Year: 1875




nal relations with our Southern
brethren? kftes.ali thesweet things
we have said, after all our protesta-
tons of brothedy love and Kind re
gard, and all our grief at the cold
nesswith which our overturcs have
been received, can wo go no further
than this in the interests Of peace
and fraternity? Is this all that We
can be induced to say for the honor
of cErist, and for he.healing OF the
sShiSm in his body? We are asked
to say of certain deliyeranccs OF opr
General Assemblies, which are re-
sarded as injurious imputations."
that '.in calm review they are dis
approved


And is it. to- be regarded as very
severe strain upon. our humility ysto
say it? To deny that We have eytca
would be to do 6lfselyes great In
justicc. The claim Of infiltibglitv;;,
dither direct or implied, would be as
tteposterons and Is iDsufn in ais as
1t issin. the Church Of Rome. es
gfsint what IS asked of us is SIMPLY
ID 6:onfesS onr humanity, and, IN our
Judgment, to refuse to,Say it Is to as
sumo the responsibility Of the cons
tinued alienation of the two branch
es. of the PRESBYTERIAN Church.


The proposition of the Southern
committee presented golden oppor-
tunity of taking q step toward the
obliteration Of a deep stain upon
American PrcsbyterianiSm. And the
failure to accept it with promptness
We regard as very serious mistake.
Hitherto the rejection of the olive
branch has come from the other par
ty, and in its condemnation of the
spirit by which our Southern breth-
rem were animated, the Northern
press had not minced It's words. In
view of our record, then, if we sus-
tain our committee, We shall go be-
fore the Christian public at an i'm
mcnse disadvantage. But it is not
now too late to correct the false step
taken by our committee, and We
trust the subject viii receive delib-
crate and serious consideration. If
the action of the Southern Commit
tee is approved by their Assembly,
and we cannot doubt that'it viii be,
our Assembly has only to accept the
proposition, and the correspondence
will be opened. And We trust that
the sober second thought of the
Church will lead to this course. The
final rejection of this proposition by
our Assembly would be something
worse than a mistake. 1t would be
an offcnse against Christ, an offense
from which We trust the providence
and grace of God will preserve us.
Hitherto we have claimed, and not
without reason, that the response
bility of continued alteration was
with the Southern Church; but a re-
80 Sss.areSde
reasonable pro oSositioM must transfer
that responsibility ytoourown Church.


In what we have to say on this
subject We are offering no apology
for the manner in which our former
overturcs were received by the
Church South. That they, as well
as we, have been sadly lacking in
the grace of Christian charity weare
by no means inclined to deny. We
think it would involve no great
strain upon their humility to con-
fess as much as they ask of US,
though it may be admitted that in
their official acts and deliverances
they have not cast upon usas a people
injurious imputations" to the same
extent that they have received them
from our Assemblies. But whatever
may be true in this regard, they have
now come to US with a reasonable
offer Of peace, and we must either
accept it, or henceforth be silent in
regard not only to reunion, but also
to the establishment Of fraternal re-
lationS.