The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-07-25

SlVene6S OF tnlS B. ySteLu3 UuI He HOuiu Specl8ll
Q note one or two statements given of the Co
9 onial Churches, more particularly the Pres
, byterian Churches of New South Wales an
, Queensland. The former had been 80 desii
t GUS to get the ear of this Council that the
had taken the trouble of printing pape
expressly intended for the members of th
! Council, and had sent it in large numbers b
post to this country. He now PARTICULAR
asked attention to the earnest appeals tina
we're made from these Churches of New Sout
Wales and Queensland to this Council, AM
of the touching account they gave of tn
difficulties under which they labored. Afte
stating that DR.. Murray Mitchell had beer
kind enough to preface the statistics regard
| ing missions, DR.. Blaikie proceeded to say h'
sincerely trusted that this Council would no
let this subject alone. The researches h'
had made into the statistics of the Churches
and missions only showed him how much
more was yet to be done, and he belived il
SUCH an eminent statisticisn as DR.. Leone
Levi had this matter put into his hand, he
would be able to place before the Council 8
document which, for completeness and thor
oughness, would be everything that could be
desired, and present them with view of the
Churches the like of which they had never
previously received.
The evening meeting was under the presi-
dency of Lord Moncreif, and was both in
respect of attendance and the quality of the
speaking gratifying success.
Lord Moncreif opened the meeting with a
very valuable address on Presbyterianism
from layman's point of view.
Exceptional interest was excited by the
appearance of the next speaker, DR.. Hoge,
Richmond, Va. He stepped upon the plat
form--a tall, spare, muscular man, of mil
itary type of physique, and features bronzed
by exposure to the blazing heat of South
ern sun. His manner at starting was almost
painfully deliberate, and the cool self-re-
Straint with which he surveyed his audience,
and measured his ground before he opened
his lips, deepened the interest which attended
'thdbeginning of his speech. Commencing
with graceful compliment to the chairman,
admirable in it's spirit and perfect in its man.
.ner, he dallied for little with his subject in
lively and almost gay humor, and then,
mingling pathos with humor with the happi-
est ease, he set forth with dignity and breadth
of view not inconsistent with great intensity
and emotional excitement, the leading points
of his many-0ided subject-the simplicity
and Scriptural character of Presbyterianism,
its expansiveness and adaptation, and its
friendly aspect to other Churches. Perhaps
the most interesting part of an address, which
throughout was admirable, was that in which
the speaker, tracing his descent, claimed
connection on the one side with the French
Huguenots, and on the other with the Cove.
nanters of SEQ tland.
The abstract of DR.. Hoge's address as
found in the Review is as follows:
cat the outset of his remarks he said that
across the seas they were not only familiar
with the history of Presbyterianism in Scot
land, but also knew some of the families who
were distinguished for their loyalty to the
Presbyterian polity and doctrine, and they
knew that their cause would be safe as long
as it was defended by men of the lineage and
of the name of Lord Moncrieff, who had just
addressed them. (Applause.) DR.. Hoge
went on to say that the subject entrusted to
him was the capacity of Presbyterianism for
universal expansion, and it's adaptation to
men of every color, climate and condition.
Nothing could be further from his intention
than to draw invidious comparisons between
the creeds and forms of other Churches, but
he ventured to say that there were several
characteristics of their Church which he
thought gave to them pledge and pro-
phecy of its adaptation to every locality, and
to all the exigencies that might arise in that
locality, and to it's extension throughout the
world Theirs was Church which was sta
BILE in character, but flexible in administra-
tion Conservative in principle, aggressive
in work, and furnished with every instru-
mentality for promoting the extension of the
truth in the home and in the foreign field. In
certain quarters there was certain distrust
of the preaching of what were sometimes
called the imperishable doctrines of the Bi-
BILE. That there were men who hesitated to
use even the phraSeology in which Paul gave
expression to some of the grandeSt truths in
his Epistles truths in which he gloried,
truths before which these craven. hearted
temporisers quailed. They said, even if
these doctrines were in the Bible, it was not
polite to preach them; they excite prejudice,
are poWerlesS for good, potent only for evil.
Was not that taking strange liberty with
the Divine Word to bring it to the test of
human views of expediency? Was it not very
arrogant to take certain truths, bottle them
up, and label them "Poison' truths which
God intended to be cordials to the hearts of
His children? Side by side by its doctrinal
truth, their Church was distinguished equally
for the catholicity of its spirit. 1t was not
Broad Church in the sense of embracing in
its arms the Calvinistic creed and the Ar
minian clergy; twas not Broad Church in
the sense that it believed in the Trinity, the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and then de-
MED the divinity of JeSus Christ; but it was
a Broad Church in the sense of believing
that, Notwithstanding the diverSitieS express
ed between Christian denominations as to or
ganisations and forms of worship, there was,
and there must be real unity, in spite of
ali want Of uniformity, among all whose lives
are hid with Christ in God. What was
wanted was an infusion of the power and
grace of God, that every man might 60 forth
and do his duty in the sphere in which God
had placed him; and by-andbye the day
would come, when their grand old Church,
with its splendid historic memories, would
stand confessed before the world as one of
n IL, :L,,u,o,,to 70 for f,Ilin1 Hia aarth with