650 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



struments. Resolutions were adopted declar- 

 ing that the Assembly continued to adhere to 

 the policy of united non- sectarian education, 

 as opposed to the denominational system. 



XL The General Council of the Presbyterian 

 Alliance met at Edinburgh, Scotland, July 4th. 

 The following church es and ecclesiastical bodies 

 were represented in the organization of the 

 Council: DIVISION I. Continent of Europe. 

 National Reformed Church of France, 4 dele- 

 gates; Free Church of France, 2 delegates; 

 National Reformed Church of Holland, 4 dele- 

 gates; Christian Reformed (Free) Church in 

 the Netherlands, 2 delegates ; Free Church of 

 Germany and Old Reformed Church of East 

 Friesland, 1 delegate ; United Evangelical 

 Church of Belgium, 1 delegate; Reformed 

 Church of Belgium, 2 delegates ; National 

 Church of Vaud, Switzerland, 1 delegate ; 

 Free Church of Vaud, 1 delegate ; Free Church 

 of Neuchatel, 1 delegate ; Waldensian Church 

 of Italy, 2 delegates; Free Italian Church, 2 

 delegates ; Spanish Presbyterian Church, 2 

 delegates; Reformed Church of Bohemia, 2 

 delegates; Reformed Church of Moravia, 1 

 delegate ; Reformed Church of Hungary, 2 

 delegates. DIVISION II. Great Britain and 

 Ireland. Presbyterian Church of England, 6 

 delegates ; Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church, 

 12 delegates ; Established Church of Scotland, 

 26 delegates ; Free Church of Scotland, 24 

 delegates ; United Presbyterian Church (Scot- 

 land), 12 delegates ; Reformed Presbyterian 

 Church (Scotland), 1 delegate ; Original Seces- 

 sion Church, 2 delegates ; Irish Presbyterian 

 Church, 14 delegates ; Reformed Presbyterian 

 Synod, 2 delegates; Associate Synod, 1 dele- 

 gate. DIVISION III. United States of Ameri- 

 ca. Presbyterian Church in the United States 

 of America, 40 delegates ; Presbyterian Church 

 in the United States, 14 delegates; United 

 Presbyterian Church of North America, 12 

 delegates; Reformed Presbyterian Church (O. 

 S.), 1 delegate ; Reformed Presbyterian Church 

 (General Synod), 1 delegate ; Associate Re- 

 formed Synod of the South, 1 delegate ; Welsh 

 Calvinistic Methodist Church, 3 delegates; 

 Reformed Church in America, 11 delegates. 

 DIVISION IV. British Colonies. Presbyterian 

 Church of Canada, 16 delegates; Dutch Re- 

 formed Church of the Orange Free State, 1 

 delegate; Dutch Reformed Church in South 

 Africa, 1 delegate; Presbyterian Church of 

 Victoria (Australia), 3 delegates ; Presbyterian 

 Church of New South Wales, 2 delegates ; 

 Synod of Eastern Australia, 1 delegate ; 

 Queensland, 2 delegates ; Presbyterian Church 

 of Otago and Southland (New Zealand), 2 dele- 

 gates; Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, 

 1 delegate ; Ceylon, 1 delegate ; New Hebrides 

 Missions. 1 delegate. 



The presidents of the different sittings of the 

 Council were chosen from among the repre- 

 sentatives of the English-speaking churches 

 whose delegates were in attendance. The Rev. 

 Dr. Stuart Robinson, of the Presbyterian 



Church in the United States, presided at the 

 first session. The discussions were opened by 

 the reading of a paper by the Rev. Dr. Philip 

 Schaff, of New York, on " The Harmony of 

 Reformed Confessions." Prof. Godet, of Neu- 

 chatel, followed upon the same subject, and a 

 paper was read which had been prepared by 

 Prof. Kraft, of Bonn, as an attempt to embody 

 in a code of 31 articles a consensus of the Re- 

 formed Creeds. After further discussion and 

 consideration of the subject, the Council re- 

 solved to appoint a committee with instruc- 

 tions to prepare a report to be laid before 

 the next General Council, showing in point 

 of fact 



1. What are the existing 1 creeds or confessions 

 composing this Alliance ? And what have been their 

 previous creeds and confessions, with any modifica- 

 tions of these, and the dates and occasions of the 

 same,from the Keformation to the present day ? 



2. What are the existing formulas of subscrip- 

 tion, if any, and what have been the previous for- 

 mulas of subscription, used in these Churches in 

 connection with their creeds and confessions ? 



3. How far has individual adherence to these 

 creeds by subscription or otherwise been required 

 from the ministers, elders, or other office bearers 

 respectively, and also from the private members ol 

 the same ? 



And the Council authorize the committee to cor- 

 respond with members of the several Churches 

 throughout the world who may be able to give in- 

 formation, and they enjoin the committee, in sub- 

 mitting their report, not to accompany it either with 

 any comparative estimate of these creeds and con- 

 fessions, or with any critical remarks upon their 

 respective value, expediency, or efficiency. 



The next important papers read were on "The 

 Principles of Presbyterianism " (Rev. Dr. 

 Cairnes), "The Churchlmess of Calvinism" 

 (Rev. Dr. Stuart Robinson), " Presbyterianism 

 in the United States " (Rev. Dr. S. I. Paine), 

 the latter paper giving a full historical and sta- 

 tistical account of the Presbyterian Churches in 

 the United States. The subject of the second 

 day's discussion was "The Preaching and 

 Training of Teachers," and was introduced by 

 a paper by the Rev. Dr. Howard Crosby, of 

 New York, " On the Work of the Pastor as a 

 Teacher." A number of papers were read re- 

 lating to the elderships, the functions, qualifi- 

 cations, and training of elders, etc. The third 

 day was occupied with the consideration of sub- 

 jects relating to foreign missions. Papers were 

 read on "Missionary Obligations " (the Rev. 

 Dr. Jones, of Trevecca College, Wales, and the 

 Rev. Dr. Murray Mitchell, of the Free Church 

 of Scotland), " The True Missionary Spirit " 

 (Dr. Wanzemann, of Berlin), " Jewish Missions " 

 (Dr. Moody Stuart), and numerous addresses 

 were made. A letter was read from the Rev. 

 Dr. Duff, of the Free Church of Scotland, pro- 

 posing that, as an expression of thankfulness 

 for the great fact of a union of Presbyterian- 

 ism which girdles the earth, a United Presby- 

 terian Mission should be undertaken to the 

 New Hebrides Islands. A motion was adopted 

 for the appointment of a committee to collect 

 information respecting Foreign Missions, with 



