The New York herald., 1877-07-05
Tn. Pr.sbytsr,.n couneil.

sions on Tuesday in Edinburgh. No such
assembly of eminent Protestant divines has
come together since the Westminster As
sembly convened in the Jerusalem Cham
Der of the famous English Abbey two hum
dred years ago to prepare creed and stand
ards of faith for reformed Britain. The gen.
eral councils of Professionalism or Of any de-
nomination thereof have been very few
indeed. The reasons and the opportunities
for such assemblies have been few also.
Until the Evangelical Alliance came into
existence seven years ago there had not
been council of representative Protestants
of any sort since the famous Dutch Synod
of bort, except the Westminster divines.
The reformed churches of Europe and
America were content to plod their way
severally and alone, with scarcely neigh
borly recognition of one by the other. The
Catholic Church was in this respect more
wise than it's rivals and perhaps more dem
ocratic also. She called together her hier-
archy from every point of the compass and
gave them ample time and opportunity to
consider important questions of faith and
order. In this regard, therefore, the Church
of Rome had an immense advantage over
any and all bodies of Protestants. The latter
had their denominational and sect gather
ings, sometimes important and useful, but
oftentimes the reverse. A better spirit,
however, has been developing among all
shades of Christians within the last. twenty
wears, and the first fruits of that spirit may
be said to be seen in this Pan-Presbyteria
Council.
The opening sermon Of DR.. Flint, of Edin-
burg University, an excellent outline Of
which received by cable, special to the
HERALD. we publish to-day gives emphasis to
the recognition of this spirit and the universal
desire that it might extend and embrace all
Christians until as one grand army Of the
living God the Church shall go forth to
conquer the world for Christ The old
historic church of st. Giles probably has
never had such body of divines gathered
within it's walls before. The reception
given to the delegates on Tuesday evening
indicates that the work of the Council has
begun WELL And if the old proverb
be true that ''Whats well begun is
half done," the remaining work Of
the delegates will be easy and pleasant.
The grasp of the Methodist Lord Provost's
hand by the venerable and scholarly DIR.
Adams, of this city, and his glowing tribute
to Wesley and Methodism SO graphically
pictured in our dispatches we can readily
imagine electrified the vast assembly and
showed how near of kin are oil the be-
levers in Christ. And with like
heartiness the English and French dele
gates entered with Americans into the re-
membranes of our national independence.
The kindly expressions of the British and
Continental representatives toward this
country and government were Endorsed by
others and were reciprocated by the Ameri-
cans, notably by the venerable DR.. Plumer,
of South Carolina. The Council has had
brilliant start, fair omen of its end.
The sketches which we publish in other
columns of the HERALD to-day will give the
reader the reasonable hope that the object,
so devoutly wished for by many, may be
attained. There it will be seen that repre-
sentatives from all the reformed churches in
Europe and America, which hold the same
doctrines and order Of government from
Northern and Southern Africa, from Asia
Minor, Southern Asia and Australia, will
look one another in the face and greet each
other as brethren in the common faith
and children of the common Lord. 1t is
no unimportant matter that calls together
at such time three hundred delegates of
different nationalities and languages, and
the eyes Of Christendom are very natur-
ally turned just now toward the Scotch
capital for upon the success or failure
of this Council will depend in q great
measure the future efforts Of Methodists,
Baptists and Lutherans toward harmonious
and united action in their respective
branches. If bond Of union, visible or
invisible, can be formed between those
thirty-four millions Of Presbyterian Chris
tians throughout the world. why cannot q
similar bond be formed to unite larger or
smaller bodies of other names and faith and
forms of church government also? And
then, extending the vision and the hope at
the same time, may we not live to see IN
ecumenical council of Protestanism as we
now see Council of Presbyterianism 1t
is within the range of possibilities it not of
probabilities.
One important purpose Of this Council is
to make the missionary efforts Of the Church
less expensive and more efficient The
enemies of Christianity have standing re-
buke toward the Church in the cost of
convert, and the converts are frequently
merely taken from one sect or church into
another, instead of being captured from
the enemy. This unchrstian anomaly
the Presbyterian Council now sit
ting in Edinburgh will seek to remove. If
the different churches now represented in
that city many times more than the
| -Huo fhOncnnd dnllnra xuhinh ho