New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-21
NEH PUBLICATIONS.
CONGREGATIONAL CREEDS.

THE cREEDs AND PLATFORMS OF CoNGRE-
GATioNALIsM BY winston Walke ssd pn ~.
svo, DID, viii COZ Charles Scribner's Sons)
This Is a most valuable record OF Congregation
sIsm as embodied in its creeds. 1t contains 'he
text of all the most important Congregational
creeds and platforms, with such historic anu eN-
nlanatory notes as are needed to elucdate them.
The volume grew out Of DR.. Walkers own per-
vonaI experience Of its need. In his endeaVor 10
leach the story of Congregationallsm. he 1ound
himself hndered at all points by the 1nacceSSi-
bity Of the materials. He determined thereio'e'
10 compile manual which should be an aid 10
congregational pastors in teaching the history Oh
their Church, and at the same time useiui 10 the
general reader. whose knowledge OF Church MS
tory Is more or less rudimentary. 1t begins with
Robert Brownies Statement OF Congregational
Principles. which issued In 1852 Few people
nowadays know much about Browne; but he was a
leading Congregationalist of his time. so much SO.
In fact that for a number Of years English Con-
gregationalists were known as Brownists. mat
Browne would have had no part or fellowship with
modern liberal Congregationalists Is Indicated
by a question and answer in Of his manuals
Wherefore are the heather forsaken or Co.. ana
be the cursed people of the world? Because they
forsake refuse the Lords covenant and govern
ment: and therefore they lead an ungodiy ana
worldly life" Following in order will be found
the Confessions Of the London Amsterdam Church'
the Seven Articles of 1917 and the Mayf1ower COM
pact of 1920 the development OF covenant ana
creed in the Salem Church. 1629-l665. the covenant
Of the Observation-Disclosures Church, 1890; Hooker's
Summary of Congregational Principles. 1915; the
Windsor Creed Covenant, 1647; the Cambridge
Synod and Platform, l6i6-l6iS; the Halfway Cove
nant Decisions Of 1867 and 1862 the Savoy Declara-
ton 1858: the Reforming Synod of 1679-l6s0; the
"Heads of Agreement" 1891: the Massachusetts
PROPOSALS of l7O5 and the Saybrook Platform Of
170S the Plan of Union of 1901 the English Declara-
ton of 1885, the Burial Hill Declaration of 1866;
the Constitution of the National Council and Ober-
lin Declaration of 1871. and the Commission Greed
Of 1893
We have named these various creeds and
declarations simply to give the student Of Congre-
gationaism an idea of the comprehensive character
of Dr. Walkers book. But it would be neither
interesting edifying to enter into any minute
analysis of them Congregatonasm has ever
tried to conform it's creed to the thought of its
age: and therefore a study of its various decara-
lions will enable us arrive at a true under
standing Of it's spiritual and intellectual history
since the day when Robert Browne wrote his
"Booke" showing "the life and manners Of all
true Christians. and how unlike they unto
Turkes and Papists, and Heather Folke What
ever may be said of Congregationalism as
theory of Church polity. 1t Is certain that the
world it a debt of gratitude for its assertion
of individual liberty, even against the Church
itself 1t has yet produced final
creed. and it never will. fact that has given
may be said of 1t: 1t has always stood for liberty,
and for the right of living men to express
reveals Inconsistencies in its creeds. it is not be-
cause its several creeds unsuited to their
age, but because the consciousness of the people
constantly reached larger conclusions than those