Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-09-30
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
TIE PRESBYTERIAN ALLIANCE.

Paper by Rcv. Dr. ThOS. u. apple.
In tho Pan-Presbytcrian council, al
Philadelphia, yesterday, Rev. Thomas g.
Apple, ID. d., of Lancaster, read q paper
on "The Theology of the German Re
formed church, He said: The Reformed
church Of Germany, extending now into
other lands, and maintaining vigorous
independent organization in America, has
its roots in original Professionalism, having
started in Germany Switzerland simultan-
cously with the Lutheran Reformation in
Wurtemberg, and establishing itself subsc-
quently in tho P:latinato and other Sec
tions Of Germany. In this brief paper
it is not difficult to determine the
leading feature of tho faith Of the
German Reformed church as compared
with other branches of the Reformed
church. While Hoppe has labored to
show that the Reformed church of Ger
many owes everything to Mclancthon and
nothing to Calvin, and such writer's rs
Sudhoif and SwcitZcr have tried to show
that its standpoint is purely Calvanistic,
the truth must doubtless be found between
these two PARTIES. 1t was moulded under
the influence of Calvin and MelancthOn,
and also to some extent that of Zwingle
and his fellow Swiss Reformcrs. It is the
province and task of theology to reduce to
systematic and scientific form the dOgmas
Of faith derived by a believing church
from tho teachings OF Gods Word, having
for it's guide and ecclcsiastic authority tho
denOminatiOnal confession which it repre-
sents, and relating itself to the present
conditions of Christian life rs unfolding
itself in the midst Of historical progress.
In the progress of German philosophy,
especially since the time of the philosopher
and thcologian Schleirmacher, who him.
self, it must be granted, mingled much in
in his teaching that is very far from being
OrthortlOx, German Reformed theology, in
common with German theology generally,
has made great account of the Christologi-
cal Principle in organizing it system of doc
trinc. Tho Reformation principles remain
undistmbed, but they arc rotated from a
different standpoint. And this change has
come not by theological speculation, but
in :. legitimate historic way. The assault
of unbclicf, it was found, directed its force
not only against the Bible, but against the
person of Christ, in the mythical theory Of
Strauss and tho infidcl romance Of fenan.
Never before did the church, in response
to this assault, produce 4 richer literature
in reference to the person of Christ, and rs
~ rCSllU tllC (tOCtIlIlC VI IllC lClSoiA VA Oul
Lord has taken its place as central in the
OlOgical science.
Our church has inherited precious
legacy from her past history. From the
mountains of Switzerland, where tho voice
of Zwnigle and his fellow Swiss Rcformers
first sounded the note of RefOrmatiOn:;
from her home in Palatinatc, where she
was nourishcd under the care Of tho piOus
elcctor and the teachings Of the disciples
of Melanctl,on and Calvin from the scenes
of persecution, where her people sealed
their faith by martyrlom, and though the
struggles and trials of her carly settlers in
this country, pilgrims from tho Fathcrland
and exilcs for conscience sake, she has
gone forth and lived and p.ospcrcd under
the care of the great head of tho church,
and she comes, in this alliance, through
her humble representatives, to present her
greeting in this joyous reunion of the Re-
formed churches throughout the world.