The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-02-06
THE wEsrxINsrER coNFEaIoN.

The late eminent Methodist divine, DR..
Curry, says OF the Westminster Confession
itself, that "it Is the clearest and most
comprehensive system OF doctrines ever
framed. It's not only q wonderful monu-
ment OF the Intellectual greatness OF it1
trainers, but also comprehensive embod-
iment Of nearly ell the precious truths OF
the gospel"
The Grst paragraph Of the Presbyterian
Form Of Government reads, eve are
unanimously Of opinion that God alone 10
Lord Of the conscience" Human liberty
has had no more outspoken, united and
lndomitable advocates than those men
who were and are PrGsbyterians in pollty
and Cslvinists In doctrines. Concerning
the refusal OF the Scotch people to re-
ceive tho English liturgy, sought to DO
forced upon them by Charles l., Carlyle
says: "Tho tumult In the High Church
at Edinburgh spread into . universal
battle, struggle over all these realms;
there came out after fifty years' struggling,
what We call the glorious Revolution, 9
habeGS corpus act, free parliaments and
much else"
our national historian, Bancroft, writes:
Ale Who will not honor the memory and
respect the influence OF Calvin, knows but
little of the origin Of American liberty"
and he further states, shat Calvin was the
father Of popular education, the inventor
Of the system OF free schools, and there Ia
NO more glorious leaf in the annals OF
American Presbyterisnlsm, than that on
which Ia written the history Of her educa-
tional institutions"
Philosophy, chemistry, the useful arts
and the fine artB, have all and alike been
| illuatrated and enriched by Presbyterian
scbolara, For some OF the most important
Inventions and discoveries Of the age,
which have made the age itself remark
able, such as the electromagnetic tele.
graph, now the nerve Of the whole world,
the reaper that gathers the harvestg Of the
world, and the cable that unites the old
and new world, the world is indebted to
three Presbyterian Americans-S. +. B.
Morse, Cyrus Mccormick and Cyrus W.
Field.
In the realms Of learning and letters,
the position OF the church Ia not less
important, Always on the alert in the
work Of education, II would be strange
indeed, Il 1t had not furnished large
contributions to solid leaning. 1t ia con-
/ BplCuOu1 Dy 1tb ADbouCU 1LOu kuS 09paLE
ments Of ephemeral and demoraliS!ng
literature, It's men are msBterB in those
regions Of Instruction that require patient
Thought, thorough scholarship, and high
moral tone, such as theology, biblical
critIcism and expodhon, mental and
moral science. No one can question the
fact thRt PreIbyterianism has been, and
still Is, among the foremost In the great
work Of educating the people, and in pro.
noting the highest and beat forms OF In.
telleotasl and spiEitual culture. A distin-
euishsd Methodist divine and historian,
already quoted, writes: I'VE concede to
| the OGlyinistic churches the homer Of hav.
ing all along directed the best thinking Of
the country" I..
EI7 REyIvAGS. 'a.i..ya
8. The history OF the Presbyterian
Church in the United States hiss been
marked by steady, solid growth, drawing
10 itself the elements Of stability, progress
and usefulnees. The past century Of her