The record-union., 1893-06-24

century. DR.. Ecob thinks there will be a
large movement toward union. He rec
ommended the formation of the Free
Church of Christ, to take in the Congre-
eatlonalists. the Free-will Baptists and
tue Cumberland Presbyterians.' No
doubt there will be freedom, good cheer,
and future for heresy such as could not
nave been expected ten years ago"
The whole [Briggs] case illustrates
afresh that a formal creed is not bond Of
denomlnatlonal unity" says the Wdtch
man lBapt.l OF Boston. mo church in
the United States has suffered more from
dlsunlon than the Presbyterian. y rigid
construction OF UNCONVENTIONAL polity
and doctrine alienated the warm-hearted
and evangelical Cumberland Presbyter-
lans. The divisions between New School
and Old School decimated and fretted the
church between 1887 and 1870. And now
strict Interpretation of the Westminster
Confession threatens to divide the body
on the lines of the newer methods of
critical research. During tue last few
months the question of Christian Union
has been much discussed in the Presby
terian journals, and, as usually happens
when this topic is treated, the Baptists
have come in for rather more than
their share of opprobriun, because, it is
asserted, their view OF the ordinances
presents an insuperable obstacle to Chris
tlan Union. But directly following these
discussions we see the Presby erians
adopting u course that is almost certain
to divide their own church, and to give
rise to another denomination. We do
not accept many of Professor Briggs con-
clusions as to the constitution of the
scriptures. For ourselves, we believe
that the meditating views put forth by
EIIlcot represent the conclusions toward
which Christian scholarship is tending.
We hold that the temper i'll which Pro-
tessor Briggs has discussed these delicate
and difficult questions is wholly to be
condemned. But we maintain that it
would have been much better, since
Professor Briggs asserted, in the most
SoImen manner, that he accepted the
Scriptures as an inlallible rule Of faith
and practice, for the Presbyterians to
have rested with the verdict OF the New
York Presbytery, and not to have car
rIed the case TO the General Assembly"
Careful study and observation of the
causes OF lapsing in our day has led us to
believe" says the New York Observer
(Pres.), "that Dr. Marshall Lang, the
prominent Scottish divine, hit the nail on
the head when he declared in a minis
terlal conference some weeks ago that
one Of the chief causes of non-church-
going was the nOn-gOlng church. 1t was
the coldness of the church that had to do
with the deadness of the world. The
more we mediate on that saying, the
more do we become convinced of its
truth. Those alienated from the churches
are not opposed to the Christianity Of
Jesus Christ, but to the organized Chris
tianity OF our day, in which caste distinc-
lions and the lack of brOtherlineSs are
painfully emphaSized-in their judg-
ment. They demand the recognition
OF their brotherhood and the abolition
or caste as Indispensable conditions of
their return to church connections. \
comparison of church life in the first
century with church life in the nineteenth
century lends cOuntenance to the justice
Of the plea Of the Iapsed. Mutual
mark OF Christians. Tertullian tells US
with astonishment: Behold how these
they are ready to die for one another
Mincius Felix testities that they even
loved each other before knowing each
other. Kind words and helpful deeds
were in those days characteristic Of con-
gregations of the faithful, because, as
cynical Lucian said with his usual sneer,
their lawgiver has persuaded them that
they are all brethren Now things are
widely and sadly different from then.
The difference is largely responsible for
the lapsing. The sooner the church of
our day returns to the spirit and methods
of the Apostolic Church, the sooner will
disappear the barriers that now stand be-
tween her and her alienated children,
children even IN their alienation"