The record-union., 1897-05-21
BELIEVERS In THE
PRESBYTERIAN FAITH.
The General Assembly Meets in Annual
Session at Eagle Lake, Indiana.
DR.. Sheldon Jackson cf the Home
Missionary Elected Moderator.

The Selection Characterized as a Vic
tory for the More Liberal Branch
of the Church--Retiring Moderator
Witkrow Delivers an Able Address
Upon "The Chief Grace of Chris
tianity."
EAGLE LAKE Gnd.) May 20.-There
We're but two candidates for the Mod
eratorship of the Presbyterian General
Assembly-Dr. Sheldon Jackson of the
home missionary and DR.. Henry c..
Minton, the seminary professor. Both
represent the work of the church on the
Pacific Coast, but the rank and file of
the Commissioners rallied to the stand
ard bearer of the home missions. The
politicians of the assembly were treat
ed to a great surprise, and the election
of DIR. Jackson, by vote of 313 to 23S,
was characterized by many delegates
as breaking of the machine" 1t was
claimed as a victory for the more lib
eral branch of the church.
The new Moderator, in taking the
chair, disclaimed any personal elements
in his selection, but charged it to the
desire of the church to forward the
home missionary work, of which he is
an exponent.
The assembly was opened with pray
er by DR.. Arthur J. Brown, Secretary
of the Board of Foreign Missions. The
devotional exercises were conducted by
Tl,.T TT11, h 11e.,a rot i,ir d.
orator The Scriptures We're read by
DR.. George L. Sping of Orange, N. j.,
and the assembly was led in prayer by
the Rev. Dr. Father Byron Sunderland
of Washington.
The platform was occupied by num-
ber Of prominent divines.
The opening sermon by retiring Mod
orator Withrow was upon THE Chiefest
Grace of Christianity" and he took as
his text, "And above all things have
fervent charity among yourselves >.
l Peter iv., 8.
He first examined .he nature of the
grace, saying that not a few confined
the idea of charity to aims giving. But
there was more than aims deeds meant
by the Holy Spirit when he bid us
"above all things have fervent charity
among yourselves" The substantive
term in the original, translated charity
in the text, was one of two that stood
for love in our language. 1t was not
love as defined in fuckers philosophy,
nor as described in Tennyson's graceful
verse. 1t was not such love that Holy
Scripture extoled and called upon us to
have among ourselves. The line of def
inition must be dropped many a faith
ON lower to touch the bottom sense of
this divinest term. And when we did
take soundingS in the depths of Scrip
ture what riches We're found reposing
in that one little word "Love." For it
and it alone of the words of the Ian
guage was ample enough to compre-
hend, complete and crown our concep-
ton of God, for God is Love- Elimi-
nate from the Gospel what it had con-
cerning love of God, and nothing left
would serve a human heart, more than
an empty supboard would hungry
man.
To make the message of Gods love
impressively plain was the supreme re-
sponsibility of those who knew it more
than to do anything else.
Here, then was discovered the source
and spring of the charity which the
text demanded 1t was the dearest
pulse of the life of the Diety, which
must be kept beating in every one who
would hope to pass the great crisis
which were yet to come on Christians
and the visible church. 1t was but as
we Love one another that God abid-
eth in us" Thus the question of ones
tolerance towards others of opposite
opinion or practice of principles was
made criterion of Christian character
He next considered the greatness of the
need of this grace and said it's possess
sion alone proved one to be a member
of the Lords body. Eloquence of
Christian profession did not prove the
possession of Christian principles,
though he should subscribe his belief in
every vowel point, paragraph and por-
ton of the Hebrew Scriptures and to
every accent and affirmation of the re-
ceived New Testament; and though he
We're ready to drive out of the church
or to put to death any VINO would not
agree to such an extreme doctrine of
inspiration vet if his heart We're not
tolerant and gentle and tenderly care
full of the faith and feelings of others,
then he was nothing-Oudon Eimi, of
no account, according to Paul's estimate
of what it took to make a Christian
Let conscience do it's perfect work and
place each where he belongs whether
inside or outside the line of believers.
We live in the most restless age our
earth has had since Adam came upon
it. Everywhere there was disquiet and
dissatisfaction with existing civil. eco
nomic, social and religious conditions.
Idolatries were dying and atheism was
succeeding in heather States because
nothing better than the discarded be-
lief was offered in their stead And in
countries where the cross of Christ had
a supremacy over all other insignia of
religion there was a Withholding of
acceptance of Christianity, and loose
ness of loyalty in many who did ac-
cept which might we'll awaken appre-
hension for the future, and there was
enough evidence to indicate the intelIi-
gent and thoughtful We're apprehensive.
for plentiful devices were invented
to induce the unchurched to come into
the fold Even sobriety and solemnity
of religion were sacrificed to sensa-
tionalism in the hope of catching the
careless But the decoy did not sue
ceed more than fairly well with such as
showed a studied shyness of the church.
What would draw them? Would wider
learning and sharper criticism of
creeds multiply the followers of Christ?
With all the service that learning had
rendered to Christianity it had never
been sufficient of itself to fill empty
pews on Sunday, nor greatly multiply
names on the sacramental roll. Still,