The Indianapolis journal., 1884-06-06
UNITED PREsBYrERIANs.
A Clerical Member Tells the Difference Be
tween Them and the Regulars.
st. Louis Post Dispatch


St. Louis Post Dispatch.
The national meeting Of the United Presby-
terians, which has been in session in this city
the past week has excited considerable interest
on account of the desperate efforts of a large
portion of that denomination to exclude organs
from worship, and many inquiries have been
made as to the difference in doctrine that char
acterizes the sect. A gray haired doctor Of
divinity, who has the church laws on the end of
his tongue, and has been noticed as prominent
champion OF the opponents of the organ, was
seen to-day by a reporter: ''The United Presby-
terians are distinguished from the regulars
principally in three things: The PsalteT,
secret societies, and communion. Our
songs are only the Psalms metricalv
arranged, but nearly every tune commonly used
can be applied to transposition of the Psalms.
We maintain that the Biblical injunction to sing
psalms is the only thing that will bring about
harmony in the praise Of the different churches.
For instance the Baptists are always singing
about immersion; the NIethodists who are per
petually proclaiming falling from grace; the
Presbyterians who never fail to let their hymns
turn upon a peculiar form Of their belief, would
not have the chance to make their especial re-
ligious views part of the praise if the above
command were obeyed. In the matter of So
cieties we are especially severe upon Masons and
Odd fellows and no person can belong to our
church who is member of either of these orders.
Our system of communion has given us the name
of ''Close CotnmunionstS," but we really
have only q restricted communion which will not
admit to its privileges the member of another
church until his desire has been passed upon by
the session. In this we do not differ from the
regular Presbyterians except that we enforce
the rules of the church while they do not
This feature of limitation of the benefits of
the sacrament is also peculiar to the Roman
Church.
why are YOU SO opposed to secret societieslr
Because, in the first place, the oath they ad-
minister is a religious one, which is the function
of the church alone, or the government. More
over. the Masons do not recognize Christ in their
prayers and forms of worship"
''What Bible authority have you for fighting
the use of instrumentsl'
Only this, that we maintain that God should
be worshiped aud praised only in the manner
He himself has appointed. This prohibits not
only musical instruments, but also hymn and
gospel songs"
But did not Christ and the ap> stiles tell their
followers to sing hymns"
''Very true, but as there were no hymns at
that time the word must have meant psalms.
All scholars acknowledge that"
why not prohibit the use Of the Turning
forkr'
Because it is not used as part of the praise,
but only previous to its commencement Be
sides, some maintain that it is impossible many
times TO catch the keynote without it, and con-
sequeDtly it must be allowed as thing of ne
cessity. The organ, however, was introduced
by the Church of Rome as a distinct part of the
worship and we claim it as a corruption
''Do you not also prescribe stained glass in
church windows, flowers on the pulpit, and cush-
ioned pewsl'
Certainly not. They are simply matters of
taste, and are more to be regulated by eccle-
siastieal rule than the color of the paint on the
church walls
''But why let the preacher wear a stand-up
collar and white neck tiea Are they not dan
gerousl'
Mot bit of it. That is private question
with him and can't be touched by the church.
Everything that makes for cleanliness and pro-
prety is called for by the scriptural behest that
everything be done with deeeney and in order y