270 



F.V ANGELICAL AI.I.IANCK. 



EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE. This is the 

 name of an awociation of Christian!) belonging 

 to those Protestant denomination* which col- 

 lectively are called Evangelical, and having for 

 its object to represent the unity of all Kv.m.-.-l- 

 ir ii denominations of the globe in the essen- 

 tial articles of faith, and to promote their co- 

 operation for common aims. The Alliance 

 originated in England in 1845, and has thus 

 far held six General Conferences, attended by 

 delegates from all the important Christian 

 countries. The first of these conferences was 

 held at London, from August 19 to September 

 2, 1846; the second in Paris, in 1855, on oc- 

 casion of the World's Exhibition ; the third in 

 Berlin, in 1857; the fourth in Geneva, in 1860; 

 the fifth in Amsterdam, in 1867; the sixth in 

 New York, in October, 1873. , 



The meeting of a General Conference of the 

 Alliance in New York was first moved at the 

 fifth General Conference, in Amsterdam, where 

 the Rev. Dr. Prime, of New York, after read- 

 ing a luminous report on the state of religion 

 in the United States, prepared by the Rev. II. 

 I!. Smith, D. D., of the Union Theological Sem- 

 inary, New York, and chairman of the execu- 

 tive committee of the American branch of the 

 Alliance, made the following communication: 

 "Brethren of the Alliance I am charged, in 

 the name of the American branch of the Al- 

 liance, to invite yon to hold yonr next General 

 Conference of Christians of all nations in the 

 city of New York, assuring you a hospitable 

 welcome in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord." 

 The announoement was enthusiastically re- 

 ceived and acknowledged, and then referred 

 for consideration to the different European 

 branches of the Alliance, with a view to its 

 being accepted. That acceptance having been 

 universally accorded, the preparations for con- 

 vening the Conference were begun by the 

 American branch, of which W. E. Dodge was 

 president. 



After having been several times postponed 

 by circumstances unforeseen, the sixth General 

 Conference opened at New York on October 

 8d. The number of delegates, both American 

 and foreign, was very large. Great Britain, 

 Germany, France, Switzerland, Holland, Bel- 

 gium. Spain, and Italy, were nil represented, and 

 from British India the Rev. Narayan Sheshad- 

 ri, of Bombay, attended, a converted Brahmin, 

 who naturally attracted the special attention 

 of the General Conference. After an address 

 from William E. Dodge, the president of the 

 American branch of the Alliance, Dr. Woolsey, 

 ex-President of Yale College, was chosen per- 

 manent president of the Conference. Mayor 

 Havemeyer, of New York, Lord Alfred Chur- 

 chill, and a number of other prominent per- 

 sons, were made vice-presidents. The Rev. S. 

 Irenaetu Prime was elected secretary, with a 

 number of assistant general and recording sec- 

 retaries. 



The opening of the General Conference, on 

 October M, had been preceded, on the evening 



of October 2d, by a social evening reception at 

 the hall of the Young Men's C'hri.-ti:. 

 tion. An address of welcome was made by 

 the Rev. Dr. W. Adams, after which Lord Al- 

 fred Churchill read a greeting of the Council 

 of the London organization of the E\ -angelical 

 Alliance. Replies to the welcome weiv then 

 made by the Rev. Dr. Houghton, of London ; 

 the Rev. Dr. Fisch, of Paris; the Rev. !>r. 

 Conlin, of Geneva; Dr. Dorner, of Berlin ; Dr. 

 Christlieb, of Bonn ; Dr. M. Cohen Stuart, of 

 Rotterdam; the Rev. Narayan Sheshadri, of 

 Bonfbay ; and Charles Reed, M. P., of London. 

 The programme of the first day consisted 

 of reports on the present state of religion in 

 various parts of Christendom. The subjects 

 of these reports, which embrace a vast amount 

 of interesting information on the religious 

 condition of Europe, were as follows: " Evan- 

 gelical Theology in Germany," by Prof. Tho- 

 luck, of Halle (who was not present, and whose 

 essay was read by Dr. \Vitte. of di'then); "Re- 

 ligion in Italy," by the Rev. Miitteo I'rochet, 

 of Genoa; " BeHgiraa Condition of Holland," 

 by the Rev. M. Cohen Stuart, of Rotterdam ; 

 'Protestant Germany," by the Rev. II. Kruin- 

 macher, of Brandenburg, Germany ; " Religion 

 in Switzerland," by the Rev. Eugene Reiehel, 

 of Montmireil ; " Evangelization of Spain," 

 by Rev. F. Fliedner, of Madrid; "Religious 

 Progress in Greece," by Mr. Kalopnthakcs, of 

 Athens; "State of Religion in Belgium," by 

 Rev. Leonard Anet, of Brussels; '"Protestant- 

 ism in France," by the Rev. A. Decoppet, of 

 Paris ; " Protestant Relations between Amer- 

 ica and Europe," by the Rev. John Stoughton, 

 D. D., of London ; and " State of Religion in. 

 Scandinavia," by Dr. Kalkar, of Copenhagen. 

 Addresses bearing on this subject wore also 

 made by Lord Alfred Churchill, the Rev. J. S. 

 Russell, secretary of the British Alliance, and 

 the Very Rev. Dr. R. Payne Smith, Dean of 

 Canterbury. The latter also read the follow- 

 ing letter from the. Archbishop of Canterbury, 

 expressing his belief in the success of the Al- 

 liance and hearty sympathy with its object: 



ADDIVOTOX PARK, OBOTDOX, Auyutt, 1878. 

 Mr PEAR DIAIC: I cannot allow the dean of my 

 .ral to go to America to attend a General Con- 

 of Christians of all countries without ox- 

 pressing my (rood wishes and earnest hope tlnit his 

 efforts to promote unity in Christ's Church may bo 

 1.1. --(,!. 



In 1870 (before the proposed Conference was post- 

 poned, owing to the nnhappv war between two great 

 Christian nations) I wroto a letter to the late lament- 

 ed Rishop Mcllvainc, which he kindlv undertook to 

 present to the Conference. I hope that yon will on 

 the present occasion be the bearer of my good 

 wishes in the place of one whose loss haa been frit 

 rifttian men wherever the English language ii 

 spoken. 



You are aware that I have never been a member 



or the Kvanirvlicnl Alliance, under the auspices of 



whii'h tin- Conference ia to be convened. But it is 



--il'lc for me to hold the position which God 



ha* assigned to mo in that Church which h:i> L'< TI- 



ernll.v tx'cn rojrnrded as the bulwark of the Kuforma- 



tii"ut pniyin,' for God's blensinz on all 



earnest effort* to spread the great Gospel doctrines 



