The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-10-06
RICHMOND, VA, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER g. 1880.

the "Vicarious Sacrifice of Christ" and
Foreign Missions" During the read
ing of the able papers on the former sub
ject by DR.. Cairns, of Edinburgh, and
DIR. Archibald Hodge, of Princeton the
whole Assembly listened with fixed at
tention, and when the first lines of those
precious hymns in which the doctrine of
vicarious sacrifice is devotionally ex-
pressed were repeated by DIR. Cairns,
there were tears in many eyes around
me. 1t was unquestionably great pity
that, under what presume were the ne
cessities of the case, so little opportunity
could be afforded for this devotional ele-
ment to express itself. To think of hav-
ing to sing through the whole of the de-
Votional exercises those undevotional ver-
sions of the Psalms in which from begin
ming to end the name of Christ is not
even once newfoundland then when the
command came to sing the long metre
Doxology, and four thousand people rose
to their feet, to hear instead of Praise
God from whom all blessings fow," a
strange, unrhythmical doxology that al
most nobody knew, was fearfully chilling
to devotion. But it does one good to be
restricted for a little while to this sort of
Psalmody. There is such freshness and
tender pathos in Jesus lover of my soul,
There is a fountain filled with blood"
Just as [ am without one plea" etc.,
when we come back to them from Jeru-
salem compact together is, etc., of the
because it nourished the faith and kim
died the devotion of the stern, grand old
men of the crown and covenant"
The subject of Foreign Missions de-
veloped one feature that is full of
promise for the future usefulness of
the Presbyterian Alliance. 1t was
found that there is the strongest desire
for united work in the foreign fields by
all Presbyterian bodies; so that instead
of having, as we have now, mission
churches and Presbyteries on the same
foreign .ground,in connection with diff
ferent branches of the Presbyterian
Church at home, there shall be in each
foreign field only one church to be known
as the Presbyterian Church of China
India, etc., and it shall not be under the
control OF any church at home, but self
governing, except as guided by the advice
of the Missionaries on the ground, who
still retain their connection with their
own Presbyteries at home. 1t is evil
dent that this plan, forcibly presented by
DR.. Leighton Wilson in his admirable
paper, will, if carried into effect, enable
the same number of Missionaries to accom-
plish much more work, and at the same
time develop the resources and gifts of
the mission churches by throwing upon
them the responsibility of conducting on
an independent basis their own church
work.
| wish had time to allude further, as
[ had proposed to do, to the very admir-
able paper of DIR. Read on the Ruling
Eldership, and the discussion it awak-
ened, but I must leave that task for some
one who has not consumed so much of
your time. 1 shall be obliged on my re-
turn to beg good deal of your valuable
space, from time to time, in order to pay
my respects to the editor of the CatHoIc
VaSltOr, who has fallen back upon the old
weapon of personal abuse, and seems to
imagine that if he can blacken my repu-
tation, he will in that way counteract the
influence of the quotations from Father
Muller" What [ am or what DR.. OCon-
nell is, is matter of small interest in
this great wide world But what the
Roman Catholic Church teaches is mat
ter of supreme Importance, and to show
that from the authorized teachers and
approved writer's of that Church is task
from which [ will not be moved by any
amount Of personal abuse. But all this
doth not concern the Council. I crave
the indulgence of your readers-and so
adieu. T. D. w.