The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1892-05-25

of our own members; we invite
their attention to our Book of
Church Order, Chap. l, sec. 7, and
Chap. H., sec. 2, par. 2. Such is the
claim we desire to make, and W.
invite investigation into the Justice
of it.
Now as to the warning: a few
years ago a vigorous writer on
the hindrances to Presbyterian pro-
pagandism emphasized most ur-
gently the need of paramount love
for, and fidelity to, our Church; he
pressed the necessity of giving a
more intelligent understanding and
appreciation of the disti1 ctive SUI
periorities of our Church over all
others. His views made little inn
preston on us at the time, but a
maturer deliberation and a wider
observation has since led to the
conviction that we perhaps under
estimated the force of his position,
and we are constrained at least to
offer tentative suggestion that it
may be possible that we have ex
ercised a comfy more catholic than
was best for our own good. If we
uniformly fail to set forth the dis.
tinctive excellencies of our own
Church, our young people grow up
very naturally to the conclusion
that there are no distinctive excel
lencies and no distinctive superb
critics in our favor. This being
so, any change of residence or reIa-
ton that brings them into new as
sociations leaves them almost en-
tirely to the influence of such as
sociations. If they remove to a
new town they are likely to become
identified into any church that is
most convenient to them or with
the members of which they are
thrown into speediest and most in
innate contact. Such a person upon
marrying a member of another con-
gregation is most readily trans
ferred to the membership of that
congregation. Persons of this
character have been long accus-
toned to esteem practically Zone
church as good as another" and to /
recognize no substantial difference
between them. They are Presby-
terians simply by force of circum-
stances and given a change in these
circumstances there follows a very
forclble change in church relations. |
We do not know that our Church |
has been conspicuous sufferer in |
TINS . pect, Sbut we do know that
she has lost much strength in this
way. We have more than once had
occasion to notice that the bone
and sinew of strong sister de-
nomination in some town had been
formerly, one or two generations
back, Presbyterian. Churches that
educate their people into a decided |
love for their distinctive principles
rarely suffer in this way.
Now we believe in Christian
fraternity and broad catholic re-
gard for all evangelical churches,
but we can have this without prac-
tically considering all churches
upon the same level when we reach
this latter position our comfy is
decidedly too catholic.
There have recently come under
our observation too instances of
serious loss sustained by our Church
from this spirit of exaggerated |
comfy. In one case the devoted
mem bers of a Presbyterian church
opened a mission Sabbath-school
and welcomed all who would aid
them. They showed no DISPOSE
ton to give the enterprise any de-
nominational coloring, and were
careful to avoid the appearance of
sectarianism. Through the inhu-
ence chiefly of one of their helpers,
a man who was not hampered by
any delicate considerations of
comfy, the whole enterprise was
swallowed bodily by another de-
nomination and speedily developed
into a strong, aggressive, mission
church.
Another instance of exactly SINH
lar character occurred not long
afterwards mission school started
exclusively by Presbyterians the
inaugurators of the work resisted
all suggestion to give it any de-
nominational character, and in
sisted that it should be altogether
and in less than twelve
months another denomination was
building a church there and effect
ing a foothold in our opening and
through our pioneer work.
This unsectarian spirit is doubt
less very lovely and sweet in the
abstract, but it is very poor way
to build up or extend Presbyte-