, 1877-07-04
Opening of the Pan-Pres-
byterian Council at
Edinburg.
A Pap " by the Rev. Dr.. Samuel
lrenaeus Prime, OF New
York,
On the Subject Of prcsbyterlantsm In
tho United States Of America.
a Document Of Interest, Historically aa
Well a. Theologioally,

tDy cabls to 7Hs Chicago Tribunal ).
LONDON OFFICE Or TIE CHICAGO Tn1nurE,
sALttnUnr srnEEr, ". T., July a.--The Pam
to-day. The opening sermon was preached by
1'rof. Flint Of Edlnburg University. Tho
Rev. Samuel 1rcnnus Prime, editor OF tho Nsv
York 05seruyr, read the following papes, on
: PREsBYrxRtATisM IN TIE uNrTkp sTArRs OF
AMERICA.
The foundation Of tue Church whosa General
Council ls nov convened IN this historic ctY
waa 1aid III tho first century Of the Christian
pra.+ II was one OF the acfs Of the Apostles,
Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. Ii
track through suggestive ages is marked by
progress Of tic Gospel. Religion. learning, art,
science, civilization, aud humanity have made
its path tlustrious, and no nation has felt tta.
T,.o ss:k assiesed 70 nc i pt6 tse presentation
In the lcTSst possible wortls,--it deserves voi:
uiac, and that must be largo to contain tho h.lf
II lin outline of prcsoytcrianism IN the
United Stntes Ut America.
It l. eomr,,of to begin the history Of religion
III America with .---....- 90
or tiIu21,,22tW eMfgrnnta who eanle to New En-
elandtciorc i6i0, no loss than 4,oo0 Of them
were .rcsbytcrfans. The carly churches Ii ia.
rtltff: Elders, whlie In 1910 The s1Inistcrs, and
Au kl1ET l[0H1 GAEH tllA1I4l1 lklEk III H1HGA 1t
Ca1brtdgc, Mass, and adopted The Confession
Of Iaith Of tho Westminster Assembly Of u
WINS.
world tho blood aud brain which stili form a
powerful clement In the Presbyterian Church.
The Dutch planted, in 1913, In New York, the
ttst q. strctly pFsshytetian s.u.sn anitt remains
ton Of 1858, Scotland and tho north Of ireland
sent TO cur shores The s'ca who gava dis-
ttnstive form to that Presbyterian Church
% as&sons as Sssa i 10 aa hs
/ bytcrians sotsIcd chiefly In Pennsylvania and
Maryland. The oldest church orgnnlzcl BY them
is 1 that st nsl9both a Maryland, formed before
were born tn 1999, and tho first Presbyterian
church In Philadelphia, Pa, IN 1908. Al early
as l7o5+, this rresbytcEy In Philadelphia, the
ster y t but ono Va rom Scotland e Ireland:
-Four fresbytczIca iycse to'shcd, t9 l716, out Of
this ouc,an1 tllcu they constituted the Synod Of
The sa1t,c namc, hut including ministers alsl
Mhitcluld's visit, IN l:ao. diyis!on res,lted in
tho formation OF tlia Synod Of New York, bns
tho two wcre reunited In 11s8, forming HTnod
which continued to be the highest ecclesiastical
nent Of tho mother country, when the General
Assembly was Constituted In l73S, after Tho
model Of the Church Of Scotland.
Our ,proabytesiantsm helped largely to mako
FINALLY nkp1ILfous,
when tho country was under the british Crown. II
th9 Church OF England t'ad sent u! tho coIoatsts
ad the Ch9fe r. sc1tlana bud ssht mons Tho
bccn rrlttcn separately from Tint Of Great
Nritain Dishop lioEslcy says: "Calyin Was
un9qest'onably IL theory 4. republican,. 90
oreu to fashion tho government OF ali tho
Ffotessont, churches upon republican prlnci-
pics" uaIlam wrttca: :. Tho School Of Knox
..;n,s lad .1stcn r.. of tt9 local sna general =;
Lorl Macaufay aays Of tho Scottish preachers.
Knox" aud 1eaac Taylor calls "rcpub-
ssi% sS IT, " F. aa afpss sa p.syy y
this point, tho Testimony would provo tho static
lncnt nude BY our own historian, MIR: Bancroft,
that "thc tirat voica publicly raised in America
ca,np, MT fron, The puri,ans Of New England,
nor thu Dutch Ut New York, nor tho planters OF
Virginia, but from tho scotcl:trtah preabyta-
rians." Americans have honorcd but ono Of our
year, at tho coat of S256OU $4,000, a bronze
statue oil tho Rev. Jolsa Nlthessioou, D. D., =
PtesbvteEt4M clergyman tzuln Scotland, aud tho
our Declaration Of 1ndepahdence,--a document
TINT lloltls tn our history tbs sAlne plare with
he. 81 Magma c4afta,' IN England, and tho
Tresbytefians 10 America have shown @ ~ ersst
capaaty for divisions md subdivisions ~ In
Scotland or elsewhere. They are The sasao act
OF men, anl eet In the safue way,-that Is. thelr
yinerd; but ucver coAytneed II they eau help II.
Willing ut nuy tins to part with their best
freud Father tian to yield polnt In dispu.e.
Ms A9.l .tet. t'd' IL s tsf oas q xnes our Fsstsf
prayed: "Grant, Q Lord. tlst we may bs
right, fos thou knowcat we are very Aecdc4l."
Some ot onr Pse.bytertan bodies are Tue on-
speing Of dislslons III tho old leountsy.-Chusch4a
beiuY. formed " ministers aud peop'e who
would preserve the usAEes and specific prtnci-
ules Of ttclr distinctive organizations 10 scot-
land. OtlIers have leon forsac1 by divisions In
pFsscat tlme ..---....-.
TEN lHnkPENDshT PIszaBrTRAIAs oAoAaizA.
TIokx, Via.
ueneral Assembly tNorthl;
itstoisd Ksto1@ed taes@.a,; ttai,
Associate AeformcI Synod Of tbs squ1ni
eYnod Of tho Reformed Presbyterian Church;
General synod Of shs Reformed prsabyteti4a
weisi c.l,.nl.t!e h.thoa..,t
cumbssiaud frtabytertan- ~.
The prcsoytcrian usnesa, Assembly {North)
has T. III mInistess, 6,uT churches, with 3,2t0
nembers lu communion; and list year vosa-
I'D sI5sad si5l,Ess-sb5at si6ooooo5. S' o.
W,oou. It supports About LOU persons in
il9Ktcai se@naEtsa. with ,atty-si1 Professors and
Tic Prssbxertan Church (south> hs. r,7oo
. sna @ siaEssst; It, l e a.
the snppurt Of Tue Gospel 1t home and absosd.
Two Theological Acmtna1ies have eight Profess
ors aud l0o students. II sustsins sixteen Tor
rrscutinR the .Church IL thlns, Greece, south
America, add Mexico.
The United frssb5tenaa Church has e:s MIN