The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-01-06
ORIGIN OF THE YANKEES
RET. IT. r. DECKERMAN TELLS or TEE GOOD OF CONC NGREGATIONILTSM

THE GOOD OF CONGREGATIONILISM 4 Denomination Representing Progress Has Grown From the Non-Conformists First synod in Cambridge In i6IO-Oe- velopment of Its Confession Great Sue cess in the NVest-InterestlLg Facts About tke Church.
 The topic of Rev. w. r, Dicllerman's lecture in his course of Sunday evening addresses at the Church of the Messiah was last evening "The Good Things of CongregationaMsm In beginning his talk MT. Dickerman mentioned Matthew 23:S as having 8 bearing on the topic, Be ye not called Rabbi, for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. The address was substantial Iy as follows:
 The Congregational church represents the third step away from Catholic in- stitutions, the first step in this directioE being represented by the Church of England and the second by Presbyteri- anisnl. The Congregational church is diametricaly opposed to Roman Cath olocism From the ecclesiastical hier- archy it has come down to that condi- ton where each society is independent and Its polity is reduced to the simplest possible system. The feeling against Rome did not end with Henry VIII, although for a time it was somewhat suppressed. It finally broke out again. Democratic men asserted themselves, and the Presbyterian church came forth soon to be divided into part independ- ents. This Puritan church rejected all rites, vestures and other signs of pop cry. The Catholic church depended on the pope for authority. while the Church of England transferred authority to Christ Himself The, non-conformists would not conform to the ceremonies, which seemed to thern Roman. The first independent church established was that at Norwich in England in 1885, The congregation was persecuted by the state and was finally obliged to leave England and go to Holland.
 The peculiar class of people called Pu- ritans were composed of non-conform- ists and E'resbyterians, and these strip ped the church free from all priastly trappings. while the Church of Eng land, although it asserted it's independ- ence of Rome. yet kept up the papa! machinery.
 The non-confornlists were ostraciZed, both socially and politically They were great sticklers for scrptural text and determined that their children should be imbued with the spirit of scripture. yI,i.. i,, a,yS tsritI of life as acceptable to God. The Church of England seemed to be a case of ar rested development, preserving popery, vet opposed to Rome. Puritanism reached out still farther. In 1540 Henry VIII. began systematically to kill orr non-conformists but the Puritans how ever, persevered and ended by chopping off the head of King Charles.
 America has been a fine field for Con gregationalism and here has been its extended success. It is descended from the party which came over in the May flower from Holland and which came to change for itself the usages of the moth a, church. The first synod was held in Cambridge in 1640 and gradually that mode of church government has grown in favor until the Congregational 2- church has become the eStabllSnGd church of New England
 The government of the church is in- dicated by it's name and in it all dis tinctions are prohibited Each congre- gation is independent from every other one The general belief is in the politp of the New Testament and from the language of that we can only believe the belief is correct. The Congrega- tional pastor is a member of some church and he with the deacon forms the only church government. The church is an assembly of believers through covenant of faith Nothing could be more removed from the Church of England or that of Rome. We would expect in a church not amena- ble to mans authority much divergence of opinion and in the Congregational church the Fundamental principles of creed are bending on no one. state ment representing the consensus Of opinion may be given out, but it has no authority.
 Congregationalsts were at first Cal. vinists and adopted the Westminster profession of faith, which was once used as a text book in New England schools. But in comparison with this the present confession of faith Is print ed on a little card containing the doc Urine of everlasting punishment, the fall of man, the doctrine of the Trinity the miraculous regeneration, and the total depravity of man. In these two confessions is represented a great dis 4rict and territory of theology, but no great space of time
 What a queer combination must have been the teaching of the free polity of the Congregational church and the principles of Calvinism the spirit of liberty, of intolerance, and of extreme doctrine combined. It was seen that the church could not carry fire in a basket for any length of time. It was seen that either the fire must be put