charity, our sister, or rather mother, churches in Ireland, and Scotland, have been at once, and without hesitation, led to the organization of substantially similar agencies. And what, I ask, has been the teaching of experience as delivered to our own churches? I will refer to the case of the Southern Board of Foreign Missions, with whose operations I am most familiar, and which may be taken as a fair criterion in drawing our conclusions. During the past two years, no general agency has been in the field. The churches were fully apprized that no agency might be expected, and that they must voluntarily put forth their strength. Our Synod passed resolutions encouraging such liberality, and our ministers made willing promises of co-operation. And yet during the last year, out of some one hundred and seventy churches, within the bounds of that Board and of the Synod of S. C. and Geo., not more than twenty, did any thing at all for foreign missions, and a still fewer number observed the monthly concert for prayer, at all. Strange, too, as it may appear, yet it is a fact, that the amounts raised in even these few churches were in more than half the number, collected through the assistance of some extraneous agency. The perfect consistency of such ecclesiastical Boards or Agencies, therefore, with Scripture, and with our Standards, and their absolute necessity to the conduct of such extensive schemes of christian charity, are thus made to rest upon the certain ground of universal experience-as well as upon the most clear, evident, and irrefragible arguments. Such Boards and Agencies are absolutely required for the furtherance of such benevolent operations. The one cannot exist and thrive where the others are wanting. They are, in the present state of the church, correllative the one to the other; so that where the one is necessary, the other must be introduced, and where the means are wanting, the end will never be secured.* *We think it probable that the author of the "Calm Discussion," &c., whose paper has been so elaborately discussed, in this "Serious Review," &c., now completed-will reply to the reviewer, in due time, through our pages; on which account we have not thought it necessary to add any notes to this, or the two preceding parts, pointing out, as the argument progressed-what appeared to us inconclusive, what unsound, and what Scriptural and Presbyterian. A great deal that has been said, we agree with; a good deal has appeared to us fully to sustain our views, while apparently adduced to confute them; a portion, has seemed to us devoted to points purely speculative, and not going to the gist of the question; and some things, we have been obliged to dissent from entirely. This much, with all respect for the excellent and able author, we feel it our duty to say. In regard to the questions of practical interest, put at issue, in these and similar discussions-our own opinions have been deliberately made up, upon careful, and long continued observation and reflection. We consider our system of Agencies an absolute failure-in every view of it, whether reference be had to our individual or to our organized operations,-to Agents, properly so called, or to Boards as agencies for the church. We look on this as matter standing in proof-and not in argument; and are ready to maintain our opinion by facts-of the most complete and dis tressing character-covering a period of years. We are convinced, moreover, that the whole operation is founded on principles which it is extremely difficult to reconcile with the true nature of Presbyterianism and with the grand system of the gospel; and that a reform is equally obligatory and practicable. This is matter standing in argument, and to be made good by the word of God, and by our standards, as contrasted with the principles, the powers, the acts, and the influences of our Boards and Agents; and we are ready to maintain our convictions-by what appears to us a conclusive demonstration of the evils to be corrected and the method of cure. Meantime, our pages are free for the full discussion of the subject. A discussion, the importance of which they alone can appreciate, who believe that the Presbyterian church has a great and glorious work to perform; who remember that after years of effort, not more, perhaps, than one-third of its congregations have ever been reached at all; who reflect that on the present plan, it seems nearly if not absoltely impossible ever to reach them all statedly, and rouse them to regular and zealous effort, even if the plan itself was otherwise unobjectionable; and who consider, that from the enormous expensiveness of this decrepit plan, from the scruples of many as to the principles on which it proceeds, and from various other difficulties, which we cannot here enumerate, its hold on the churches, instead of strengthening daily, is scarcely and with great difficulty maintained in statu quo.-[ED.] |