USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > North East > The centennial commemoration of the founding of the First Presbyterian Church, of North East, Pennsylvania > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14
A second reason why Presbyterianism is strong is in the fact that it is a permanent element in all government. I am willing to accept Dr. Leonard Woolsey Bacon's statement that no form of church government will be permanent and final that does not embrace the three elements, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Episcopal.
92
CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION
These are all permanent elements of government. While I might under persuasion admit that the Presbyterian was the form of the Jewish Commonwealth, as a friend of mine claims in a scholarly review article, I am willing to take the position of the enthusiastic elder who proclaimed that Presbyterianism is the order of Heaven. He said, "We read in the Revelation not of the four and twenty Episcopalians, the four and twenty Bap- tists, the four and twenty Methodists, but of the four and twen- ty Presbyterians which stand about the throne." The principle of government of the people, for the people, and by the people is a paramount principle of government. Such government will not perish from the earth. This is the essential principle of Presbyterianism. We are a representative church. We believe in a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, through a well ordered system of representation.
Therefore Presbyterianism is big with promise for the fu- ture.
A third element of strength is to be found in the fact that Presbyterians recognise the existence of and preserve a just bal- . ance between the two essential principles of wise government. In- dividual liberty, on the one hand, and supremacy of law, on the other, are the two essential principles of all government.
Liberty has a tendency to run into license and authority into despotism. To set one over against the other as the centripetal and centrifugal forces is the purpose and aim in all wise govern- ment.
Our church government aims at this. Presbyterians love liberty; they also respect authority. It is sometimes said that our church is a narrow and illiberal church. ' For example, note our regard for the liberty of the private church member. We do not pretend to interfere with the politics of the private member, nor with his creed. por with his social code. All this is inde- pendent of the church. Into that sphere of private rights the church, as an ecclesiastical organization, may not enter. We deny the right of the church to control the political, social, reli- gious faith of its members. It is true we give instructions in all these departments of truth, for we are a teaching church; but the imparting of instruction and the exerting of influence is as far as the church may go. We show respect, also, for the liber- ty of our ministers. We exact certain vows of our ministers when they enter up at their office, for example, we require them
CAPT. DVER LOOMIS, Elder and Clerk of Session, 1849.
95
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
to accept the system of doctrine contained in the "Confession of Faith," but beyond these vows our Church does not curtail the liberty of her ministers. My political views are my own, and not subject to the review and control of the Church. Even my theological views so far as they are not inconsistent with the system of doctrine taught in the Confession are independent of ecclesiastical supervision. I do not have to subscribe to the Confession, but to the system of doctrine contained in it. Any- thing in the Confession not essential to the system, I may be- lieve or reject as I prefer. There is in fact a large part of my life over which the Church exercises no authority.
Presbytery has its own autonomy. It is free, for example, to determine the qualifications of young men seeking the min- istry, and to carry forward its own work.
This liberty of members, ministers, sessions, and Presbyteries is not under the power of majorities. Our liberties are not de- termined by majorities, but by our Constitution. We are not a Church in which the majority rules. No majority however large, or however permanent, can rightfully dictate to a church session whom it shall admit to its membership. This is one of the rights granted to the church by the Constitution, and in the enjoyment of this right it may remain, whatever may be the views of the rest of the Presbytery or of the whole Church. No mat- ter how radical be the difference between me and the rest of my church on theological views not essential to the system of doctrine, our Charch Constitution secures to me the enjoyment of my views against any member who holds opposite opinions.
Our Church has guarded with jealous care the sphere of the individual's liberty against the despotism and assumption of the many.
But liberty with us is not license. We are not a Church of independent units. We believe not in the ecclesiastical atom, but in the ecclesiastical molecule. No man is saved alone. No Church can be independent of the world. We are bound to- gether, not by sentiment nor by common interest nor by the rule of the many, but by the supremacy of law. In its sphere the majesty of law is as precious to ns as individual liberty and we fight equally hard for both.
Now this is our strength. We preserve the widest liberty consistent with the supremacy of law and we yield to the s11-
96
CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION
premacy of law, so far as it does not destroy the autonomy of the individual. The tendency perhaps to-day is toward cen- tralization. The sphere of liberty is being curtailed and the do- main of law is being enlarged; the larger organization is invad- ing with power the territory of the smaller and destroying its free, autonomous life. This tendency to centralization is as- serting itself in commercial life in the growth of trusts; in po- litical life, in the increasing powers of the general government; in ecclesiastical life, in the growing powers of the General As- sembly.
While this tendency prevails to-day, it nevertheless remains true of our church that we prize the rights of the individual; we believe in a balance of liberty and law; we protest with Kipling against the reseating of the king upon his throne, even though the name of that king be Majority. Majority, as other kings, loves autocratic power; "He shall break his judges, if they cross his word. He shall rule above the law, calling on the Lord."
Another element of strength is the Catholicity of our church. No church is more catholic than ours. In other organic law we recognize the validity of the order of other churches, and the fallibility of our own. We nowhere claim a "divine right" for Presbytery to the exclusion of other churches. Our definition of the church recognises the existence and Christian character of other communions.
In practice we open the widest doors to church membership. The sole requirements we make of any one seeking admission to our church are faith in Jesus Christ and repentance toward God. He who repents of his sins and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ is entitled by virtue of that attitude toward our Father and Saviour to belong to the church. Persons seeking to join our church are not asked to subscribe to any creed, nor to promise to ob- serve a minute set of rules, nor to deny the validity of the or- dinances as observed in any other church, but are admitted toward the head of the church.
Another illustration, our invitation to the communion table. The directory for worship says, the minister "shall invite to this holy table such as, sensible of their lost and helpless state of sin, depend upon the atonement of Christ for pardon and ac- ceptance with God; such as, being instructed in the gospel doc- trine, have a competent knowledge to discern the Lord's body;
97
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
and such as desire to renounce their sins, and are determined to lead a holy and godly life."
This is the Lord's table, therefore let all of the Lord's child- ren sit at it, whether they be Presbyterians or not. We admit to church membership and to the Lord's table those whom he admits to Heaven.
Take another illustration of our catholicity. Where is the Christian church that we do not fellowship with? We recog- nize in the members of the other churches by whatsoever name they may be called and by whatsoever differences they may be separated from us, true disciples of our Lord and our Christian brethren.
Another illustration, we are recognized as the one church that uniformly gives cordial and substantial support to all union movements and efforts, whether they are of a local or general character. We can always be depended upon to co-operate with other churches in every good work. This is thought by some to be an element of weakness, but it is an element of strength. We may at times, in our zeal for union and fraternity, go so far as to neglect our own work and interests, yet it is our distinguished glory that we do not confine our love for the Lord's Church and activity in her service to the narrow and nar- rowing limits of our particular denomination.
We rejoice in the fact that, as Presbyterians, we regard our- selves as chosen, the elect, to serve the whole Church of Christ, and to build up in all ways and everywhere the kingdom.
Catholicity is engraved upon our banners and is a mighty ele- ment of power.
Another element of strength is the close harmony of our church with our American institutions. In the present stage of the evolution of the church, it is inevitable that it will tend to conform to the national institutions. If a denomination is to be national in extent and purpose it must also be national in form and character.
In the next stage of church development it is to be hoped that there will be one universal church, and then it will not be a national, but a cosmopolitan church. But till then churches will tend to conform to national institutions; and other things being equal, the church that most strongly conforms will be the
7
98
CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION
strongest. There is no one to deny the American spirit and form of our Presbyterian church.
Our national government may truthfully be said to be Pres- byterian. Indeed it would be more correct to say that the government of the United States is Presbyterian than to say that the government of the Presbyterian church is American. Both are representative governments. Presbyterians led in the formation of our national government, and consciously or unconsciously modelled it after the form of government which obtains in our church.
An Episcopal friend of mine, a clergyman, said to me, the Presbyterian church has the distinct advantage of being thor- oughly American in its form and spirit, and it is the only form of church government that is. Other churches, the Congrega- tional, the Episcopal, even the Roman Catholic, the most im- mobile of all, are becoming more and more American, and are gaining in strength because they are.
But our's is American, and has been from the first. We have more right to be called the American church than any other. May we never be guilty of such arrogance, but may we be also never heedless of our real character and strength.
A sixth element of strength is in the fact that we have a definite message and a definite mission. I do not say that other churches have not, but I do say that no church can be strong that has not a definite message and a distinct mission. We stand for clear thinking and exact teaching. One may not like Presbyterian doctrines, but it cannot be objected to be- cause it lacks clearness, definiteness, and. explicitness. This
explains our requirement of subscription to a creed from our ministers. We do not require credal subscription of our mem- bers, but we do of our ministers, because we are a teaching church and our teachers must teach the truth as God gives us to see the truth. Entering a hospital as a patient or a practicing physician are two different things. If you seek admission there to receive its benefits, you are admitted without question. But if you desire to be a member of the hospital staff and to practice medicine among us patients, you must expect your qualifications to be closely scrutinized. Our private members may believe what they please, but our teachers must believe the truth as the church believes it, if they desire to teach with the church's sane-
-
,
HORATIO M. GIL,MAN, Eller, 1856.
101
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
ยท tion. It is not our belief that as men swing away from a creed, they swing nearer to God. It is not our belief that men who abandon exact forms of thinking become any more correct in their living. It is worth while to contrast the history of creed breakers with that of creed makers. We believe in creeds, and we see in this attitude of our church to creeds a distinct mission to the thinking world. We say that it is a matter of vital con- cern whether men think loosely and incoherently upon the great themes or think with clearness and to a purpose. God and man and the relations of these personalities are facts in this world in which you and I live. To live in the midst of these facts, and have no clear convictions with reference to them, to have no serions thought about the problems they start, and to be able to give no clear ringing statement regarding them, is to proclaim ourselves as men lacking intellectual honesty and moral purpose. Now the Presbyterian Church believes her mission to be to stand for the value of clear thinking and profound conviction. The world stands by and says, "Why are these Presbyterians so earn- estly discussing their creed? What do they want with a creed? Why not put the old confession away and get along without any?" We doubtless should be less criticised if we magnified forms of worship and contended earnestly for the rubrics of a prayer book. This we might do if we thought rubrics of more importance than truth, or the way in which a man worships God of more consequence than what he believed about God. Bnt so long as we believe that truth and character cannot be divorced, that deeds are governed by dogmas, that what a man thinks de- termines what he is, so long will we emphasize the value of doctrine.
It has been charged that ours is not a church of the poor and ignorant. We are a church of the poor and ignorant, and we rejoice, as did the Master, to minister to the lowliest of our fel- low men. But we are not a church of the permanently poor and ignorant. For we regard it as our positive duty to the poorest and most ignorant to lift them out of their poverty and their ignorance. And our insistence upon the vital connection between truth and character aids us in the discharge of this mis- sion. The problem that confronts the Church of Christ in all its branches is this problem of lifting up men and beikling them
1
---
1
102
CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION
up in character. Our part of the church is equipped for this service.
Lastly Presbyterianism is strong because it has a glorious opportunity. Others may or may not have the same or a greater opportunity. But we have an opportunity in which we ought to rejoice. This is an age of intense intellectual activity. We are an intellectual church. The age demands a high standard of education among ministers and laymen, a definiteness in re- ligious thinking, a grappling with the great problems of life in a scientific and philosophie spirit, a fearless defence of high truths, an intellectual anchorage that will prevent drifting, a spiritual pole star that gives promise of a pathway across the sea, a free- dom within the limits of the supremacy of law that guarantees competent seamanship. For these we stand, not always wisely, not always consistently, but nevertheless for these we stand, and for these we must ever stand and in this is our strength. We may never be a popular church, but if we are true to our dis- tinctive mission, we must always be an influential church. This is now our opportunity. Our opportunity is to enter upon the new century and tread the unseen and untried pathway of the coming years, in the full confidence that we have a message to give to the world, the thinking world, that we have the truth of God to proclaim, which we believe and revere and proclaim with such clearness and earnestness that others will understand and believe and be saved thereby.
Non these seven elements of power, historic continuity, per- manent governmental element, harmonious adjustment of liberty and law, catholicity, sympathetic conformity to American insti- tutions, distinct mission, definite message, and glorious oppor- tunity ; these I have recounted with sufficient fullness and with sufficiently disregard for the claims of modesty to let you see, what I firmly believe that this church, which celebrates to-day its one hundred years of life and starts out upon a new one hundred years of service and usefulness, belongs to a great church. Our beloved church is great in influence great in effectiveness, and great in promise for coming days. HYMN.
2
BENJAMIN F. SPOONER, Elder, 1850.
105
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
WOMAN'S WORK FOR MISSIONS-Mrs. Maria L. Moore.
Woman's Work for Missions in our church has been assigned to me. I find it is not easy to trace back through all these years to its source a movement which has done so much, not only for the women of our church, but for the cause of Christ through- out the world.
But I can say that the women of the Presbyterian Church of North East were not slow in catching the spirit which pervaded the women throughout the churches of our land in the early sixties, and they soon learned the lesson that there is a work to be done for women in foreign lands which can only be done by women.
While we feel that our entire church is one great missionary society, we had learned by experience during our civil war what women could do as organized workers, and our women seemed to hear as never before the Master's commission which was first given to a woman.
."Go tell the brethren that I am risen," and our women were not long in falling into line, and our Foreign Missionary Society was organized, and soon followed by our Home Missionary So- ciety, for those who do most for foreign missions, are the ones who do most for home missions, as we know "the light that shines farthest shines brightest at home."
Gov. Roosevelt says, the nation that spends most effort in doing work well at home can spare the most effort to see that work is well done abroad. So we feel that our work for mis- sions is one.
For the past thirty years these two societies have worked harmoniously together, hokling their regular monthly meetings, where much instruction has been given and received which has proved a spiritual blessing to our women.
I wish I could say that we have done all that we could and that all our women are interested in this, but we have only begun to see what great work we can do. We have during these years given to Forcigi. Missions $3,938, and have given to Home Mis- sions in money and boxes $5,158, besides giving to all the other boards of our charch.
Eugene Stock gave as his farewell words at the ecumenical conference: "The hand of God was to give them one heart.
106
CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION
All the people answered with one voice. All the people arose as one man. God grant to give us one heart, one voice, and may we work as one in this greatest of all work,-missionary work."
YOUNG PEOPLE'S WORK-Miss Jennie Selkregg.
Strange that in looking over the century in the interest of Young People's Work, we have found no record of work done in 1801, nor for many years following by the young people of the church. This leads us to one of two conclusions-either there were no young people in the church at its founding or the retiring spirit of the time as regards young people would not permit of their taking active part in church work until reaching the age of manhood and womanhood.
Let me grasp the latter conclusion, for what a solemn, dole- ful meeting house, that log structure would have been without the demure damsels slyly glancing toward the stalwart young nien on the opposite side of the house.
History tells us of the custom of early marriage, which cus- tom we have little of to-day, thus leaving us more young people with heart and hand for church duties. With the comely crowd of young people around us to-day, we feel that the hope of the church is in its young people, and though in 1801, they were rather silent forces held in reserve, to-day they are marching step by step with the older members, coming to the front of the ranks, and giving splendid service, where the older ones perhaps feel incompetent to take up the work.
Our Christian Endeavor and Missionary Societies have for years held steadily to the plough they have been guiding and the furrow has not been : hallow that they have turned. Strong in their purpose of Christ-serving, cheerful and helpful, full of the enthusiasm that makes the charm of earnest workers, to-day our church holds a sure foundation for the future generation.
Appeals for help have been eagerly responded to outside of the regular work of Home and Foreign Missions.
The Willing Workers Mission Band, organized by Miss Sarah Hitchcock in 1880, has at no time been extinct and still exists under the name of Do-What-You-Can-Band. Since its organization in 1880, it has sent to the Foreign Field $614.00 for scholarships and support of Missionaries. The Young Peo-
-
OLD PARSONAGE. 1856 to 1902.
109
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
ple's Missionary Society organized in 1890, has contributed to Foreign Missions $759.00.
Our Christian Endeavor Society was organized between 1883 and 1887, historians differ as to the exact date. This society has placed at the service of God $126 for Home Missions, and $98 for Foreign Missions. This includes the contributions of the Junior Endeavor Society, which to-day is resting on its arms, waiting for the Lord to send up a Moses or an Aaron as leader. With the church teeming with the life of our young people, with every day new possibilities for young workers for God, we are hopeful that this church, our church, may ever stand firm, leaning heavily on the strength of its young.
WOMAN'S AID SOCIETY-Mrs. B. H. Putnam.
As we lift the veil of the past to review the share that the women of our church have borne in its work, only one event stands out prominently in the first half of the century.
It is not to be supposed, however, because there is no record of his work, that they were not an aid in that work. Our women have ever been active and enthusiastic to help in every improvement and all the advanced work carried on by the church, and we feel sure that in the early years of the century they bore nobly their part.
That one event was the furnishing dinners for a week to the men at the rising of the old frame church on the common, in 1818, 83 years ago.
For thirty-three years there was a blank until 1851, when occurred the first regular work of the ladies which finally evolved the present L. A. S. It seems a coincidence that while we are celebrating a century completed of our church organization it proves to be a semi-century of the L. A. S. It was called a Sewing Circle, and as the name indicates its method of raising funds was by sewing.
Before the days of sewing machines, many of the families of the congregation availed themselves of the opportunity of having the family sewing done, by paying stated sums for the work to the Sewing Circle. The ladies met in the afternoon whenever there was an invitation, the hostess furnishing the sup- per, which the gentlemen attended, contributing a dime each.
110
CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION
These first meetings were marked by great hospitality and sociability and good cheer, and good suppers, as many of those who were then the "young people" now bear witness.
We have good authority for stating that the first meeting was at the home of Mr. Osce Selkregg, at the old homestead just across the R. R. tracks, in December, 1851. Notwithstand- ing Presbyterians have always been accounted strict and severe in matters of amusement, there was no lack of gaiety, especially . when the Society would drive from the village to the country homes of Mr. Whitehill, Mr. Harmon Ensign, Mr. John Mc- Cord, and many others. To supplement this work as special need of funds arose in the passing years, festivals were given at intervals, sometimes at the Haynes House, and again at the old Academy, with the usual attractions of entertainments of that description, booths and a P. O., grab-bag, and many other things.
During this period, no record of the amount of money raised or the manner in which it was expended is to be obtained, but it is known, and we are proud of the fact, that the ladies bought the parsonage lot. . It comprised at first, beside what is known now as the parsonage lot, the lot on which the home of the late Mr. Earl Pierce stands, extending in a south line to Main street. At that time only the Greer home was built to the cast. In 1856 the parsonage was built, but we could not learn what part, if any, the Society had in that. Later the ladies bought car- pets for the parsonage at the time Mr. Carrier occupied it. Time passed until the project for a new church was agitated, a new site had to be purchased, leaving the park umobstructed by any buildings, and again the ladies come forward with money for the lot where the present church stands, or part enough at least, always leading in plans for some great improvement. Here again it is a matter of regret that no records can be obtained, so much is left unsatisfactory of those earlier days that we would like to review. In 1879 at the time when it began to be real- ized how much coukl be accomplished by organized effort along all lines of church work, the ladies decided to effect a permanent organization with constitution and by-laws and officers. This was accomplished, and has been carried out very successfully. with slight remodelling in 1895 to the present time.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.