, 1877-07-04
PlIESBYTERIANISNI.
Opening Of the Pan-Pres-
byterinn Council at
Edinburg.
A Pap " by the Rev. Or. Samuel
lrenaeus Prime, OF New
York,
On the Subject OF rrcsbyterlanism In
lilo United States Of America.
A Document Of interest, Historically Is
Well as Thsologioally,

Well al Thsologically.
(Dv Cable to 7zs EAteaqo Tribunal
LONDON OrrlcR OF TIE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
SALISBURY srKExr, W. e., July 8.--The Pan
Presbyterian Council convened at Edinbura
to-day. Tho opening sermon was preached b.
Prof. Flint, Of Edinburg University. The
Rev. samuel 1rcnnus Primo, editor Of the Nav
York o1serer, read The following paper, on
rRzsarrsHlAsisM IN 7Hs UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
The foundation Of tho Church whose General
Council Is now convened in this historic c,ty
was la'1 IN the 6rst century Of the Christian,
Graz i wnt one Of the ects Of the Apostles,
Jcaua Christ hetnE the chief cornerstone. fts
track through successive ages is marked by
whatever Is tcnctiecut and glorious In tie
progress Ut the Gospel. Religion. learning, ART
It's path ilustrlous, and no nation has felt its
power but fa the good OF it, people.
Tic work assigned to me ID tho presentation
to the lcrsst posslbln wotds,-it deserves vol:
Of TIN outline of Prcspytcrianlsm ID The
United states of Ancrfca..
ftls eosnmon to bcgtn the history Of religion
In Amulca with
rna sronT or rnB puHrrAxs.
Or tllo@s,aW cmigranta who came to NoH En-
Enndb be(Hrc 1AG, no less than 1900 Of them
were ircstytcrans. The carly churches lo "a.
saIr Edet, whe IN is ts nstsIs
an Elder from each church, met In Synod At
Of Iaith OF tho Westminster Assembly Of Dl.
WINS.
Tic reformed churches Of Tho Continent, and
n,sTc than NIL that Of Holland, gnyo to tho New
World tho blood and 'bratn Whch still form q
GewGIlul element IN the rrcsbytcrtan Church.
The Dutch planted, In 1918, in New York, the
first strictly Presbyterian ellurcn, md It relnajns
y this day. Frua, and after tho British rcvolu-
t!on Of 1GSs, Scotland and tho north Of ireland
srnt to our shores ihe nen who gave dls-
WHICH has been to the religion Of America what
tho backbone IL to n1an. These stalwart Pres
! bytesians settled chiefly In pcnnsylyania and
MARYLAND. The oldest church organized By them
1850. Freehold and WooI5ridee,tn IN New Jerscy,
J were born tn lg1a, and tho arst frcsbytcstan
Church 1ns in tthllaaclphla III FL i1 1os Al early
o. o,sr o tbs II n@fFcsb5tery ~ rhsdelphIa the
istcr in It but one was FROM Scotland OF Ireland.
-Four PresbyteElts were totAcd, IN l716, out Of
t!ils onc,nnl tflca they constituted tho Synod Of
thr eAMc nallie, but Including ministers anii
churches n New Jersey and New York. After
Whtte!!ude visit, In 17:s9, o division resulted In
/. tho formation OF tho synod OF New York, but
the two were reunited in 1s38, forming Synod
authority until tho separation from the Govern
mont Of tue mother country, when tue Geueras
Assembly WINS constituted ln 118S, altar tho
model Of the Church Of acotlnnd.
Our Pfcab5tcrtanfsm helped larGel5 to mako
FINALLY RgnRLI,ors,
when tho country was under tho British Crown. II
tug Church OF England hatlscnt all the eolonists,
history Of tho United States might ueyer have
been written separately from ulAt Of Great
britain. Bishop liorslcy says: "Calytn Was
nn1g,cstfonaoly ,' II theory !: ,EepubIeat,, 20
9rcl to fashion tho government Of Ill the
Protestant. churches upon republican princl-
Pics" lial1am writes: :. Tho School Ut Knox
..;,,t,,.. lad IT. s,stcm q local aud general y;
lorsi Macaulay says Of tho Scottish preael.crss
.'.Thcys Inherited the republican opinions Of
Knox" and 1saac Taylor calls "rcpub-
si% sv p " Rsa sa1 p,Syy BY
,ncut nude by our own historian, Alf. bancroft,
that "the iirst voice publicly raised Ia America
cnlne, not from lis puritaas ot New England,
nor the Dutch ut New York. nor tho planters OF
Virginia, but from the scotch.lrtsh Fresbyte-
rsans." Americans haye honorcd but ono Of our
Revolutionary diyinca with statue; they
caused to be erected last ycar, our Centennial
year, at the cost ot $25,6N }E3,0oO), bronxc
statue of tic Rev. JOHN Wlthcrspoor, D. D., =
Pr.sbytcrtan clergyman from Scutland, and tho
our Declaration Of Iniepaudencv,-a document
that holds tu our history tho sums place With
tl,at Of "Mngna Chattu'' In England, AMI tl,u
"solemn LeaQue aud Coyenant',' in Scotland.
lFcsbyterians tn America have shown ~ great
capacity Tor divisions and subdtyfslons u In
scotland or elsewhere They IRE tbs samn ut
ot men, and sst ~ ths sans way-that 10. their
;,;,t. 9w. Tay Mways ready to gtye ap When con-
WILLING Ct my tins to part with thelF best
friend rather than to Yield puInt In disputI
W, We hasya > traditlos tlss ons q our rresoytvr-
prayed: "Gxsas, . Lord. tAa. No tnsy b.
right, for thou knowest VIZ arc very alecide1.n
Some of our Presbyterian bodies nru tho or
spting Of divisions In the old ltulntry,-chutchss
being. formed by ministers aud people who
wnu!t! p!csurve tie ,lsages and speeihr princt
piles OF t!Ir!r distinctive organizations in Scos-
tand. others have beon formed by dfsislona In
our own ecclesiastical bodies. We hare at the
TEN ssnErEsDENT .Fl.ssBrrgatAs oAaAalzA-
1lbAA, VIZ;
s:si S:ss:sii $::::$s'!, $:, :: }|sssssss}i |ss
Reformed tGcfmsnf,
United PrcsbyteEani
Synod Of The Reformed r1e&byterinn Church;
c,tsnts General Synod Of tho Reformed PrsaIytesian
Wels4 cai.satstie hethodist{
Cumberland Presbyterian
The Presbyterian uene1al Assembly fNorth)
has I'll ministers, b,0T churches, With SIS 40
nsmbe1s IN eou'rlunlon;. and Inst year con
:ributed Tor the support of the Goepel at home
md abroad -s3,Sl0, ,!.ss3-abdat ei0,000,O00, or
E,0D,o00. Il supports Rbt,ut 1,oCU persons Ia
IT. foreign nissiou work. II has thl,teen theo-
tegtcal scminas4cs. with dfty-six Professors and
The FresbWertan Church {South) has f,7oq
ministers, 1,eH churches, with 11a,163 mem.
beEs; and last year u contributed 81, ,l33 65l fOr
tho support ot The Gospel n home md abroad,
Two Theological sctniuaEtes hare sight Profess
ora an1 llO students. 1t austains sixteen for
EesenisnR TIE Church In China, Greece, bouth
The United Presbyterian Church has 62s mtp-
i1 trifntovs M eou.Sne. 20 .Ss 7s %Smoes. t. con.
year. ts13t tG1t It haA tour theological semi.
naries, With uiGetyssycn atudeuts.
Tie Reformed jDutrL} i.hur,h h.. KIN .,,,