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

(356 rr. ~eorge Duffleld on the [OCTOBER
and is. On this subject we are able to refer to authority of
the highest kind, which ought immediately to be laid before
our church.
The Bibliotheca Sacra has, for some years, been publishing
a series of articles from men in the different Christian denomination 5, selected with special reference to their known qualifications for the work, giving an account of the doctrine and
polity of the several churches to which they respectively
belong. This was done in order to obtain a presentation of the
faith and practice of these several communions, as understood
and acknowledged by their own members. The Rev. George
Duffleld, D. D., of Detroit, Michigan, was procured to do this
service for the New-school Presbyterian body. Probably, in
view of his antecedents, and present position, his known ability,
his participation in the controversies which led to the disruption, and his intimate acquaintance with the growth and spirit
of this church of his love, no truer witness, or better expounder of its doctrine and spirit could be found. That he more
or less mis conceives, and so misrepresents or caricatures, Oldschool principles, is no argument to the contrary. For this is
the genius of New Divinity, inherent in the system. Ilis article is nearly eighty pages long, thoroughly elaborated, and
spares no pains to set forth the theology of our New-school brethren to the utmost advantage. It appear~d in the No. for July,
1863, and had in view the movement, then initiated, looking
towards reunion, and was shaped, as he assures us, with the
"hope in doing so, not only to subserve the general cause and
interest of theological science, but to promote the reciprocities and courtesies of Christian confidence and fraternal fellowship;" and that "it can be shown that there is in reality no
radical difference between Old and New-school Presbyterians,"
thus furthering "a much desired reunion." What then has he
to say of the doctrinal and ecclesiastical views of New-sc
Presbyterians in this attempted Irenicurn?
I.OF THE AcTS OF THE ASSEMBLY OF 183T.
These expurgated the Congregational element from 0
ization, of which Judge Gibson, in the final adjudica e
case, in the civil courts, said, that "the two were as I le
as oil and water." Dr. Duffield says of these procedures, tiey