New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-22
SUNDAY AT THE ASSEMBLY.
NEARLY ALL PULPITs IN THE TWIN
CITIES FILLED BY PREsBf-
TERRAIN MINISTER'S.
saus,rvrRsALIsr CHURCH AND FRIENDS MEETING
uo,,sr NOT OVERLOOKED PROGRAMME
FOR THE wEEK-pR- MdIF-
rERT CAsE-MopER-
crRMON
AToR's SERMON.
tnr TELEGRAPH TO The TRIBUNE. ]

x,,r.ano,,s Mimi May 21-Nearly every pulpit
A Minneapolis and ST. Paul excepting oi .or.s 49,
those Of the Roman Catholic ana fro'es'a"' -
canal churches, was filled by one OF inc oon',s
~,oners 10 the General Assembly al oo'" ~
so-dav even the Universalist church ana 'no
r.,ana.. r,se,,ne-house being honored with VISITS
won, PRESBYTERIAN preachers but 1t Is not prooao'o
,het ANYTHING was said in any pulpit Which ""s
out Of harmony with the regular preacn''s 49,
there from Sunday TO Sunday. In 'ne " . 60
Church where the Assembly Is coh'eneu ~
, DR. Robert F. Sample. the Moderator. preacneu
,,os, .arnes, sermon upon the personal Jesus sur
younded as he WIS by hundreds OF frienus' 80
Milling the pulpit which he occupied 80 49, 80.
for a score Of years. he preached WIN al .e s,
of his early manhood, his voice reachins ~ 81.
distant person In the audience tnat tho"eu w.
church Not word was lost and al times 10
-.,.,,,.r,r ,r,rrsssve as he pictured the Work OF
sha Saviour IN redeemng the world ano o"ei'
spon the glory Of the risen Christ. ,
In the other Presbyterian churches ".'e -.
preachers as the Rev Drs r. W. oneau' - -
Louis; James A. Worden. OF Phiiadeipnla' "
Kans OF Bloomington. H. John f. Carson o'
n~s.,,sn + r. K,ykwood Of Pueblo: William Nc
Y,hhen OF Cincinnati; Marcus A Browson' OF
I philadelphia, and f. c. Ray OF Evanston anu
Robert speer a secretary OF the Board OF foieie
Missions who Is not even seminary e'a
Z hut IL one Of the most thrilling speakers III '',0
Presbyterian Church. In the Congregationai p,'
! land Cal and Henry Z. Niles, OF Ao'A' rem
Among those IN the Baptist churches were the
pev Drs Wallace Radcliffe. Of Washington DaV'o
1. Wylie. of New-York. and Douglas r. putnam
OF Iogansport: while the Methodist coheIeea"oi
listened 10 the Rev Drs. John Baicom sna" VI
iNew-York: John r. Boyd. OF Evanston ana o."e,'
The Rev William NJ. Johnston. OF Cohoes' n A.
=. oss,ened 10 the futile Memorial Universahst
Church. ~.
ponular meetings in the interest Of Sabbath Cd
servance Home Missions and Young People were
held In two or three churches, ana were iarses
attended Tomorrow the Assembly coh'eneS
again and will take up the work of the regular
boards Freedmen and Education being scneouled
for Monday on Tuesday Home Missions and Ala
for Colleges and Academies: on Wednesday FOR
eign Missions and Publication and sanoath-sehoo'
work: on Thursday. Church Erection and beneFo-
lenoe and on Friday. Temperance. VIII De TAKEN
IN In addition 10 these stated reports, whch are
OF exceptional interest this year. all the boards
except the one working among the freedmen pe-
ing ont Of debt there are other questions which
riu not be so harmonious or settled 80 satisfacto-
rily
MOVEMENT FOR REDUCED REPRESENTA-
TION
Tomorrow afternoon the Committee on Reduced
REPRESENTATION viii ask the Assembly 10 ADOPT
resolution ordering The preparation OF an overture
reducing the size Of the General Assembly Should
commissioner for each Presbytery having less than
eighteen ministers two for each Presbytery having
eighteen and less than thirysix, and two for every
thirty-six additional ministers IT would reduce inc
Assembly to 422 members The alternate overture
proposed would have one minister and one e.der for
each six thousand communicates and under. In each
Of the synois OF the Church. and the same number
for each additional SIX thousand IN a Synod. This
overture would reduce the number TO three hundred.
In either case the larger preshyteries would suffer
more than the smaller ones. Chicago and Phila-
delphia which now have twelve commissioners
each and New-York which has fourteen, would
have only four ministers and four elders each. II
either resolution IL adopted tomorrow the com
mit,ee will meet egain and"prepare the overture
be submitted to the presbyteries, asking for the
proposed change If the Assembly were reduced
one-naf and the system OF rotation prevailed in a
presoytery. few men would be able 10 attend more
than one or two assemblies in lifetime. AS the
majority OF ministers. and elders. too for that
matter rot averse to serving the Church at a
General Assembly. since all of their expenses are
paid and their congregations willing TO let
them go. and their brethren insist upon their full
filling presbyteral obligations the reduced Assem-
bly, is not a probability al present.
The McGifert case will not up until Tues
day. and perhaps not until "Wednesday or Thurs
day. the Committee on Bills and Overtures is try
ing to secure means of dsposng OF II which shall
defend the faith and save the man one of the
should send letter 10 the Assembly reasonable in
statement. loyal in It's affirmation and concilja tory
in its tone, the clear and simple duty OF the As
semby would appear TO be 10 accept IL as the con-
clusion OF the matter. And from one end OF the
Church TO the other Joy and peace would prevail
and our members and congregations would enter
with enlarged hope upon the duties that confront
us 1t is safe 10 say that the Committee on Bills
and Overtures, Of which Dr. Wallace Radcliffe Is
Chairman, will scarcely give the suggestion a second
thought. for It's members know that the Assembly
could never be persuaded TO adopt their report Nor
will they order. it is believed the New-York Pres
oytery 10 place him on TRIAL 1t is probable. how
ever, that a committee will be appointed TO confer
with Dr. McGinert and let him explain to the As
semoly through 1t, what he means by statements in
his writings which appear TO be out OF harmony
with the Presbyterian standards This course is
suggested by the Christian courtesy exhibited in his
letter published in Tho Tribune to-day.
DR.. SAMPLES SERMON.
Ut sample took for his text the words OF the
Saviour. r. II be lifted up from the earth. will
draw all men unto me-" In his sermon he said:
c In the kingdom Of COD Jesus our Lord is the
s ne n9 aS as TO the revelation OF the per
supply need nor restore sssS T she
world to its Creator. The humanity OF Christ a..
HIS Work ' IS{ s Value Ssdhf Ss
vision OF the risen. regning Christ marked Paui's
r1ntroduction into the kingdom. He was con.
oemneo, iost sinner until he caught a view Of the
personal Jesus. the souls light and only NE FS,r
Snsr. while We owe our divine sonship 10 the In
:csSrnauon. we have experiences OF suffering into
Hncn Zoo could not enter except in the person OF
HIS Bon; The personal Christ strong and tender
tne SHADOW OF sorrow on His face ana heaven shin
LIng through H. turns our darkness into light and
Tdlls our eaddest hours with song ~
Respecting the self-emptying and seif-limitation
OF the son OF God when He became incarnafe a
Jew words must suffce. Some have held that The
divine functions and the exercise of divine powers
IN Christ are held IN ooeyance, far restrained
as 10 leave His human experiences intact adyanc
ing under the ordinary laws OF life But r. ssems ~
me that the kenosis imperils the whole system Of
Christianity. robs Christs teachings OF thei,
authority. and leads out into the wilderness O,
doubt and despair; that It attributes Christ ar
Intelligence inferior to that OF prophets and amos
ties and lower potency Of Inspiration than is Dos
sessed by all believers Surely there was nothins
unknown or impossible TO Christ II He volunta rily
emptied Himself OF His divine attributes until ate
His ascension, then God did not dwell on IN,
earth. And 10 say that the Son OF God in hecon