The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-03-01
PoR THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
PREsBYTERIAEIsM AND EVANGELI
ZATI0N.

| MT. EulCOr,- -OeVeTdI TeCenV WElGeIe III ln'
Central and other papers have charged tht
Presbyterian Church with ineficiency in the
work of Evangelization, and have given theil
different opinions as to the causes of this
ineficiency.
"Beta in the Central of December
29th, refers as examples to Greenbrier
and East Hanover Presbyteries, the former
having in its bounds nine counties, with a
population of 1000, and the latter twenty
four counties, exclusive of it's cities, with a
population of 10000, without a Presbyte-
rian preacher. The same writer in the Gen.
trail of January 9th, complains of want of
true missionary zeal on the part of many of
our pastors and their people, as the chief
obstacle.
Another writer, e. M, D., in the Gen
traI of December 6tf, charges that our min
listers are deferred from going into the tide
water region because of the "Malaria that
prevails there. "F. W. L." in the Central
of January 5.h, disputes this charge and
says, "The history of our Presbyterian min
istry throughout the country refutes this re-
proach upon their courage and fidelity to
duty" So we think. The same writer
adds, "There are many tracts OF country
where asues are unknown, and large dis
tricts even in our mountain Presbyteries,
almost equally unoccuped by Presbyte-
rians." He thinks "The scarcity of minis
ters is the chief obstacle" Another writer,
"R. L. j., in the Christian Observer Of
January y, in answering the question,
"Why have we failed to maintain our van.
tage ground 2" says, 81 will commence at
what 1 consider the root of the matter, that
is the training and preparing of our minis
ters for the great work of building up the
Church of Christ. Are they trained and
prepared to endure hardness, as good SOL
diers of Jesus Christ? l think not. Gene
rally they are unprepared to rough it in the
country, soldier like, feasting on corn-bread,
bacon and beans, sleeping on hard beds; or
live on short rations, doing double duty
Economy and self-denial are virtues that
seem to be wholly neglected in their train
ing" To this writer "W. H. j." admins
ters sharp rebuke in the Observer of JAN
uary 26th. Now there may be some truth
in the charges of all these writer's, and these
delinquencies, as far as they exist, are doubt
less impediments in the EvangeliStic work of
the Church. But in our humble opinion,
these writer's utterly fail to reach "The
root of the matter" "R. L. J.. says, "The
reason is not found in the doctrines we hold
and preach norjn the fact that we have an
educated ministry" "F. W. L." says, =" 1t
lie not in the want of courage and consecra-
ticn in our ministers" And we are of the
opinion that it is not in " the scarcity OF
ministers, " for nearly one-third of our ministe-
rial force iS unemployed.
Our ecclesiastical bodies, for many years
past, have made repeated and varied efforts
to remedy the inefficency of our Church in
the Evangelistic work. But the complaint
still is that the evil is not remedied. Now
when a physician has practiced long on a
patient, with very little success, if he is wise,
he will conclude, if the disease is not mortal,
that he has failed to discover its nature, and
therefore his remedies have failed to reach
it. He will resort to his textbooks and
study the case over again. We are of the
opinion that this is our case. After many
ages of conflicts and changes in the
Church, Presbyterian doctrines and gov
ernment were put into definite form by the
Westminster Assembly more than two GEN.
turtles ago. We think it not eztravagant to
say that probably there never sat in delibe-
ration on the affairs of the Christian Church,
sounder, wiser and nobler body of Chris
tian men.
Any one to read the history of those times
and especially of that Assembly, will see
that those noble men labored to embody and
defend the pure doctrines of the Scripture in
opposition to multiplied prevailing errors
and to restore to the Church scriptural
form of government, in opposition to POpery
and Prelacy on the one hand, and Indepen.
dency on the other. The struggle was fol
the eristence of pure Church, and it was g
hard and long struggle. 1t was more nat
ural that their labors should be addressed tt
the conservationof : pure Church rather thar
to its rapid enlargement and progress-tc
conservative principles rather than Evange
listic work. Their definitions of doctrines
have never been materially improved ant
perhaps never will.
In their formulas and provisions for tn
practical work of the Church they seeme'
not to have been so fortunate. 1t has beel
said of that Assembly, "They found it easie
to pull down than to build up, easier t
refute glaring errors and expose perniciou
practices than to compile symmetrical an
complete practical system for the wOrkin
energies of the Church. The standpoint 0
that Assembly did not lead them SO distinct
to recognize the truth, as devOut Christian
of this age do, that, "The Church is 'Mil
sionary Society,"" Struggling for the eri'
tsnce of pure Church they were solicitor
to provide the safe. guards of conservatism
rather than the means of progress.
A few changes in the system of practic'