The Benevolent Work of the Church, and the Report of the Committee of Twenty-One [pp. 246-272]

1872.] THE BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 261
We agree with the Prinecton Review in "not sympathizing
with small jealousies of power in the hands of good men,
and least of all such as the present generation of liberal givers in New York City, (of whom some at the last Assembly
seemed so apprehensive). We believe it impossible in this
world to confer upon any men power enough to do good,
which will not carry with it the power of perversion. Therefore the Church should not shrink from giving to 1~e rifitt me~
all needful powers for church work. They may be in Philadelphia, or in New York, or any where, it matters not, so long
as they are true men, our brethren, and providentially situated
and endowed for serving the Church. We concede also the
necessity of some central force iu our church work, if it is to
have much efficiency. Still we recognize and respect tbe existence of sensitiveness in the Church on the subject of too
much centralization of power, quickened perhaps by local jealousies. To prevent this apprehended evil, which was certainly not all imaginary in the late Old School part of the Church;
to preclude the possibility of the central force becoming too
much a local and independent influence, so arbitrary that it~
might run counter to all questioning and claims of Synods
and Presbyteries; we would hail with pleasure such a general commission as dcscribed,-in its n~ure averse from centralization, elected by the Synods, subject to the Assembly,
a limited power and easily revoked. We maintain that this
is prec~miuently the want of our Church for its benevolent
work; and that the necessity felt by the Assembly of 1870,
and expressed in its order to the Committee of Twenty-one,
would be thus met, as it can be in no other way;-enUsling
t~e viUorou8 and effective syrnpaU~y and co-operation of all our
Presbyterie~ and all our congrejations with the Boar&~ of the
Church."
2. By the help of such a General Commission, moreover,
the other great end, contemplated by the first reunited
Assembly at Philadelphia, it is believed, can also be effectually accomplished. The great object is "to sim~lfy and consolidate our various oTerations, with a view to the un~orm arrangement of our benevolent work."