New-York tribune., 1876-05-19

grew unimpor, ant; the original British mate
partly from New-England. From l7oG to 1913 IN Ia
exgeney rose with shape aud in vgor The struggles OF
the Revolution completed this process ana VIII eno
forms the religion established in i7eS the AneiGi @
Presbyterian Church may be said to have entered Iny
upon It's OF independent existence preserving c
principles II had held undur such limitations as were were
demanded by its new circumstances Losing
something by this isolation, II also 1nl ganve nc
ter and position. Loving reveTcnlly the Westminster
symbols AS substance Of belief 1t stu e1erci.ed ts III
OF lie other cuIchcs it s administered it in methods
largely lis longer Scotch or iisn, or
Puritan it thus became c1urch dstinctlvey Amer
can. under allegiance to foreign Pr9tesats, esu'"'
ing and developing itself Freely anu ypc,n,e
constituted VI these general conditions sucn
was was S sea tn pup sef upon the vo untary ITn
cipe as distinguished from all forms of otate sIppoIt
That principle had indeed as history as SHOWN 10 ,S
tatons and dangers 1t tended StroneiI 70 enPn%sIe %
theological Herences and the dcOlnnhlIonal r.a
ries aud develop tine spirit Oi sect always lrrGnan'
with n'iscbcf II was an eT enal GifS h.nS ID , a.
tlcular conception of religious llieriy Whicn was
very structure OF American society In that TIC Amer
Church lived and proscred, asking from tno Slte
on and the laboIs and sacrifice OF tlose who loved
snd willing to sustain it TO te Olu m9rn h s y,
danger, the young church just risen hto 10TH anu
vigor 1t became experiment. fuii OF besslig lor h az
can Professionalism; t would never have risen 10 its
present elevation in either spirituality or rutIuness
had thus from tho beginning east Itself resoutey
Another General condition may bs seen in the peculiar
oonmnvling of the various American cts IN struggle
life glory In the Old World. geoRraphica bohn
diaries had S Kept apart S se's Sorss OF %
itself during the 10th century tue InuIeh Hau ni
broken into series OF provincial churches III he o
World With the peculiar geographical distributions each
denonnati0n came to regard ilSeli us cqu VIII
other trough tile entire cOntiunt aud the struggle i0r
position became inevitable and universal. Especially
after the American Revolution this cOmmlhglns 4i
scots, its consequent lYreS, became uiNef9'l
and those churches which e0iuc recuEnlLcu 'Hc
condition and began tO exend their Oiiers not meIe
Westward but also nUrthward southwark upward and
downward among al and grades of American so
cirty, those wnicE grew most rapidly ana sool
est attained commanding position. lntO tIat
struggle for continental influence the Presbyterian
Church entered with great caInestntss' Olauhins
exclusive possession nowhere it claimed joint possession
eyerywhere aud became in the truest sense naTonal
Church. the Church of tho American peope. Jnnini
with oher good work of evangelism, II stii
lifted high own banner and welcomed TO it's iOd pco
pe Of wbateve class. Well this comllngnS Ol seeIs
sometimes resulted 10 seetarianlsn' nut IL cannot pe
questioned the main result To all the secs has been
blessing; is especially true OF our own Church
believe that IN tho exposition OF our theOl9Sy III 1o
administration Of pOity. i'll the temper ana purpose
that animated the Church. and especially III the re-
markuble energy and efficiency that nave chIaeielZcu
it, that church has been the better stronger puof lot
such prOvidentlal experience.
The universal liberty Of thought ana speech recogleu
as a fundamental principle In American society rs an
Other general condition the doctrine OF religious Hel
had indeed been admitted by ProesihIsln as Ine
principle Of the Reformation, yet the pressure 9" churchy
authority has checked the principe Oh It's n.,Hh d
cisc Tie Protestant Churches OF Europe had ieIneu
the primary lesson OF OleratOn, but mad fed To per
bTOau StnCllO0 between mere
fu religious h1e'y. On american soh cH 9uH" i ~
ery readily won Tor itself recognition. CIll rcGu-
atons restraining it were gradually repealed Free eA
preston Of opinion OF oil rengOus Questions ote"ihv
cuntrOl Dg law. In Come instances TINS has NlIated
Christianity itself; yet il cannot be questioned th!t
Americas theology in the aggregate has ad feer range
and wide influence in nSequence or thll ile Anief
mPr place In the popular respect American Protestant
ism OF all has had reason TO apprehehi a ger rom
corportcd in its Constitution. Notwithstanding occa-
si0na struggles along the same shado"y 10 De-
freedom ana authority the other, the annals OF our
own Church bear noble record 10 the fact tat 1t has been
grant thar ts loyalty the cardinal doctrine vital TO all
Professionalism may never, never be impaired
PECULIAR SPECIFIC CONDITIONS.
Besides these generic conditions which have afflicted
more or less vilay all forms o religions life on this con
tnent there are certain specific conditions peculiarly
affecting our Church, and largely determining 's
character and it's development OF these, the hr.t, OF
course is special type OF theology II Is historic
truth that Calvinsm though in genus, has always
existed in several species more OF less distinct chdr
acterzed chiefly, / think, by the relative ele-
walton or depression of some particular element
or by some special combination or aTangement OF the
several elements composing the sVst' AHe mai1 ncca
for such atiUHs are found IN the petit,s ni
Individual lines, in national ;cnucrlme and character
iscs. and phiOSOpic stems snd IN oner n'iu 81 anu
ctICal causes. eome i1lh ttluh ior t''ih ESQ ili
IN the widely various .Orms and connections ln WiIch
TIC truths co'nhn1 to the 50 ;en as pres ,.e ', @ 'u
spired minds IN scripture hNiI s'ch Na.''vu' NV
from tire time appeared even ~ Europe, a5 is MS
t,IV European z NInibu Il3r tS'f'ltullF h'th'H-
sraod. In ihir country! I9I various I'a'yHNr nc H
always been manifest. no single sprcie' OI GAVIN
acy. or stool form historically rs The sole
itJrcseutatiyc OF me common system VI ,.tI-
take rtire control Of the Church, the a"ays
been a lUgs Ol and irui- i-ln'-s, ana In some 49,
stances, in the Vans Of the Eo.cs, the attempt ms
ended in inieruecue conflict, dl-ruplon, a.t decline
TIE p'IiJGs o. plosUCny dni CROWN nave ih'''''hf
mon rcu To Ito ono generic state, and been con
tented to.cihc" American 'ihl-ln 'I' i"- u'
lu.is,utcd TIE ulh that the a" oi irwtlnne,s ana
PROSPERITY mast ever bc law o. balances adjui A"'a
nj reconciliation There must be no war between tAo
CONSIDERED comparatively, American C.y!uisu hes
also '-on m,Gned by iis contact WITH o'A.I the" Sic
.nuI. Niua LAS Doubt, cast ASIDE oih"r H'-.rnS
il las s0hev Dat mpldci 10y JHei' traennli a u u
iu!or.aut to know that coming before tho 'c'inr d5
"e'.tc !t,t ~ aud law ,.iln r. tt and
stale ii5-f iu iue most Lucid iorusi To |Fc reasons
rroofs ana b. order 90 commend itself 20
H., ,-- ..,f.i.r,. II baf therefore become from
its I,si Development rather Va ihc pulpit uitn IN tie
thcologC chair and uuunE ne pace cGrh{ u.OdE l'i
Ike EINaTd5 and Withtr-Hoon. HOPKINS aud
porssaly comforting forms OF Expressions ani ll'
inctrca deytJpn,ut u s cCUiayc thcppel cOHiornrd
~ models Ol tie .eJt tnth century, tIcJ nave created
a 4i., O. OF C.IvujsC teachings wilt Toss Scuptlrd
Oh less strongly prolific OF good Our CalyrIsm must
therefore COutAgr 10 be cached uud Iicacharie
Cayinisn-C ,iuIgw ever addressing Itself 10 tue mind
ana uea aad conscience OF the PcDpr-taiEui'm su-
pr,n,cy concerned with the son!s %. man 4nd "IcanS
every divine truth embodied iu 10 ud-i the iui pressure
Of Sc5ipmrai interest 10 human -sl'At"m
Our ivr Of pJtF furnishes 'c SECOND ~ i'He special
cDud uus. Ike Oar thcD.pgY, iIls pfiy D. Oi 'F--
t.fafc trII.u, rfst.uE on srld rp'ri iDi uu1
tioJs and shaped lu accordance With clear -ruptU al
t.!4clptes gI ..ly Sc. coiHs ana improving. by Il.e
cItuFIc- % tAifHHFC exp IUrHIt tIu JHII. uf liHiu
Ia Jun uds by the c3riuI ie-ts Of cIGy and bY Its
marked ieltc.dHn DI thc hos rhailtr ~ thc bHsitL
Under that yOiy y. ucrirau Pie-byt.n1'sn baf gro"n
ayI a.sr.f At f.mCs however. % MDsl ne Hraun- j.
..1ci even the best yerIutnt adWHis,'frd bY hurn
hands may gru.c uHtAoc. In TO iaHn, fiu'Drl in
ytr.F Of ne lony experiment., aui proud ~ sT.-
t,fl vA.rI lr Us pJhcI.rs. uctIud-, and ilWit
l.. sho.n il-ef deserving u allegiance, J
Ie..rgs tuat uaGec GAuoat polly, nitlput