The San Francisco call., 1895-10-12
APPEAL OF CHAMPIONS.
1t Is to Be Favored Almost
Unanimously by the
Council.
ALL CREEDs TO BE RECOGNIZED.
Topics OF Great Interest Being
Considered by the Gathering
at Syracuse.

SYRACUSE, n. Y, Oct. 1.-THE Con-
gregational church of America, by its tri-
ennial council now in session at Plymouth
Church, in this city, will tomorrow take a
definite stand for Christian unity, the
broadest, heartiest stand taken by any de-
nomination in this country. There will
be rare eloquence in the appeal of the
champions of the great cause when the
report of the committee is presented to the
council, for the members are soulbound in
the movement.
The chairman of the committee is Will
liam Hayes Ward, LID, editor of the
independent, and his associates are D. w.
Dixie, Rev. AlonZo b. Quint and Rev.
George e. Hall. These gentlemen have
labored long and earnestly in the matter,
and have debated the various propositions
from every point of view. But SO unani-
nous have they become on the result of
the report that when the matter comes up
for debate and the action of the council to-
morrow it will pass with but slight oppo-
sition.
The committee recommends: That the
two committees be constituted as standing
committees, the one hitherto known as
the committee on Christian unity to be
designated as the committee on denomina-
tional unity. and the committee known as
the COMMITTEE on union with the Free
Baptists and other denominations" to be
designated as the COMMITTEE on union
with other denominations" The duties
of these committees shall be respectively
those indicated by their titles. That it be
the duty of the committee on union with
seem wise to attempt specific union with
any other denomination and to conduct
! negotiations with such denominations by
| means of persons whom it may select.
That as a basis for such union in ac-
cordance with the constitution and or
gaais declarations of the National Coun-
Gil adopted at Oberlin in 1871, declaring
the Holy Scriptures the sufficient and
only infallible rule of religious faith and
practice, their Interpretation thereof being
| in substantial accordance with the great
doctrines of Christian faith, commonly
called evangelical and that "the liberty
| of our churches affords the ground and
| hope of more visible unity in time to
come" we as Congregational churches,
recognize no creed of human origin, no
matter how venerable or historically hon
ored by us and by the Christian chnrch,
to have authority over our faith, which
authority belongs only to the word of
| God.
| In any union contemplated, those who
| join together have, accordingly, the right
! to maintain their conscientious varieties of
faith and order.
The triennial council of Congregational
| lists devoted the day to the consideration
of its six leading missionary societies. The
morning session was opened by Assistant
Moderator Brown of San Francisco. After
| a brief business session, Secretary Hazen
read an invitation from the First Congrega-
| tional Church of Portland, Or, to the
council to meet there in 1898.
At 10 o'clock Rev. l.. III. Cobb. DID,.
read his report on the work of the Congre-
gational Church Building Society. A COM
| mittee on the work and needs of the Ma
| tional benevolent societies was appointed.
The second society to report was the
] Congregational Home Missionary Society.
| Its secretary is the Rev. Washington
Choate, DID,, of New York.
| The afternoon session opened at 2:30
o'clock with the moderator in the chair
| The first anniversary celebrated during
the afternoon was that of the Sunday
school and Publication Society The
moderator introduced Rev. George NJ.
Boynton of Boston. Mr.. Boynton was fol-
| lowed by Rev. William e. Barton of Massa-
chusetts, who spoke on the same theme as
Rev. Mr.. Boynton. Rev. E. M. Noyes was
then introduced. For the next forty min
utes the American Educational Society
was the topic of the speeches.
! President Eaton then introduced two res
olutions. In the first the council recon-
mended that the pastors be more careful
about fittingly keeping the day of prayer
in the colleges, which is the last Thursday
in January. The second recommended
| that pastors set apart the Sunday previous
for preaching suitable educational SER
mons. They were adopted.
At the evening session it was voted to
| hold the next council Tin 1889 at the First
Congregational Church in Portland, Or.
| The report of the foreign mission board
was given by Rev. G. HI. Daniels. Ad
dresses were made by Rev. f. w. Bates of
East Africa, Rev. Charles w. Lampson of
Connecticut, Rev. John w. Simpson, pres
| ident of the Marietta College, Marietta,
| Ohio and by Samuel B. Capen of Boston.