The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-01-21
CoRRESP SPoNDENCE.
Our New York Letter.
New YORK, Jan. II, Is

New YORK, Jan. II, 1880.
MeSSrs. Editors,-It may not be unin-
teresting to your readers to have some.
thing said about our preachers in this
metropolis. The secular press has made
the names of many of them very familiar,
and the imperfect reports in Mondays
Herald of their sermons give some idea
Of the style and methods Of their preach
ing,
DR.. Paxton.
In the order of Presbyterian churches,
the name of the pastor of the First church,
Dr. Paxton, occurs. He is to start with,
thorough Presbyterian. You could not
hear sermon from him without detect
ing his strong Calvinistic theology. He
comes from Western Pennsylvania, and
by family tradition and Inheritance is
fully entitled to the character he bears
of being unqualifedly Presbyterian. He
has no new methods s-sensationalism is a
perfect stranger in his pulpit. A man of
conceded ability, among the ablest of our
Presbyters, 1T seems strange that his
church is not crowded with those who
love to hear the truth His style has
been criticised as monotonous and lacking
In life and JUNCTION. He makes the i'm
preston of being tender, but wanting in
earnest sympathy with his hearers, though
deeply in earnest with his theme. His
church is now far down town eleventh
street and Fifth avenue), and, strangely
enough, has stood out from its organiza-
tion against the use of instrumental mu-
sic. This is not popular feature.
DR.. Crosby.
DIR. Howard Crosby, pastor of the
Fourth Avenue Presbyterian church
Fourth avenue and Twenty-second
street,, is a marvel of industry One
would think he had but little time to
sleep, with all his engagements promptly
met His office Of a minister of the Cos
pei he himself would put first, to which
he adds Chancellor of the University of
New York, President of the Society for
Watching Violations of the Laws for Lii
censing Drinking Saloons, &C., which the
newspapers call, for short, Dr. CrosJvs S
Society,"" fruitful writer of books, fre-
quently lecturing on religious subjects,
and an earnest advocate of his method of
dealing with intemperance DIR. Crosby
IS q very busy man his friends have
wished sometimes that he would drop
everything but preaching; they have i'm
agined perhaps that his pulpit must feel
the heavy demands on his time which
other occupations make; but all concede
to him the single purpose of doing good
IN his outside engagements He is a very
independent and earnest man, to which
he adds real kindness and sympathy with
all who are in trouble and distress. DR..
Crosby is warm lover of the Presbyte-
rian Church, and, with his numberless en-
gagements, is pretty sure to make place
for meetings of Presbytery, and seldom
declines service on it's committees.
As preacher, he is pre-eminent for
his instructive sermons. He is an ex-
FOUNDER of Scripture-a learned man.
He has the most pleasant way Of not ad-
ytertlslng it in the pulpit or anywhere
else HIS lack Of personality, except in
the earnestness and independence which
mark his utterances on all subjects, is a
very attractive feature Of his character
Born and reared in New York CITY. we
feel that he has special right to take the
interest he displays in his Society for the
enforcement of law, though many feel
that 1T would be more to their taste if his
whole time were given to preaching the
gospel
But over and above all other concerns,
1t IS but just to say, Dr. Crosby is known
as an earnest defender Of the faith which
makes the Lord Jesus Christ Head and
Lord Of all He offers no nostrums for
the cure Of sin in the heart, though he
does believe in holding men to strict ac-
eountability for their violations of human
law. His theology would possibly be
called little New School by the old
fashioned Presbyterians who watch close
~ for soundness in doctrine, but there is