The New York herald., 1877-07-22
THE PAN-pRESBYTERlAN COUNCIL.


pREsBl TERIANIsM REPUBLICAN.
EDrSBuRGn July 7, 1871
The Grand Council has reached arst landing In
long increasingly steep Alpine ascent This tsat-
urday) morning Will pray; this afternoon II VIII
feast; tomorrow it will communicate listen 10 Tu-
loch and Aexander--Lcft Ccntre and Right Centre
and prepare for climbing past the glaciers OF 'Aod-
Unbecf," tho precipitous passes OF Continental
controversy and the use OF the PRESS" until Tuesday
evening, when on the summit we shall sec the Con
LESSONS peced into flag to faunt dehanty toward
that other with the strange dovice which Professor
Tyndall unfoded at Belfast and has doubt stuck on
his new Alpine summit house. l don't know that
the dangers very great The Liberalism in
the Council is not of very vlrulent
type. America has sent solid phalanx
Of orthodoxy Scotland has permitted It's nationalist
elements only faint representation. The non Cal
whistle and hcretca forces from tho Continent
chiefly from Holand-and, as they speak IN unknown
tongues they do not interrupt much the schWarmeret
oil the orthodox hive. The foreign pastors arc as
sumed to bc talking sound Westminster doctrine,
since they do not say anything clearly TO the con
trary, and in ac 1t is tolcrably clear even in al
vance OF the perlous discussion Of unbeci set down
for Monday, that the Council will plant itself more
firmly In the old ways than ever II Will not be aoc,
as pretty strong section desires 10 pass a
Council s'shal not Interfere with the existing creed
or constitution of any Church in tho Alliance,
or with It's internal order external rela
tions" But for this article the National Church
OF Holland would have been excluded When the old
orthodox warrior OF Tho Hague-well named Krieeer-
died the Dutch rationasts changed tho standard and
substituted the word 'quateaus for qmia demanding
adherence the creeds not "because" they are
formable, but $50 far es" they conformabIc with
Holy Writ In consequence oil this change the Presby
terian churches Of Holland havc for fifty years boon
tending in tho direction az their predecessors In
England and New England-to Socinianism.
FRENCH CHURCH.
And although tho French Church has its right wing
bearing strongly In the orthodox direction assigned 10
it by Guizot, yet its creed is simple enough to admit
much larger variety OF opinion than would be tolerated
in Scotland or America Tho General Synod restored
IN lS72-3 under the Presidency Of NJ Thcrs issued
declaration of faith in these words:"rho Reformed
Church OF France remains faithful to the principles OF
faith and liberty on which 1t was founded With the
fathers and martyrs in the confession OF Rochelle,
with alI the churches of the Reformation in their
era symbols, 1t proclaims the supreme authority OF
the Holy Scriptures in matters OF ath aud salvation
by faith In Jesus Christ the only Son OF God, who
died for our and was raised again Tor our
justification 1t conserves, therefore, and main
tains ut the foundation OF its teaching, OF us
worship and OF its discipline. the great facts OF
Christianity represented in the sacraments and ex-
pressed IN the urgcs, especially In the confession OF
sins, the apostles creed and IN the liturgy OF the
holy supper" II does not require very theological
eye 500 that declaration like this which says
nothing OF the Trinity, the deity OF Christ or of the
degree OF biblical inspiration admits the Developments
Of rationaIisttc party from Within In iact, u was
Contrived 10 conciatc an existing ratonastic party
which, however, found that the degree Of tolcraton
implied Ia the language could not be practl-
caly awarded them ana the split is now
complete. From all OF these circumstances it may
be seon that although the strictly orthodox party.
owning the great churches ot Scotland and America,
is tho giant, II cannot use It's power like giant with
out pulling down the pillars OF the new temple OF a-
anco with It's Worldwide dome, whose irst consccra-
ton Is now taking place this ancient cradle and
capital of Calvnistic Prcsby yteranism
REMARKABLE UNIFORMITY.
The discussions have shown u remarkable uniformity
of dogmatic conception and principle. From tho
powerful discourse delivered by Professor Flint auhor
OF "Thc Philosophy of History France and Ger
many' which maui ugurated the Council to the present
moment there has been hardly speech which did
by phrase feeling show that the organic image
OF the Christian Church in the speakers MUD that
Of Paul (EphesIans, W., TO- l0) body Of which Christ
Is the mead FIRST world PROSTATE under "a
curse. each soul lying icttcred hand ana foot
and sentenced to eternal nrcs next Redeemer who.
ny satisfying the law, renders reprieve Tor any poss
be third, Divine Will representing an eternal pur-
pose TO which men can only bow and cannot explain;
which knows winch OF these PROSTATE forms may DO
selected for reci ana may be united with eternal
purpose finally Holy Ghost passing through. tho
world and picking such as are to be saved striking
of their letters leaving the rest and giving the ran
somed power to become more and moro
component parts OF this great anthropomor-
who st,il wears His human form IN heaven Is he SUI
preme head. The weaknesses OF this conception
obvious; that 1T does not accord with natural sent-
mcnts OF equality that some should be selected and
others doomed; but the Calvinst simply meets this
by pointing to the inequalities In nature and society,"
and asking, "Who art thou, man, that
pcst against GodY" Its weakness u sys-
tenn for converting the world Is plain, III
that IL seems TO render effort for ones
salvation uscess-inaD, being altogether evil,
cannot oven pray without the help OF the spirit Ono
cannot get salvation unless he prays for 1t and cannot
IL.
propose expect 10 convert the world only to do
his duty as appointed agent for securing 10 the elect
their advantages. This state Of mind possesses com
pensatng advantages far the preservation OF in
tcrnai strength ana cohesion are concerned. The
churches which regard II as dependent on their
efforts whether this or that be saved
or lost have inducements to conciatc bu-
man notions, to adapt themselves TO changing
beliefs and DO all things TO all men, that they may win
some The Presty yeran has no such temptation. lie
lays down the law as he gets 1t from he Bible, ana II
a cannot accommodate himself TO that law ne can
only regard him as one not included in It's OF
salvation, but only IN It's catalogue Of perdIlon.
Chrss uody III The world but not OF It, destined
IN time to contain all the world; ana the OBJ
lection OF herctics 10 Christianity that 1t is luure,
that though Christ save the world the world
is not saved, though miracles wrought 10 con-
yinco the worlu the wcrld rs not convinced has no
force at ali against tbs denomination. so lar the
world is Christs world 1t is saved as ~ meant
to be convinced II is convinced. Without therefore,
the doctriral elements which tend expansion, us
actual though slow expansion presents remarkable
problem No doubt much Of II Is due to It's poity. In
very powerful speech, which fariy fascinated his
audience Dr. Paxton distinguished Presbyterian polity
republican separated from the vf Epsco-
pal churches one SIDE and from tho dcmocfacy of
Conpreg atonaism on tho other. Another sped
marked that the Metbodlss have lately discovered
their mistake IN not haviug made the iaIy equal
working force their Church The Council has been
seriously entertaining the proposition 10 nsttute
regular schools to instruct persons for the
work OF cldersbip, aui strong party de-
sircs to empower ministers congregations
to make OF competent cidcrs for tho work of
teaching, not TO say preaching on certain OCCASIONS.
All the members Indicated jealous determination TO
preserve the principle OF equality between cergymcn
and elders II is remarkable That IL during long
ana excited discussion the WORK OF elders, during
winch Pastor Dusot gave account OF the employ
OF elders his HussIte Church thc oldest
reformed church IN the world, l49GJ, that lady
discovered amid tie delegates and turned out by
men, while The proclaimed the divine judgment about
to tail. furious thunder storm raging over the
building at the time; within there was painful
stiffness while tho violently resisted expulsion
took place. Dr. Ormlston, Of New YORK. was
presiding ut tho time and ne SAID ''No doubt the poor
woman Is not all right" and asked the elder WHO nad