Purity of Worship in the Presbyterian Church.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 74, 9 December 1875, Page 6

Purity of Worship in the Presbyterian Church.

The following address has been issued by an association recently . formed " for the maintenance of purity of worship " : Tbe Presbyterian Church, as intelligent, men know, rejects, in its Confession of Faith, everything in the worship of God for ; which a direct warrant cannot be found, in the sacred Scriptures, considered in connection with' the' New Testament dispensation. It .thus gets rid of , all the human inventions arid Jewish and heathenish additions introduced into the Church, in the time of Popery, and some of which are still tolerated in Churches partially reformed, i The worship of the Presbyterian Church ! accordingly consists of prayer, ' the i solemn reading arid exposition bf Scrip-' j ture, .the.singing: of praise, the;administration of sacraments, arid the preach- i ing of the 7 everlasting ' gospel. To 1 ! maintain this worsbipin simplicity, ac- ! cording to. forms well understood and long established,. every office.-bearer of .the church is .solemnly bound; at his ordination and induction. ' All ministers, elder's, andy~deacoris undertake,' as. in .the sight of God to,' defend this Worship to f theyutriipst of their ppWer; and. to follow no divisive ; courses therer frpin. In tips, ' grand scriptural sim- ! plicity and .uniformity of [worship; "ear-* ne'stly conducted,* much bf the glory of !the,.^esbyteriariy,phU^ consisted. ' ' ,"pf late,fHbweyei\ a 'restless ! and innovating spirit/ has; appeared in ' l certain .quarters,';' .^pl lhe 'sprrow.of en-'' lighted Prp^ ydi^turbanc'e of the peace" of .cori^rega-; .tibris. 7 ■ Th^n^iniistei's' and'^ cither office-' I bearers of tile 'Churfch, 'forgetting their '

ordination vows, have sometimes been tlie ringleaders in thi? defection.. The new spirit has generally y .manifested' itself first in a . desire to change the old and well-considered attitudes observed in our public worship, resulting in a subversion of. the old forms, and jn the, most unseemly attitude of sitting whilst solemn prayer is offered to God; The next innovation is generally the introduction of instrumental music in praise, which implies a still, wider departure from scriptural purity of worship. We have seen, more recently, altars, altarcloths, and crosses introduced heralding, as we may anticipate, more sweeping and fatal. changes in our .system, if matters are \ allowed to proceed in :their present course. In a wordj we may say of such changes, in the language of Scripture, that their beginning is "as when one letteth out water," and that if; the authority of Scripture in worship, and the obligation of solemn oaths taken at ordination, are to. be . set aside, no one can tell to what extremes men may ultimately proceed. The only safety lies in resisting all such changes from their very commencement, and denying the. usurped authority from which they flow: To , encourage ; inch in performing this duty is • this leading object of our new association. The subject in all its aspects will be fully discussed in the lectures: to be delivered, and in the tracts arid other publications which will be issued- in connection with the new association. But enough has been said to prove, that an immediate duty, and a strong responsibility, is laid upon all who value: the peacß^and-ftfority of the Presby-: terTaTf ChtTPclir We are threatened with an entire subversion of mm- -m.™

I and simple worship — not, as formerly, by open enemies from without, but by professed "friends from within. In opposition to all Sight principle, some ministers, kirk sessionsJSabbath school teachers, and Young iSßmV^i^*-* sociations, in various parts of this counV try, are either actively or passively conniving at changes and corruptions against which the sound Presbyterians of Scotland have steadily protested ever since the days of Knox. In the case of ministers and other office-bearers of our churches this conduct is peculiarly offensive. No one can read the solemn vows which office-bearers voluntarily undertake in connection with their re--ception of office without seeing that' tliey are bound most solemnly to "main-., tain* uniformity of worship, and warned and pledged in the strongest manner against the very course of procedure which some are at present seeking to introduce. This is iri every respect evil. Instead of . kirk sessions, as is sometimes alleged, having any right to alter the mode of worship as hitherto practised, it is part of the very duty whicli all iheir members solemnly undertake to discharge, to protect .that ! worship from all innovations.. .The times of worship are partly under the control of kirk sessions, nnd they are entitled to see that all things " are done decently and in order/ but they are specially bound to resist all alterations in the mode of worship, and to the utmost of its power to maintain its purity as hitherto practised, This.unifprmity of worship Tis indeed one of. the-dis T . tinctions between a Presbyterian and a Congregational Church,, whilst the rejection of everything in ; worship. not expressly " prescribed!" in .Scripture marks our worship out from the Popish. •and Prelatic observances against which our ancestors 'so earnestly contended. The . present evil against which we are called to struggle is manifestly accompanied by : many : With niuch of high profession, '. a low! morality, and a disregard of solemn obligations have begun to ; prevail ! in, the Church? Instead of setting a higher example, a state of things is beginning in the Church which would not be tele*-: rated in the, world without. „A midst much advocacy of the important object of union amongst the Presbyterians, of Scotland, new : causes of. division are, being deliberately introduced, quite «s great in themselves as . any -which have existed since ; the -Reformation.'.-.. Whilst the old grievances and. causes of division are being . removed.. by jthe .!,State,ythe Church herself is raising, or allowing to be raised, new walls; of separation. The Church is extended^; but its; dearest interests are,- betrayed. ! !We hear- pf: spiritual and lofty. aims,,butthese are un-! fortunately sometimes coupled, with car-! nal seeking' . virtiiallyi to turn onr.cbuTcheß.jinto -theatres for^ human gratification, and to put an ( end to, the opportunities of .worship -cPn-; nected with pur .communions. In!a word, it is very clpar to reflecting menj that the present . state? of things, \ so| painful : to true, andy: ; earnest.. !_ Presbyterians, and. : so gratifying ,to ,*all,thd ; enemies of the Church, pannpi cpnt^niiei The seeds: of anarchy and. pvertnrpw f are being widely scattered^' and in ; due time, produce their deadly ,f ruit.^y ,Tlie blossing of; God cannpt ?!b^Jexpecy(ian copnection .with; such procee4iri<isy , The Church cannpt. . pps^ibly! ..go' !pn .ip. adi minis ter oaths iwhich she Tdoesiynp t lin- \ te»d .-/to enforcp.; , ; |l!i^'.Wßs»ot,?^^|iiJ?* ! toset splemn h paths at /defiance j being ipyoived. in, growing,^cpriqupt^orii jf iEither v tlie ; , present-.' course .must; f ar!-! I : rested ,a 5d as i]Byersed, e o^-. Ish;aii^be^1 sh ; aii^be^ intpincreasingie^ :.with;the.7Pisk oiJosin^ .^aripestprs/sp-e^ra ; ..Ailoud o^islythere^ ;all;in'telligentind,ear^^^ -r-tbythejhig^fcp^otiim

the most earnest . Christianity «pf pur 4 laiid— and ; it is -■■ hoped that all -*• who*? < value the peace and unity of the Cliuri?fij the promotion of spiritual religion,.aridof whatever is noblest: and bfest^ri the, : Presbyterianismpf Scotland will again . .... : rally rohnd the old?stiuidardi;i : and?seek ; •■ earnestly to preserve our-lantLfrom a ■.-, great evil, with which! '.jitey are at present so seriously threatened; 1: " •"" "'-•;■-.?-;"•. proposal which wesgaakeisto „ enrol, in connection. with pur new association, all sound-hearted Presby Wians, all who desire to retain the ..simple <- scriptural worship pf : the Presbjterian Church, as set forth in W standards,* 77? and as "fiitEerjtb practise~dr;in our con- * gregations, arid to resist to the uttermost every unscripfural and uhauthor*- ■ is'ed innovation. ~- '.London Weekly - - Review.' ' ' "7 "' -*"'■*■ '- - -'■>••■-