The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1906-03-14


circumscribed in area covering the bosom of the
agitated ocean each whirng around it's own
centre more and more But at last the whole mighty
mass of them a vast area, is absorbed, merged
in the one great all powerful mastering whir
pool. whose revolutions overpower oVerwhelm these
smaller movements completely; within whose all
embracing circumference, the boiling. seethng wat
ers circle with velocity more and more fearful
around central vortex like awful funnel pierre
ing to the very bowels of the earth. Woe to the
man. the fisher boat, the ship that gets within the
embrace of the outside circumference! Its grin
is relentless the descent into the yawning central
vortex certain. The only safety is outside the
outer circumference
The conference" at Charlotte is of the little
federation eddies forming all over the land They
but prepare for the mighty Maelstrom, which event
ually is to suck all things down. Justice Brewer
among others Cone of the potent forces of the
byterian Church, North the church which is to
dominate at Charlotte)-the Justice tells us that
he looks for federation closer than that adopte
by the conference" CNew York; Very likely it
was better to take short step forward than to
risk failure by going too far The man who cannot
work with Edward Everett Hale and Cardinal Glib
bons has no clear conception of the goodness OF
God! There it is! There you the dimensions
of the final all-embracing Maelstrom beginning to
emerge The New York Federation great as it is
made up of score more of the principal
churches of the land, is but short step forward"
The ultimate "Federation for greater in it's soon,
and power, is still to come!
Let now our Committee at Charlotte consider
those words!
For they reveal obstacle, a 1n,,sr menacing OBJ
stacle which in itself alone, is fatal Federation
And that is, that the Federation movement. great
already as it is, has by no means spent its force
Its final developments are still to come! And re-
moved as it is already from all doctrnal foundation
as base; united to Gods precious eternal
Truth, only i'm a common attitude of indifferentfsn
TO 1t and abandonment of it, of any practical
vital value that is in meeting the evils of the dav
the Federation movement, when fully grown will
be absolutely uncomfortable by the forces of con-
serVatism. Once in its grasp even of its smaller
eddies or its outer circumference every lover of
the Truth, every church, every ship of Zion will
struggle in vain, against the central influence of
this mighty Maelstrom.
The gentlemen personally unknown to mel who
are to meet our Committee at Charlotte are the
SUBJECTS OF our sincere Difference and respect They
all may be entirely free personally from the blight
OF higher criticism the enervaton of latitudinarian
ism or indferentism to doctrine and the ma
uonalism,' which mark the practical beliefs the
working 1alth of so many in some, least, of
the'churches to be represented there. We assume
Ihat they are But granting that they are; nav
granting (Which cannot be done in TRUTH grantfnq
that all their churches are sound; not only in their
historical creeds but their practical actual up-to-
date beliefs; the beliefs which find expression in
their puIpits Of to-day their church courts ETC.
granting, say all this, there remains stn the OBJ
lection mentioned; objection i'm itself fatal 10
Federation. And that is that once i'm the ATaeI
strom' you are lost You are bound to go down!
All that YOU your Individuality all that ,,o,,
stand for all that you love as q PRESBYTERIAN nav
as Christian, all that you feel responsible for: all
are bound to go down, merged" in the current of
central Influences utterly beyond your control
1t is a question of Self Preservation and of
preservation of the Truth. our Committee at
Charlotte will meet it, Face to facet Unless if is
ignored
OF course, am aware of the provisions i'm the
Federation plan for voluntary withdrawal"
am aware of war also, dreadful i'm it's caIamities
and casualties. which swept this land because Of 3,