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

Ine principles OF cnurch ofganlGatlon
which, when taken together, constitute
organic Preabyterianism, are
tGt The highest permanent officers OF
the church are PreHbyters, whose tunc-
tons are limited to teaching and ruling,
that ig, founding and executing the In
gpiref law.
(b.) Christ has committed all church
power not to any class, but to the body Of
the church, which Is the temple Of the
Holy Ghost; which power, however, the
church ls to exercise, not as disorganized
maRH, but through regular officers, asso-
Cisted in regularly constituted courts, COM
posed Of presbyters and elders, the "rep-
resentativss Of the people,"
lei The whole church is one, each part
subject TO the whole, and the Rdministra-
tive authority OF the whole executed over
each part through the constitutional
courts.
A CATHOLIC CHURCH.
No church exists which can rightly
claim, as exclusive properly, the name
Catholic or Universal, but every church
ought to eyince its possession Of catho-
lie spirit. This spirit is marked feature
Of PIesbyteFiaHiBm. The form Of govern
ment Of the Presbyterian Church, (chRp.
II, sec. 81 defines the Catholic Church as
follows: "The Universal Church consiets
Of all those PERSONS In every 1ation, togeth-
or with their children, who make profession
Of the holy religion Of Christ, and OF sub
mission to His laws" PresbyteriRns un-
church none who lay claim to the christian
name, and who bold Christ as the head.
Their catholic spirit finds practical ex.
preston in Chap. XXIII, Sec. 5, heir
confession OF faith, in which 1t Is said re-
spec.lng the civil authorities: "Oivil
magistrates may not in the least interfere
In matters Of faith, yet 1t 10 the duty
Of civil magistrates to protect the church
Of our common Lord, without giving the
preference to any denomination Of chrts-
tians above the rest, in such manner
that all ecclesiastical persons whatever,
shall enjoy tho full, free aud unquestloned
liberty Of dischRrging every part OF their
sacrau functions without violence or dam
GER" Presbyterisnism is synonymous
with that true catholicity which cheertuuy
accoYds to others, Whatever opinions they
may cherish, their full rights Of con-
science.
THE CHURCH IN AMERICA.
8. Let US contrast the past history with
the present. But before speaking OF our
branch Of Prsshyterianinm In the United
States Of America, WouldSfsmark that 1t
Ia common to begin the history Of religion
in our country with the story Of the Puri-
tans. OF the %. 200 emigrsntg who came
to Now England before 1910, no less than
1900 Of them were PresbyteriRns. The
Reformed churches OF tho Continent, and
mora than all, that Of Holland, gave to
the nSW world the blood and brain which
still form a powerful element In the Pres.
bYteHisn Church. The Dutch planted in
1918, in New York, the tirst stricsly Pres
bytarisn Church, and it remains to this
day. From and after the British revolu-
ton Of 1888, Scotland and the North OF
Ireland sent to our shores the men who
gaYo distinctive form to that Presbyterian
Church which hes been to the religion OF
America what the backbone Is to q man.
These sturdy Presbyterfans settled chiefly
IN Pennsylvania and Maryland. The old
est church organized by them Is that OF
Reiioboth, In Maryland, formed before
1O9O;-Rlthough 1t is generally believed
that the first permanent Presbyterian
Church in this country was organized by
the Raw. Richard Denton at Hampstead,
Long Island, in 1914. Freehold and Wood
bridge, In New Jersey, were formed in
i68s, and tho first PrsGbytsrisn OhuIch in
PhilRdelphIs, in 1898 As early as 1705 6,
the PreBbytery OF Philadelphia was or
ganizsd, and every minister in 1t but one
was from Scotland or Ireland. -Four Pres
byteries were formed In 17l6 out OF this
one, and then they constituted the Synod
Of the Bame mans, but including ministers
and churches in New York and New
Jersey.
DIVIDED AND REUNITED.
After Whitfiald's visit in 1879, q divis-
ion resulted in the formation Of the Synod
Of New York, but the two wore reunited
in 1858, forming aSynod which continued
to be the highest ecclesiastical authority
until the separation from the government
OF the mother country, when tbs General
Assembly was constituted in 1888, after
the model OF the Church OF Scotland. The
SYNOD, before it's final adj0urnmsnt in
1888, hmended and adopted the West
Minister Confession Of Faith and the Larger
and Shorter Oatechisms, with the Forms
OF Government and Discipline and the
Directory for Worship, aud ordered all
theaA booka b be published as the Consti-
tuition of 'thc. q ready yterian Church in the
United States OF America, and made pro-
vision for the meeting OF the General As.
sembly in the following year. The Con-
Of the United States was rati-
fed that same year, SO that two bodies,
one civil and the other ecclesiastical, COM
menced their career under system oil
laws and with constitutional provisions
very similar. On the third Thursday OF
May, 1859, the first General Assembly
met In the city Of Philadelphia. And It
is worthy Of note, that the same year
Washington had been inSugurated first
President OF the United States, and the
first Constitutional Congress was in sea.
sion in the city Of New York.
JOHN w1THRRsPooN.
Among the men Of that day, no one was
80 influential either In Church or State, as
John Witherspoon, President OF Nassau
Hall, or IS II Ia commonly known Prince.
ton College, the minister on whom was
devolved the duty Of opening the first |
Assembly with sermon, which he did |
from the text, 81 have planted, Apollos |
watered; but God gave the increase."-l
Il Cor. 3:6.) John Witherspoon Ia one OF
those striking characters in church his.
tory who has successfully united In q
single personality the HtatesmRn and the
ecclssiastic. Ambrose succeeded among
the Latin Fathers; John Calvin and John |
Knox among the Rstormsrs. Bat 1t Ia
thought that even John Knox did not
more successfully unite the two careers |
than, considering the tImes in which he |
lived, did his descendant John Wither.
spoon. His political vision was always
clear and iar.sighted; his courage was
equal to that OF aay member Of the Colo
nial Congress; he was alert, yet calm, In |
every political crisis; and he was always |
able to commend his own views to those |
he sought to influence. Above all, though |
q foreigner who had finished career Of |
distinction in Scotland before he came to |
this country, he learned 90 rapidly the
liia Of the Ooloniea. that ha Haa a thor. |