Dr. George Duffield on the Doctrines of New-School Presbyterians [pp. 655-675]

18(37.] roctrines of New-sc~oot Presbyterians. 655
profession and worship had resulted in dividing the chu~ch and
creating deadly animosities. Un~jer the free toleration of the
Commonwealth all sects lived together peacefully. The lesson,
poorly learned by the party which came next into power, was
not forgotten by sounder thinkers; and when, upon the downfall of the Stuart kings, the government was remodeled, Cromwell's doctrine of toleration was incorporated into the constitution; and although the church was still connected with the
state, the separation between religion and politics, as far as
then practicable, was also revived.
The Commonwealth passed away, and its work for a whole
generation seemed to be utterly undone; but its leading doctrines are those which are appointed not to die, its efforts were
in the line of Christian progress, and even its errors have proved
of most salutary warning to succeeding reformers. It was the
generative epoch of that religious freedom which revived at
the revolution, and operating to the present day in the British
churches, has found a more congenial and fuller development
on this side of the Atlantic.
ART. VI.-Bibliotkeca Sacra and Biblical Repository for
July 1863; Art. 111. l)octrines of t}te ~ew-~c}tool Pres byterian 6Ntwrch.By Rev. GEORGE DUFFIELD, D. D.,
Detroit, Michigan.
TIlE Plan of Union proposed by the Joint-Committee requires
that the Confession of Faith be adopted in "its fair historical
sense, as it is accepted by the two bodies." We know what its
"fair historical sense" is, both in itself, and as it is accepted
in the Old-school body. But its "historical sense" as accepted
~he New-school body is equally to be legalized; and clearly
5 extent, that no minister or office-bearer who holds it,
;t sense, can be molested in, or refused admission to, the
ody, without breach of covenant. It is therefore a
c in regard to the merits of this proposed P~an of
U we can ascertain what the "fair historical sense" of
the~ &~dards, as accepted by the New-school body, has been,