The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-09-06

i warned my brethren, Irom my oOsCuie
position, of these dangers, but nobody
listened to the warming. Our Church
might have been solidly placed like a
man on a good three-legged stool: our
Assembly, of 1875, saw fit to throw away
two of the legs, and leave the Church In
an unstable equilibrium, like a man at
tempting to poise himself on one leg
lust as | foresaw, this subsequent Assem-
bly, acting on this partial, sophistical
basis, has met this cruel embarrassment.
1t finds itself seemingly committed,
pledged in advance, to accept any sort
of anemde for the personal obloquies,
that professes to be sincere and to restore
the special intercourse by delegates.
But vet, the personal obloquies are, and
always were, so logically related to the
ecclesiastical usurpations of principle,
that the two must inevitably go together.
If the Spring resolutions are Presbyte-
rianism, then General T. ]. Jackson and
. are rebels. The two are inseparable
premise and conclusion. Hence 1T was
always logical solecism for our Assem-
blv. of 1875, to say: the Northern AS
sembly may hold the former, if she will
disclaim the latter, and we are satisfied.
She cannot hold the former, and disclaim
4 the latter, without falsehood. Thus our
Assembly prepared for itself the pitfall
in which it is now writhing; pledging
itself to accept an anaende which was
i q,ecessitated to be deceitt4L as an anaende.
Thus the way was prepared for all the
tortuous involutions of the concurrent"
and the explanatory" resolutions. We
are taught by this experience that we
] 4bo
bases, where the Assembly of 1870 placed
our Church 1t was, in substance, this
No injuries of our persons, however real,
Justify in US any retaliation of revenge.
That is all out of the debate. We, of
course, extend fraternal relations to all
branches of the Church which can be re-
cognized as valid branches of Christ's
catholic, visible Church. AS such we
hold the Northern Presby terian Church;
for though we are sorrowfully necessi-
tated to regard it as an erring, we do not
hold it as an apostate Church. But as
to this special correspondence by dele
gates, historically expressive of substan-
tial unity Of principle, we cannot go into
it, for three reasons; of which the two
foremost and more weighty ones are, that
that Church has admitted some serious
doctrinal license, and has invaded the
spiritual liberty of Christs people in
vital point; and the third, less cardinal,
but still sufficient reason, is, that she
has formally slandered the good name of
our Church, which it is our duty and right
to defend-at least by this the mildest
form of protest. That was the sound,
consistent, Christian position where the
Assembly of 1870, through the able
hand of DIR. Palmer, placed our Church.
Well would it have been for her had she
staid there, until Gods Spirit and provi-
dence had blessed her testimony, as the
means of teaching all American Presby-
terians to come sincerely back to the
right. That was the mission given her
by the orderings of Providence and the
Word of God.
What it Means.
And this leads us to the well-known
manner of the an1e1ade: wherein the
Northern Assembly first agreed to call
itself slanderer (Which it had been) on
condition we would call ourselves hy-
pothetically slanderers (Which she, and
we knew, we had not been). And this
avowal, thus purchased, was then mod
fled by an explanation" which did not
" modify" that whereas FIVE separate
charges-disloyalty, treason, schisms,
heresy, blasphemy-had been first laid
against US, the an1e1ade shall extend to
the last three, but shall not extend to the
first two Now, there are sundry un-
handsome traits of this action, which,
were our people clear-eyed, would render
it entirely nugatory FWSt-It was to
be concurrent action, saying the same
thing for us, mautatis n1attandiS, which we
had said for them But oar assembly
had appended no pendant Second-This
Assembly made official communication
only of the first resolution, which, with
out its fatal pendant, sounded satisfac-
tory thus leaving our Assembly, so far
as they went, ignorant of what followed,
and liable to act generously, and adjourn
in ignorance of what they had really
done and really pledged to us. 1t was
to the chance action of person, action
unofficial and unauthorized, that our es-
cape from that trap was due. Third
In withdrawing the withdrawal, they
really left the grievance Of the unrestrict-
ed libel substantially unmitigated. IT.
will be said The charge of " blasphemy, >"
for instance is and remains squarely re-
tracted. Yes; but that was part of
their railing which never did mean any