Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-07-17

Correspondence of the YOrkuille Enquirer.
BELFAST, Ireland, June 2.-On Tuesday,
at II A. M, the Third Pan-Presbyterian
Council met in st. Enoch's Church, Belfast,
Ireland Since very large number of the
readers of the ENQUIRER are not Presbyte-
rians, "Pan-P Presbyterian CounciP' may be
only combination of words to which they
may be unable, without an explanation, to
attach any meaning. 1t is also fair to con-
clude that those readers Of the ENQUIRER
who are not Presbyterians are desirous to
learn something of the origin of the Pan
Presbyterian Council, and also of the pur-
pose which this council is expected to fulfil.
"Pan-P Presbyterian Council" means a
council composed of all the Presbyterians in
the world. The object which it is designed
to accomplish by this Pan-Presbyterian
Council, is to unite the whole Presbyterian
family in one organic body. This is the
primary and ultimate thing in view, but it
is not expected that this can be accomplish
ed at once and it is possible that such a
union may never be effected. The immedi-
ate efforts of the council are directed to the
discovering how far, and in what the differ
ent branches of the Presbyterian family
agree, and in what and to what extent they
disagree, and what may be the Importance
of their disagreements. There are in the
world sixty-three Christian denominations
which are capable of being grouped into one
family. In some cases the resemblance is
scarcely discernible; in others it is as clear
and distinct as unity of doctrine and same
ness of the mode of worship can make it.
They all adopt the doctrines which were
promulgated by the Reformers, and are
Presbyterian in their form of church gov
ernment. In some cases the Presbyterian
ism is of rather obscure and hard -to-be
discovered kind still, it is Presbyterian.
Here it may be remarked that genuine
Presbyterianism is distinguished by the
following features 1st. The Bible is the
only rule of faith and practice. End. All
preachers are on par or in other words
there are no orders among the preachers.
It has other distinguishing features, but
first it restricts itself to the Bible in every
thing pertaining to the worship of God,
both as to the matter and manner of Wor-
ship. In genuine Presbyterianism the BIZ
BILE is everything, both in doctrine and in
worship. Expediency and human wisdom
are nothing. Other books may and 90 edl-
fly the Bible edifes and is book OF laws:
The object of the Pan-Presbyterian Council
is, as already stated, to unite in one organic
body all these Presbyterian bodies first, and
then to unite all Christians of every name
together under Christ the head.
Here it may be remarked that this is no
new idea. It is as old as the first reforma-
tion from popery, and found warm and
earnest-We may say, enthuslastlc-advocate
in the celebrated John Calvin. In 1862 he
wrote to Archbishop Cranmer that he would
readily cross ten seas in order to be instru-
mental in uniting the body of Christ which
is torn asunder. One object Of the Scotch
Commissioners who attended the Westmin-
ster Assembly was to unite all Protestants
in the world into one organic body. The
first object they and the other members of
the Westminster Assembly designed to eff
feet, was the uniting of all the Protestants
in England, Ireland and Scotland into one
organic body. For this purpose mainly
the Westminster Confession of Faith was
framed, and for this purpose the Solemn
League and Covenant was entered into by
great numbers of all classes of the people of
England and Scotland. The idea Of "Uni-
versal Kirk" has been a leading feature of
the Presbyterian Church of Scotland since
the days of the famous John Knox. The
authors of the Second book of Discipline, af-
ter enumerating the various courts proper
to the Presbyterian Church of any particu-
lar country, mention another court which
they say "may be called properly the Cen
eral Assembly, or General Council Of the
whole Kirk of God" 1t is explained to be
a general council Of the Universal Church
of Christ.
Although the idea of General Council
of all the Reformed Churches had prOmi-
nent place in the minds of the leading Re-
formers, God, in his providence, saw fit to
surround those men whom he selected with
so many and so great difficulties to free his
church from the superstitions of popery,
that no general council could meet during
the reformation period. When the ardor
of the reformation had cooled down, moth
ing, at least very little, was heard of Cen
eral Council for period of about three
hundred years. In May, 1868, Professor
Macgregor, Of Edinburgh, Scotland, pub
lished an article in which he suggested the
desirableness of holding council of all
those Christian denominations who have
adopted Presbyterian standards. This Cen
eral Council, Professor Macgregor, suggest
ed, should meet once in five, ten or twenty
years alternately, at Edinburgh, London
and New York. Previous to 1868 the idea
of Pan-Presbyterian council had began
to absorb the attention Of Rev. DIR. James
McCosh, of Princeton, and in 1870, he
began to give publicity to his opinions
on the. subject. Other individuals be-
gan to discuss the subject, and in February,
the matter, by overture, before the Gener-
al Assembly of the Irish Presbyterian
Church, and in May of the same year a
similar overture was brought by Rev. DIR.
Nicolls before the Northern branch of the
Presbyterian Church in the United States.
Both these overtures met with the cordial
approval of the Assemblies to which they
were presented. The idea of q Pan-Presby-
terian Council or Alliance began now to
assume the practical features Of living
reality.
In the autumn of 1873 the Evangelical AL
lance met at New York. A number of
ministers and elders, in connection with the
various branches of the Presbyterian Church,
while attending the sessions of the Evan
gelical Alliance met, and after comparl-
son of views, unanimously adopted the fol-
lowing resolutions:
|. That Whereas, the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in the United States of
America, and the General Assembly Of the
Presbyterian Church Of Ireland, at their last
meetings passed resolutions in favor of an Gcu-
menical Council of Presbyterian Churches, we,
provdentially brought together at this time,
and belonging to various branches ofthe Presby-
terian family, cordially sympathize with these
movements toward a General Council of the
Presbyterian Churches in various lands.
2. That a Committee be appointed to CORES
pond with individuals and with organized
bodies, in order to ascertain the feeling of Pres
byterans in regard to such Federal Council and
to take such measures as may, in their judg
ment, promote this object.
3. That this Committee be authorized to CO.
operate as far as possible with the General AS
sembly Of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland,
and with the Committee Of the General Assem-
bly, of the Presbyterian Church in the United
States of America.
The committee contemplated in the sec
Ond of these resolutions was appointed, and