PRESBYTERIANISM. ITS PRESENT POSITION IN THE WORLD.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 302, 26 September 1888, Page 6

PRESBYTERIANISM. ITS PRESENT POSITION IN THE WORLD.

By a curious coincidence the Pan-Anglican I and Pan-Presbyterian assemblies held their meetings at the same time in London. The Pan-Presbyterian meets every four year? and the Pan-Anglican every 10. A representative of the "PallMall Gazette" waitedon the organising secretary of the Pan-Presby-terian assembly to hear something of the present position of Presbyterianism in the world. In the course of the interview an eminent professor of the Free Church joined in the conversation, which went, pretty much as follows :—: — 'How do you estimate the present numerical strength of the Presbyterian world ?' •We are 20,000,000 strong. That is to say, there are 20,000,000 of men, women, and children who belong as adherents to Presbyterian churches. From our last numbering of our people we find that there are about 23,000 ordained pastors, and on our church rolls there are nearly 4,000,000 of communicants. Estimating five adherents to one communicant, and about 800 persons in connection with each congregation, that brings out the total pretty near 20,000,000.' 'Of whom I suppjse the majority are Scotch or of Scotch descent?' ' Largely, but not exclusively, as some seem to think. There are representative? here from a million and a-quaiter Pmsbyterians in the German Empire. We have also representatives from France, and there are Presbyterian churches in all lands, from Russia to Japan. But, roughly speaking, Presbyterianism is the religion of two races, the Scotch and the Dutch. As the Irish have carried the Roman faith over the new world, so the Scotch and Dutch have set up Presbyterian churches whereever they have gone. ' 'And where have they gone? The Dutch, I suppose, are chiefly in South Africa ?' ' There are many in South Africa, where the Boers — who have a representative at this synod — have the polity and much of the spirit of the Covenanter?, but there are many also in the United States. I should say roughly that of our twenty millions, eighteen millions are either Scotch or Dutch, or of Scotch or Dutch descent. ' ' And all your churches, of whatever nationality, hold the unity of the Presbyterian faith ?" ' Yes, to a mopt surprising extent. We stand on the ancient ways. We hold the five great articles of the Westminster Assembly. We have the same policy, and we have even in small things, without any concert or communication, arrived at the same results.' ' For instance ? ' ' Well, take for instance the curious agreement among all our churches that three or four years' training in divinity is sufficient thoroughly to equip a man for the Presbyterian ministry. In all countries wheie our theological colleges have been established our people seem simultaneously to have arrived at the same conclusion. In great things, as in small, we are of one mind.' ' Then you have no burning questions to distract your peace ?' ' None. Some years ago there seemed a clanger that some of our ministers in Holland would be carried away by what is called the higher criticism, and that disputes would distract our churches about the authenticity andauthorityof the Scripture s; but the danger passed, and at present we have no controversy imperilling our faith/ ' No downgrade controversy, such as distresses Mr .Spurgeon ? Ritualist extravagances ?' ' No. We find sometimes that our young students are to dally with these rationalistic^ peculations. But that which saves them and keeps the church ■ true to great doctrines of grace is the practical experience of diiect work with. sinful, struggling, su tiering men and women. Fine theories, pietty and philosophical though they look in the closet, do not stand the test of being put to the saving of souls. It needs a longer rope than philosophic Rationalism ,to .reach down to the sunken strata of lost humanity. ' 'Then your Robert Elsmeres ' ' Very soon find what Robert Elsmere would have found if he had lived long enough, that nothing but the doctrines of grace have grip enough in them to save men and women fiom their sins.' ' But does the Zeitigeist really pass over you, then, as the angel of death passed over the houses sprinkled with tne blood of the faschal^sacrifice ?' ' Hardly. It affects us, I suppose,. in depriving us of members who would otherwise have joined us. But within the churches there is not much -trace of the destructive influence of modern unbelief. If visible at all, it shows itself most in the pulpits of the Established Church of Scotland. In the voluntary, chmches it is felt rather than seen in the weakening of that spirit of absolute dogmatic certainty which, .onceprevailed.' ' * But your Westminster Confession ?' ' We holl to ib still, but the interpretation is modified, -no doubt, by the spirit of the time, and there is not a grim insistence upon the acceptance of all the doctrines byevery communicant. Whether, or not the communicant interprets the doctrine of sovereignty and predestination in the extreme Calvinistic sense, or whether he regards it as merely a form of expressing a conviction that the universe is governed by a Divine plan, is a matter left to the individual conscience.' ' Suppose that -I apply to be admitted and tell you that I cannot accept the limited theory of the Atonement, and that my views as to predestination and free will are Arminian rather than Calvinistic ?' ' For my part,' said one of the Doctors of Divinity, * I wpuld adfn.it you to membership, pr'pvided you were a believer in.jChrigt, and were'in 'conscious, fellowship with theChristiibn members .of ,my qkureh^.' 'But. you ..would, npt, £ suppose, .accept, me if I wereiQnly.what.ypu may describe asan unconscious Christian j and rejected the, supernaWal while jwixipusly .endeavouring to live the Christ-ljfe ,and do the work ..of' Christ?' ' "' ' ' 'You wpuld not .want .to join .church whose, fellowship' is abased upon a- commons belief in the reHlity'bf- tlie supernatural ?' '"That depends ( upon the coxamunion atjt^aqps tap ,by its service for .mam and ' by '.its'" practical , realisation of thei Christian -ideal of .sacrifice. But suppose.that I was born in. the orthodox faith, join, your church, and : afterwards find miraolesf and the p^pernatural .incredible,, .while sbill ' wishing to work' ya^h' you,* "wpuld .you turn me out?' | ' I am afraid,' said one qf my interlocutors, t,that .wp .should. si But -we are very. mu6h more ,CQnsid i era ) te .to, all -j<bose exceptional cases than.\w"e used -tV.be,- and-pro^i viding you kept your views to yourself, and did not blazon -them abroad,- .we should leave to your own conscience the responsibility of remaining- within the pale of the qhur.cn.,', 'Then you jstill,jn«tintaini the doqtrine'of rerjr^bajifln ?'.- ' Reprobation is not a doctrine so muttfcH as an inference from the doctrine of pre-

ordination, and it has bBen grossly burlesqued. Hudibras, for instance, fathered upon us the hideous calumny of saying that there are infants panting in eternal torment. We never said anything so revolting. Nor do we believe that the souls of infants are lost. 1 ' You do believe in everlasting punish- • We see no Scriptural warrant for asserting that there is a state of probation after death.' ' And you hold on to the strict keeping of the Sunday V 1 Certainly. Presbyterians constitute the vanguard of the Christian host charged with the defence of the Day of Rest.' 'In church government are you not weakening into Congregationalism ?' 'Not in the least. The Congregationalists are moving rather in the direction of Presbyterian ism.' 'In one sense yes. The county associations and Congregational unions approxi mate to your synods and general assemblies. But your synods no longer interfere as they used to do between ministers and congregations. A congregation calls whom it pleases, and, although you still moderate upon the call, it is understood that the Church Assembly does not interfere.' ' That is partially true. But we do not regard that as approximating to Congregationalism. The right of appeal to the church courts in allcasesofdispute between minister and congregations remains. That is the distinctive mark of Presbyterian ism, as against Congregationalism, as the refusal to recognise bishops is our mark as against Episcopacy.' ' Then on the whole you are hopeful V ' Yes, and confident. We are facing the problems of the new time with the old faith.'