The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1874-10-28

to settle, as to the religious complexion 0
the public schools
But it is time we carried the reader to tn
more catholic interests of the Alliance. AT
ter the welcome meeting, the remaining sit
tings were held in ST. Andrews Kirk 9TH,
Rev. Gavin Lang, PASTOR Gothic building
of hewn-stone, in the form of a Greek cross
with stained windows and a grand organ
These, SAINTS name in the denomination
of a Presbyterian house, and the rest are
traits borrowed from Scotland. St. An
drews is the church of the wealth and fashion
of Presbyterian Montreal. Like most Gothic
churches, it is i'll adapted for the purposes
of conference; many of the speakers being
almost inaudible.
The conferences opened Friday Yorning,
with an extempore address from Dc. John
Hall, of New York, upon the claims of our
times upon the pulpit, Just and uayust.-
Among the unjust claims, he protested, that
the pulpit should not be expected to be
funny, nor financial, nor political, nor scien-
ti6c. He claimed that it ought always to be
serious and digni6ed, evangelical, Scriptural,
and expository. He closed by bearing his
emphatic testimony to the permanent at
tractiveness and power of that evangelical
expOsitory preaching, which explains the
mind of the Spirit. This address was
marked by DR.. Halls usual characteristics
of simplicity, perspicuity and good sense
The instructions which he offered his breth-
rem were so Strikingly identical in matter,
with those which the candidates of the
Southern Presbyterian church are accus-
toned to receive from their teachers; that,
as it is known the reverend speaker did not
enjoy the advantage of their tuition, the
similarity must be accounted for by the sup
position that he drew them from the same
source.
The next discourse was memoriter one
from DIR. Philip Schaff, now of the New York
Union Theological Seminary, on the Con-
Sensu8 of the Protestant confessions. This
divine is, as is known, German by birth
and education; a fact which his accurate
and deliberate utterance in the English Ian
guage still betrays. He is prematurely
aged by study and labor, being very bald,
with snow-white beard. His discourse was
scholarly review of the genesis of the diff
ferent creeds of christendom. He showed
that all Protestant ereeds are at one, in re-
spect of the essential principles of the Re-
formation, and of redemption. Yet they
contain differences and even antagonisms.
The great question which now interests the
Protestant world is, how shall they be har-
monized so as to exhibit better the unity of
Protestant christianity! Not, said the learned
lecturer, by requiring all the other creeds to
bow to one, as the Papists, and few little
ProteStantS, yet more absurdly demand
Nor by abolishing all creeds. This would be
to throw away all the teachings of Church
history. Attempt this, and forthwith the
Church would necessarily begin again the
same throes and trials, out of which existing
creeds have grown. History, exclaimed the
speaker, is not blind, neither is she Bedam-
ite. She portrays the necessary develop
ment of human affairs; and woe to US if we
refuse her lights. Shall the harmonizing
then be obtained by making an electric
creed, which should eliminate everything to
which anybody objects? A creed thus ex-
purgated would be so borne as to please no
body. The only plan, then, is the one sub
stantially adopted by the Alliance. The
idea of fusing the denominations is utopian,
and will never be done this side the millen-
mum, if then. But the denominations may
be taught to recognize each others rights as
branches of catholic christianity, to respect
each other, and to love the true likeness to
Christ formed in them all. This, with the
effusion of the Holy Ghost, would give US
what we seek.
The addresses of Dean Bond, dignitary
of the Anglican Church in Montreal, and
of Dr. Dabney of Virginia, although pre-
pared wholly without concert with DR.. SchaH,
reached the same result. The only thing
noticeable about either of them was, that the
latter gentleman had the misfortune to con-
hict with certain Broad Church views cher
ished by some of the younger members of the
Conference. He thus, unconscOusly, trode
upon some peoples corns, in a manner to
which even British good manners could
scarcely give a courteous reception. He
argued that Protestant unity could not be
secured by a Broad Church construction
because this would betray the Churchs Sa-
cred duty of witnessing for the truth, and
either result in benumbing indifferentiSm,
or in bitterer controversies He therefore
adopted DIR. SchafFs conclusion; that we
must accept the conception of visible
church catholic, composed of denomination;
distinct from each other in government, but
made one by unity of spirit and affections
Saturday morning, the Conference wa'
addressed by DR.. Donald Frazer, formerly
a citizen of Montreal, now successor to DR.
William Chalmers, in the Presbyterian
church, Marylebone, London in very elo
quent discourse. His subject was the rela