The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-06
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
AND POPULARITY.

OuISlue OIL TWO nations, lFeldiu anu
Scotland, you rarely ever find the peo-
pie at large sympathetic with Presby-
terianism. And even when they come
to our churches, for some reason or
other they don't seem to fit in with us,
and we don't seem to appeal to them.
They feel that there is something in
our church structure, polity, or temper
that is alien to them, and hence with
these two exceptions we nowhere find
the Presbyterian church popular
church, loved by the people, sought by
the people, l1onored by the people, or
supported by the people at large.
/ have tried to reason out, again and
again, why this is-Why it Is that there
seems to be an incapacity for popular
ity on the part of our own denomina-
ton. OF course, use the word popu-
larity it it's best, not the hateful pat
ronizing sense. AT times have thought
that, perhaps, the Presbyterian church
was theologically too rigid; that the
standards Of our denomination were
too severe for the popular mind; that
our theology might be too repellent,
and then l have looked at the Roman
Catholic church, and I found there a
church that was yet more theologically
severe, commanding easily the mind
and the allegiance of the people. /
found that church, not asking less than
we do, but more; / found it asking a
more implicit faith than we ask, MAX
ing greater demand upon the spirit
of submission and obedience than we
do, and yet we fail as denomination
where it succeeds.
I have thought, perhaps, that the
reason of our failure was that the
Presbyterian church has not appealed
sufficiently to the sensuous instinct of
the human race; that we have ignored
the beautiful too much; that may be it
would have been wise thing if we had
ritual somewhat like the ritual of the
Episcopal church, and yet 1 find all
these things absent from the Metho-
dist church. The Methodist church has
no ritual; it has in 1t very little of the
beautiful: it is not in the least sensu-
Gus; 1t is as plain and commonplace as
q church can be, and yet it has a mar
vellous affinity for the people at large
the very people that the Presbyterian
church, with all it's plainness, cannot
reach at all.
And this is one of the transcendent
questions that the General Assembly
should address itself to. 1t should
spend far less time in inconsequential
discussions and upon affairs of ancil-
larry Importance in order that it may
intelligently deal with a question like
this-a question of such vast magni-
tude as the power, the progress, the
dominion, and the popularization of the
great Presbyterian church.
This is ever so much more vital to
humanity than the case of Professor
McGiffert; ever so much more import
ant than the case of DR.. Patton in his
relation to Princeton Inn. These are
minor questions after all. What DR..
McGiffort teaches in the way of error
the world will soon let go; what he
teaches in the way of truth the world
needs, and his truth will live and sur
vive despite any action that the Gen
eral Assembly may take. What mis-
takes DIR. Patton makes in his super
vision of the moral interests of Prince
ton university are temporary, and they
will soon be corrected by him or others,
because they are errors-not of pervers-
ity, but of judgment, if they be errors
at all. But here is a matter of really
vast concern-this matter of the popu-
larization of the Presbyterian doctrine
and polity, for it Is a matter that in
wolves the power, the growth, the
progress, the pernanency, and the use
fulness of great denomination.-From
Sermon in Indianapolis by the Rev.
J. A. Milburn.