The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-02-13
IqINBRANCY AN EVIL
Dr.. Jackson breaches {
Sensational Sermon at
Hedding M. E. Church.

At Hedding M. E. Church, DR.. jack
son preached last evening upon What
the Presbyterlans Can Teach U.s." AS a
prelude to the sermon he read letter
fiom DR.. Van Cleef setting forth the
principal features of the denominations
of the Reformed or Presbyterian doctrine
and government. DIR. jackson then spoke
as follows
II do not limit my remarks to those
churches OF our own country which are
popularly known as Presbyterian, but in
clude all those both at home aud abroad
which in 1875 organized the Alliance OF
Reformed Churches Throughout the
World, Holding the Presbyterian Sys-
tem.' This Alliance now comprises
about six millions of communicants. Inc
little chapel is yet standing at Geneva
where Calvin anu Knox three hundred
years ago taught these doctrines which
are yet held by their followers on both
sides of the Atlantic. There
also were first boldly advocated those
principles of Constitutional liberty that
are now universally adopted by the
Anglo-Saxon race. or the Presbyterians
it may, therefore, be truthfully said
that their line is gone out into all the
eurth. and that the world re1oices Ia De-
THE BIBLE.
"I desire to commend the zeal OF Pres
byteriaus for the Scriptures. Two nun
dred and fifty years ago Chillingworth
declared that the Bible, and the
Bible only, was the religion OF Pro-
Jestants, and to that proposition they
have adhered with tremendous tenacity.
They do not care as much for the teach
ing of the Apostolic Fathers and ancient
church councils as we Msthcdists do.
They attach less value 60 Reason than we,
and less to our human ideas of Right, for
we believe the Scriptures, properly under
stood will never conflict with right
reason and our sense of justice. while
they would not go so far. Nevertheless,
what we consider the doctrine short
comlngs of Presbyterians arise from their
great reverence for the Scriptures, and
lean TO virtues sid5.' They will never
betray the Bible. Whenever the blue
flag flies. and their blue line blazes with
inusketry, the other churches feel that
the honor OF God's word is safe.
BUMAN LIBERTY.
"Again | emphasize the services OF
Pres byterianism to civil and religious
liberty. 1t has done more Tor this than
any other religious body in the world.
The Puritans of England. the Covenanters
of Scotland, the exiles OF Geneva, the Re
formed of Holland, fought and won the
BfeaI DaGtle oL lIeeuoiu lok mau niDu-
Jefferson wrote the Declaration of lnde-
pendence, largely from the Mecklenburg
Declaration of the Ptesbyterians
Ct North Carolina. Our first
Federal Constitution was greatly
indebted to the constitution of the Pres
byserians of Scotland. The Presbyterian
clergy of the American Revolution. who
came almost wholly from the north of
Ireland and Scotland, sustained Wash
ington more generally than The Frisco
pailans which came from EnGland. These
Reformed churches all about US are de-
scended from the heroic Dutchmen of
Leyden, who drowned the Spaniards out
of Holland. Presbyterian Church
government accords equal honor and in
respect needs to be initiated by The
MethodiSts.
STARTLING WORDS,
"Finally, we honor them tor their adj
herence to an educated ministry and q
permanent pastorate. The first secession
from Presbyterianisn in America was a
revolt against these principles. But it
came to nothing, as will any church
which puts forward ignorant men as its
teachers and depends for Its congrega-
tions upon catering TO an itch for change
in its pastors. ! Nd ethodism will never as.
sumo It's rightful position in cities until
1t puts strong, weIl-equipDed men in its
pulpits and then takes away The i've
years Limitation to the pasrorate.
'What the outcome OF the present
struggle against the revision and the
Higher Criticism in the PRESBYTERIAN
Church may be we cannot predict. 1t
may be new asteroid in their constella-
tion, for Presbyterians have never been
30 afraid OF divisions as of compromising
what seems to them to- be the truth. But
whatever the result, we pray that Christ
ufi linn fn n nf &fpp ir,
his hand. Our faith is that eHoh star will
continue to revolve about the Sun OF
Righteousness until it's light is swallowed
up in the MiIlenial Glory"