopipp
pooplc, wae something. remarkable. Thoy woro
very sorqpulone i1,,t IN their observance OF thor
absent from public worship; a por-
in The propagation Of tho trutha Of
prosoiyto might bo worse OF In tho now fafh than
The old. They woro bold, with no fear OF tho
face Of man, and nevor quuiiing before tyrant.
In all those rospoota thoir character waH admIr-
extremely bigotod. Delng. blessed, thoy wero
proud Of having received tho blosBing. It was
o pharisoo vito thankod God that ho was not as
other men wero who saw follow-mnn in dis
passed by on tho othor side who said to tho
common people. !" Como not near to mo; am
holier than thou"
30 Christ snid 'Bewaro Of tho 1eayon Of tho
Pharisees." moanlng tho loAven Of their bigosry.
Nothing spread so quickly aB illiberality: An
Of the Presbyterian Church. BerYotus, a learned
plety was not able to reoolgo tho doctrine of tho
Trinity. He wont to Goneva, mud there bccamo
involved in controversy, In which 1t clearly ap-
poarod that he did not boliovoin TINT great fun
the lustance OF man high In authority in Cor
many, ho waa soized and Gust In prlBon, and
then brought to trinl on tho Charge Of haresy,
for which he was finally condemned aud o1ocut-
trial aud signod his death.warrant was John
Calvin, and from that day tho prosbyte-
rfan Church had never recovered from tho
stigma resting upon 1t through tho trial and
that such bloody episode never occurred ngain
tho record Of tho Church was still blaokened by
that ono act OF bigotry. The speaker loved tho
momory Of John Calvin, and was glad ho be-
lougea to o Church which bad for It's 1ras dis
tinctiyo defender SO brave and learned man.
Tho Presbyterian Church had gone through the
fire Of q furnace, and they could have charity for
its paet acts Of bgotry committed in tho dark
ago Of religious persecution. He did not reoog-
now. Ho deplored all tho more dooply that thoro
ehould over 10 aucl thing ag illibornl focliug
He WAS always sorry to SEQ the blue ribbons Of
Presbyterlanism tloutod before tho blood Of the
oroHst and to soo the Westminster Confession
olsouring tho faithful, saying: "ohrlHt came
into the world to save sinnora."'
Ho deniod that the Church, In tho main, was
illiboral. Its mombers we're not called upon to
subscribe to any doctrine or article Of faith
which other evangelical denominations did not
inslat upon with equal tonaclty. It's men,borB
wore at tbors to reject the doctrine OF election,
Of original sin, Of tho perseverance, Of the SAINTS
or any or all Of the i've points OF doctrine con-
}neH In IN m md clf
sit at tho table Of tho Lord, ind break His
broad and drink His wine. The status Of tho
ministry was different. They wore not loarnors,
Put teaollers. When q pastor vas received into
took VOW not only to support the truth Of the
Gospel, but nlao to support that truth 30 laid
down lu the Westminster Confession, and when
le failed to maintain 1t he was false to bis VOWS
aud obligations. And yet no case could be cited
where man had beon expelled from Presby-
terian pulpit for what was called heresy. II he
broke Lis VOW to maintain the special truths Of
proabyterianism. he was held as dlshonorable
man in violating tho courtesy Of tile Church in
/ receiving hira into tho ministry, mud Us a dis
honest man in tbat ho broke solemn VOW and
covenant A minister was not called upon to
defend himself against charge of denomna-
| of tho Evangelical Churohea,- ,-against the relg-
| ion Of tho Lord Jesus Christ Is Leld BY tic
| whole evangelicalbody.
Tho speaker entered a proteat against tho
the daily papers, and heara reiterated by aomo
! uf the clerical membors Of tho Preabytery.
There. was no auch thing as bigotry. Tho
Church was as libcral aR any that the Lord over
allowed to exist. Quo Of the Kings OF Franco
said that ho would sooner lose his right hand
than tolerate Lutheranism, and would GLADLY
shed the blood Of bis deareat Child sooner thau
SOC that child o convort to that doctrine This,
however, WAS spoken in Q day and Rgo Of ra-
1igious intolerance and persecution, when NO
could not blame mon for being bigoted.
minister. OF tho gospel might violate his
vows OF ordination, and still be Rllowod by
certain vital, fundamental truths which II
man rejected he could not remain in tho Psesby-
torian Or any other Church. II man rejected
tue divinity of Christ. he had no right to ba in
Church. Luther when monk, once 1ourneyod
to Ron,o whore ho was told that there was virtue
In ascending Pilates staircase, over which Christ
had once passed.. As Luther was slowly and
"By faith arc 70 aaved.". Tint hour % msrked lie
beginning Of the PROTESTANT Church, and this
was the fundamental truth OF the grand evan
was peculiarly tho faith OF tho Presbyterian
Church, which traced it back not merely to
Calvin, but to Lutlor not to Luther, but to st.
Paul not to St. Paul, but to tue Lord Jesus
who maintained that faith would save unlcss it
we're axoa on Christ. waa, guilty. Of herosy
agatnst the whole Evangelical Church.
This waa all that should exposa guilty ono
to expulsion from the Church. II any man loYo
not Christ, Let him be anathomn maranatha il
nny man preached other salvation except
through Him, lot him be anathema marauatha.
Tlo spsakor was sorry TINT any CONTROVERSY had
aaSra sSsSn 10 m o 1n'tED d 6swGSa He o sbd sArnSa @
tify tho charges brought, because ho
aololy by aonas OF his duty aa defender Of tho