St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-22
MIR. James G. Blaine Addresses the Annual
Meeting Of the Congregational
Club at Boston,
The Occasion Being the Customary Oele
bration of the Landing of
the Furitans.
The Preachers Told to Talk to Thetr
Flocks Without Manu-
script.
Ihe Written Sermon Being a Barrier
Between the Pastor and
the PewS.

Was neld in Music hall, and after the Gus
tomary collation. speeches were made by
Gov. Robinson, Rev. E. B. Webb, president
OF the club; Principal Bancroft of Andover
academy; Prof. Lincoln, of Newton Theo-
| logical academy; President Robinson, of
Brown university, and Mr.. Blaine. who was
the special guest of the association and the
final speaker. Mr.. Blaine was introduced
by Rev. DR.. Webb, president of the evening,
and was received with storm Of applause,
which continued several moments. When
the audience quieted down
MIR. BLAINE SPOKE AS FOLLOWS:
Mr.. President. Gentlemen and Ladies of the
congregational Club: In notable paper by
LORD Bacon he defines the rank in which men
| connected with states should be held in his
tory, and in his favorite Latin he gave The
| foundations OF the states One of the most
eminent New England ministers not many
years since, In quoting that paper from Lord
! Bacon gave. think with great justice to the
Puritans and Pilgrims of New England, the
classic title of "COnditores Republica," the
| actual founders OF the republic, and l have
often thought. since have made personal ac-
quaintace of the Puritans and Pilgrims or
| their descendants not sharing their blood
| myself, that if the civil influence can be sep
| arated from the religious, that the Puritans
and Pilgrims have made far deeper impress
sion upon civil and patriotic America than
even on religious America. They had di-
| visions and sects They had their share of
| differences They were troubled with damnabe
heresies. They quarreled with neighbors and
| had exactly that kind of trouble that belongs
to the oppressive theoogian; but when their
| descendants put into the cause Of liberty the
| real teaching OF their religion they then had
for forces the Baptists of Rhode Island, the
Dutch reformers of New York, the Presby.
| terians OF New Jersey, the QuakerS of Penn
| sylvania, the Catholics of Maryland, the Royal
Episcopalians Of Virginia, the Huguenots of
Carolina and the Methodists Of Georgia, Cloud
applause,) and they could not have made
that union upon q single tenet of creed-with
| the exception of their belief in good; so that
when DR.. Bushnell spoke of the Puritans of
the CondiIores Republica he spoke
THE VERDICT OF HISTORY,
for, according to jefferson, coming from O
region that did not have an overdegree of
admiration for New England men, but for
the Ada,nses, and he specially named Adams,
they could not have conducted the
revolutionary war and could not
have made the Declaration Of
Independence. Loud applausel. Now, as
have said l do not share the blood of the
Pur!tans, except, as an Irish bull would
have it, in a certain birthright I have from
my children LaughterI, for they are of
good Puritan descent in the ninth genera
ton, laughter 1 have done good deal
of talking in Pennsylvania for the Puritans
| of New England in the thirty-fye years
have been citizen OF New England,
being myself a New Englander by adoption,
and L am gong TO 90 q uttle talklug on
behalf of the Presbyterians of Pennsylvania.
Our distinguished triead, the president of
Brown university, arrested my attention by
his suggestive remarks on Christian unity.
and would like to ask the PrssbyteriaDs of
| Pennsylvania and the Congregationalists
these two denominations Of Christians
should stand apart now. Have we any
troubles between the Baptists, to whom
the president Of the theological
| ut Nnyutnn allu6od ppQS.
byterians? There is not certainly diff
Guilty between these two great bodies. They
stood shoulder to shoulder in the contest for
civil and religious liberty, not only after
they became Americans. but when they
fought through the same dynastic and theo-
logical trouble in the old world. Is there
difference between them? 1t happened to
me twenty years ago, and In Scotland, and
in the general assembly Of PreSbyterians,
| who at that time were divided as old school
| and new school. the union between which
had been effected, and in the general assem-
bly, Scotchman, who was very keenly iu-
qulrlng into
| THE DIFFERENCES CT CREED,
asked some American delegates to tell the
difference between the old and new schools,
and delegate from New York went into O
theological explanation involving hours OF
| time, and when he was through new school
| member arose suddenly and said: II think
| l can explain that little more promptly
|
| just this: TIE old school Presbyterians be-
| lieve that in Adams fall we sinued all, and
the school Presbyterians believe
| that in Adams fall we all sinned." Great
| laughter. And that is where the difference
| lies-the new school are not so fond of doc
| triue as to put it in rhyme and sing. l think
| the new school and the old school could
| come together. Presbyterians and Con-
gregationalists ought to come together, it
f, seems TO me, while the president of Brown
| university and the president of the theo-
| logical seminary at Newton might see some
| difficulty in joining the Congregatonalists.
agree gladly with the president OF Brown
UNIVERSITY that you cannot make a perfect
! union and it is not desirable that you concoct
! a plan of man down to the exact length and
| height and breadth. But when religious de-
nominations are settling and unsettling and
| resetthng, and the same preachers are talk
| ing the same theology and the same kind of
| doctrine every dag from the pulpit, confess
it looks to me like-if am permitted, this
| being a club and not church
| LIKE CdTLDs PLAY.
| TApplause1. In further discussion of this
! topic Mr.. Blaine said: II went to one church
| all through my boyhood and ex-necessitate
| when came to New England went into the
| Congregational church. would rather have
| kept in the Presbyterian church, | am frank
| to sar; therefore, address myself to both.
| Now. do not think the members of the Con-
| gregational church, the president OF Brown
| university, or the distinguished friend whom
| admire for many reasons, the president cf
| the Theological seminary; hardly think any
OF the gentlemen of this ministry, any of
| us in the pews, with varying degrees Of
| piety. and at times no piety at all, can be-
| leve that the preaching Of the word to-day
Is as effective as it ought to be. Now,
have my theory about that, and if
there is anything that Yankee
has particular right to, it is
to have a theory or take out n patent.
Laughter. Now, my theory is that, liter
ally speaking, the gospel is not preached.
The command was go and preach the gospel
Well will undertake TO say that when you
put non-conductor like pile Of manuscript
between you and your audience you are not
preaching the gospel, you are reading it.
Applause. What would you think OF
man in a legislative assembly who
wanted to convince his fellow members of
the policy or impolicT of any measure if he
began to read at them? Every one eknows
IT WOULD EMPTY THE HALL
Immediately. Now, | want to guard myself.
Heaven forbid should want extemporaueous
sermons There is vast difference in speak
ing extempore and from notes; nor do mean
from that man should commit sermon,
but no man ever got hold of an audience in
| this world that was trying to remember the
phrase in which to address them, and no one
ssould address an audience who does not
know when he begins what he is going TO say
and where he will end" In concluding, Mr..
Blaine said: 81 want extempOre speeches In
the pulpit that minister of eloqueuce has
been six weeks preparing, and ii you should
go to all the great places in which they have
been gathered up in pentecostal season you
will never see the interposition of manuscript.
I would have such influence as Whitfield had
In the open field. would have such 1nf1u-
ence as Robert Cushman made in the first SER