New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-15
DIR. MILLER,S LETTER.

three sorts OF argung fIrSt, tnat Wnlch
secondly. that which appeals to history; and thiru''
that which bases itself on expedience.
T. Tho argument jure divH,O Presbyterians have
largely stripped themselves OF this Continent Two
churches, the Presbyterian and CONGREGATIONAL nave
welded an influence upon life n these States
Who can calculate in Tho Now lglander after every
discount; the Covenanter after every compromise
where have they put their fingers, and where on inc
clock Of would the hanls now be pointing II what
they have both accomplished should suddenly be ab-
strscted from am ing mont And yet, without saying
word about general results conlnng ourselves 10
the province of the church. and considering therc only
mutual impression, We cannot for Que moment uouDt
that the Congregational Church has had more power
full influence upon the Presby terrain than the PresDy
terrain upon the Congregational Nay, more, that while
tho Presbyterian has hardly inf fenced the Congrega
tional Mt all toward Presbytcrial FORM the CON
preqationa for which AN about 10 state, mas
put an embargo upon Presbyery, and has not allowed
t in completed form to mm srate with its people, ana
to plant itself In authenticated shape on Amercah
soil. These causes arc two
n, Frat New England was possessed OF the redund
ancy VI ministers IL Is shame to that We have en-
joyed such opportunities OF growth. Inc Roma"
Catholic Church and we divided the immigration. Our
chances have been enormous. II we add the German
influx the field for Presbyterian Influence has been be-
yond all tho rest OF Professionalism To say that we
have grown much others. is to confess our guilt
we had the peerless opportunity For Biptsts aud Pre-
laiiss ana all these other commnnions had TO grow
chiefly here, while we have focked over from
| abroad and figures would undoubtedly snow that We
| have not harvested own immigration. AT
| any rate, we have not raised our own minis
| ters This was natural. Receiving great masses
of an immigrant class, had people without minis
| ters: and New Ems and. with a moro placid style
| OF life, had greater proportion OF ministers
In one word, the church with no immigrants and the
church with thousands would be differently Of for pas
tors and there would a steady stream from one
church TO the other Tlis would OF course, assert IT.
self and while there would Presby TO thirst
for changes In Congrc gaonam, there would he plenty
| In the opposite situation and excellent hew-EhS'hu
men would be in the bosom OF church rigiteorsy
impressed with the advantages OF undolng PFesoytery
Now what have been the facts We have never had a
day OF unresisted Scotch life. The Congregational
Church has poured veins some OF our
very finest church blood. DR.. Spencer DE-. Green.
Burr Davenport, Griffin the Branards, bod. HllyeT
the Adamses Sproat Nevus the Primes. arc all by de-
scent from New England In city known to the witer,
| and that the second in the land the best ministers
| twenty years ago OF NewElgland race. And
though this very fact led hun to exaggeae the stua-
ton and TO ina zine the New-England men greater in
number than they were yet the lions the remnants
the Blairs Wherspoon. the AieXanders Baxter. ALI
SON. the Breckinridses Makense, Gillespie the Fnlcys
the Lat;as the McLeans the Hoges the Armstrong;,
the Browns aud ali the Irish infusion anoug us. do not
crowd out the truth that the connrymen OF Edwards
and Dickinson have been IA perpetual power ana an
admirable element OF strength for many OF our uses
And vet for all that they allowed us Pfesbyte
rianism.
al II any ono shakes his head and says ne KNOWS
enough OF Irish blood TO know aat plurality OF
great men their way OF thinking would never yleld
even to the finest Intellect of the Ne@Enghnd school
we give ono other reaSon-NeL tired Of authority
We h most earnestly invite tue Church to see Wht
was done It's cradle by political opinion Is III hos
lime TO look at this induencel Were We ever right po-
tically IL not nowi Still, as the sinister consequence
we have lost in the last Is years. whOe province
OF churches by political churchmanship now IN the
| colonies we were fed such things. The idea was
ovous that religious liberty might be egisatej for by
fine Church. But IN hot and earnest times 1t was natu-
| raj that political liberty should get )unolcd
| with IL. The Church gloried in preaching pol
| tics Aud SO honorable did 1t seem, that cnurch
courts helped revolutionary success. Tha z,ii Durus
TO this very day We stick feather in oar inter be-
cause our fathers left preaching the cross, aud Clld
well AM Spencer preached whole in defense Of
| freedom Hence our pJy. COngregationa'ism being
nearer to rebellion than Presbytery agitators could
push that way with more favor from the oppressed
| Thoughts OF church power led men instinetiyey 10
think OF Jlayerhouse. And even in Virginia. with no
Mayno yer advocates, Jefersonian Democracy, which
nav be the very thing 10 political life. coored church
manship till at this very hour there IL an independent
treak in tho poity OF that conservative domain
| This helped Con res Itionalism Men outraged Dy
preacy were less likely TO long for prelatle Presoy-
| terry And 1t is that we never got IT, POLITICAL
! thought keuneied in our sanctuary; and' ever
| since the dogs OF political party could get
! ~ a1sS.r,Ie cry from the high. Of Zion
Iisa ntv even ON tine seore OF credit. II Pres0ytery
.iu,,v hired patrio. that you'd be an honor 10 odf
church: II Witherspoon had simply Won statue that
would be something think Of; II Congress bnt IT, or
the people moved to have reared But for the church
TO take IL her courts that Is dlnerent part o'
speech That Prosby have half governed the con-
| tnent--.hat would be something to ponder But that
the church half governed the continent or that she
has stimulated her to do It, that would be alto
| eether different and a tendency TO do that mas
actually grown with from our troubles across the sea-
saw Presbyteriauism sun red from this fact; for
| now returning TO our point, America, having peen
| settled by oppression COngregatonai'm. from the
linking " the age, had advantage In marked way
over the more stringent system For now proof of II,
| presbyteriansm was never admitted TO America The
Westminster form OF government was restiessy re-
belled AGAINST while Presbyteries living under it
with sort OF temporary adoption, and when 10 came 10
be examined formally It was utterly rejected
| lido not believe the people know this The form OF
government OF the American Prosbyterians Is New
England symbol. do rot believe the people knew II
who actually embraced It, Yet we are the victims OF It,
DR.. Muscrave. in building upon the clause that ne
quotes, is building with singular skil no douOt Dnt
tnen our hardship is. that clause never saw the
| other side OF the sea. what can we say we were
lawfully defeated IN an attempt 10 better ourselves
We tired. and majority constitutlonay put US DOWN.
II bad In which tho tree was piantod'
but how can we complain We were not cheated Let
ters written az the time tsee DR. MIXERS Life, page a
show that Con gre ationafsts conscentiousy IN
earnest They worked nberalise Presbyterianism IN
ne world. 1 would work tins day Ia new country
10 Improve the fsgational form Dr. Mu-grave ID
ouly sounding an advance. With the blood OF Scotland
In his veins, he plants himself upon that SewEngand
gain Shich served tune past to crowd out his own
fathers system. and makes II the entering we lge
| to u further iDdependency. Sun we cannot on
Iect; I. mead, IN Jors oonseientiT we can oD
ieet Theoretically wa belleye Iniependency WRONG