EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE.

New Zealander, Volume 2, Issue 93, 13 March 1847, Page 3

EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE.

[Prom the "Wcllriglon Independent," Feb. 21.] Pursuant to the advertisement which appeared in our paper, a public meeting in connection with the Evangelical Al'iauce was held on Monday evening, in the Weslcypn Chapel, Manners-street, and which was attended not only numerously and respectably, but in the t;ae sp: it of the announcement, by Christians of all denominations. The Rev. J. Watkin liav'ng taken the chair, proceeded to open the meeting by devotional exercises, after which the choimpn snid — That he occupied an honorable position ps chairman of such a meeting. lie felt the warmest sympathy with the object. lie rejoiced to contemplate the movement in that country which lie was delighted to cnll heppy England, There Christians were finding their prejudices disappear. Calvinists and 'Armenians were forgetting the "live points," and all beginning to think that paay had too much attention, and the gi-eat Head of the Church too little.. Prejudices have thus given way to affectionate union— an union not on the platform of the Westminster assembly, or pny other — an union in which nothing was to he given up, and in which the only question asked is—" is thine heari right as my heart with thy heart?" "Ifk be, give me thine hind." It was indeed a "holy alliance," and not formed to injure a nation, but to benefit a world. The Ilev.' J. Inglis then said— JW a long time past, many of the best and mo st enlightened Christians of all denominations have felt that there is soiiiething wrong in the Protestant Church, that the numerous divisions by,which it has been rent,and the manifold sections into which it has been cutup,have marred its beauty, impaired its strejigth^nd usefulness. By separating from coivupt and tyrannical churches, tender consciences have been relieved ; by fee enquiry • and fearless discussion, truth has been elicited; and even by the Airious blast of controversy the moial atmosphere has been purified, when the stagnant calm would have produced malaila and death. JJut men of all denominations arc beginning to look seriously at j the evils as we'l as the advantages of separation, and they are all becoming painfully sensible that separation has been carried to a*i unnecessary and injurious ex--tent. Our denominational differences have acted like non-conductors. They have to a great extent cooped up and resu-ained our finest and best fceluvy within our respective communions, and have prevented the free circulation through church catholic, of that mutual affection which ought to be the distinguishing badge of C'ln-istlnn brotherhood. There has been so much exclusiveness nmong us, that many in cich denonvnatiou have viewed it almost a st/ctch of charity to believe that there was any amount of Christinu excellence, or at least any equal to their own, beyond the pale of their respect've parties. AYe have been so expensively occupied in contemplating the minor pans on which we differ, that we have to a most cuhable extent overlooked the numerous and impoitant points on which we are perfectly agreed. We have allotted such a prominent place to our family quarrels, that we have to u great extent forgotten or overlooked the high moral purposes for which the chu-ch was instituted, and have neglected the work our heavenly master has assigned us to perfoun. White we have been employed in unhallowed" controversy, or else standing aloof from each other m l'stless apathy, our common enemies have been active, God's purposes of mercy have been rotaj ded, and the evangelization of the world has been 'ndelinitely postponed. To lemody, or at lea a t mitigate these evils, is the object of the Evangelical Alii nice. Its object is to produce amongst all denominations a greater dmouui

of mutual love, to manifest a greater degree of visible unity,— and to secure a greater amount of common effort in prosecuting objects equally important to all. It is a religious not a political association hence it is not called the Protestant but the Evangelical Alliance. The wordprotcstantha\ingnowan equivocal signification, being transmitted into a political watchword, and being applied to men holding diametrically opposite creeds. Whereas Evangelical is invariably applied to designate vital, spiritual Christianity. Itisnotaunionofc/iwrcftM, but of individuate. A ll previous attempts at Christian union having shown that Churches avc and must necessarily be more tenacious of all their distinctive peculiarities than any of the individual members of whom the clurches arc composed. No one is required or expected to give up or sink any one of his denominational principles or practices They unite only on those points on which they arc all agreed, and to promote those objects they all hold in common. The origin and progress of this movement shall be briefly stated. Seven cities, it is said, claimed the- honor of giving birth to Homer the immoital Grecian bard; peihaps ra many claimants may yet appear for the honor of originating this movement. Whispers of contending claims have already been heard. Nothing is more common than in certain stages of great questions from similar trains of thought to arise contemporaneously in the minds of men of kindred spiiits who have no means of communicating with each other, and it may have been so in the present instance. The originating or suggesting of this movement has been ascribed to the Rev. J.A. James, of Birmingham, and nothing could have been more in keeping with his general character. But, by whomsoever suggested, it has been brought to its present auspicious condition principally through the Christian zeal, activity, and liberility of John Henderson, Esq., a Glasgow merchant. In a quarter likely to be well infouned, it is slid to have originated thus : — In IBl'3, a meeting was held in Edinburgh of representatives from almost all the Presbyterian Churches in Great Britain and Ireland, to commemorate the bicentenary of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. The meeting was exceedingly harmonious and highly interesting. At this meeting the late Dr. Belmer, of Berwick, suggested, that since the meeting of Presbyterians had been so harmonious and refreshing, when they met on ground on which they were all agreed, could nothing, he said, be done upon a wider scale, to bring not only all Presbyterians, but pll Evangelical Christians together upon some common platform. After this meeting Mr. Henderson took up Dr. Belmer's idea, and to the working it out with all his heart. He succeeded in securing the services of eight of the most distinguished divines of six different Evangelic: 1 denominations, to write each on Essay on some subject connected with Christian Union. These eight essays were published, and extensively circulated. He next, succeeded in bringing together a ■umber of the friends of Cluistian Union in Scotland, to consult what steps covlil be bken to promote his object most effectually. These wrote to the friends oi Christian Union in England, requesting them to take the initiative in this matter, and cull a meeting in London. The English brethren heartily concurred in the object, but referred the matter back to the Scotch, thinking it would be most expedient on various grounds for the Scotch to call the meeting. Accordingly a requisition was published, signed by a number of the leading ministers and laymen of the principal Evangelical churches in Scotland, and addressed to the friends of Evangelical religion in the three kingdoms, inviting them to a preliminary meeting in Liverpool. On the first three days of October, 1845, about 220 ministers and laymen, belonging to 19 or 20 different denominations, met in Liverpool. Mi 1 . Henderson, of Glasgow, presided, and with disinterested liberality paid all the expenses connected with the conference. It was pre dieted by enemies, and even feared by many of its bes^ friends, that this meeting would prove a failure. The predictions of the one, and the fears of the other, wero happily disappointed. After a full and free statcmen Jiad been made of the sentiments held by all present, i was found that there was a substantial agreement in al leading doctrines of the Gospel. A doctrinal basis was agreed upon. An aggregate meeting was appointed to' be held in London in August following ; four committees were appointed, two for England, one for Scotland, ' and one for Ireland, to make arrangements for the meeting to bo held in London. After the meeting in , Liverpool, a singularly able address was published by the General Committee, which was extensively circulated in Britain and America, and was translated into several of the European languages. Public meetings were held in almost every city and town in the empire. Newspapers and Magazines gave publicity to the principle and proceedings of this intended Association. General interest was excited on both sides of the Atlantic, and on the 19th August the aggregate meeting commenced in London. Nearly 1000 distinguished ministers and laymen from all parts of proteslant cl-rislendom were assembled on this occasion. Their meetings in Free Masons Hall were all private, but three public meetings were held in Exeter Hall, presided over respectively by Sir Culling E. Smith, Justice Cramplon, and Mr. Henderson of Glasgow. The doctrinal basis proposed at Liverpool, with some alterations and additions, was finally agreed upon. The means employed have been prayer, and Christian intercourse, prayer botlj procures blessings, and prepares the supplicants for the reception of them. Friendly intercourse tends to remove prejudices and to strengthen affection. The proceedings of the Alliance have given general satisfaction to the friends of Christian union, and though it is a subject beset with numerous difficulties, there are many things that augur well for future success. "What has been shows that there is a real desire for more visible union among the Evangelical churches, and where there is a will there is a way. More love is that which is principally wanted to produce more union. Love is blind to the faults, but keen-eyed in discovering the excellencies of ils object. From the very commencement of this movement till the date of our latest reports, their meetings were characterized by great haitnony, and an unusual amount of the spirit of brotherly love. The friends of Christian union in this place have sympathized deeply with this movement, and have watched its progress with interest. A public meeting was held in this chapel in August last. The six ministers present have given in their adherence to the basis of the Alliance. Our information of the proceedings in London, in August, is still very imperfect, but we have called you together to communicate what is known, to enlist your sympathies and engage your prayers on behalf of this Allianse, that it may be instrumental by God's blessing in preventing all unseemly contentions among Christians, and in bringing about such a state of the Churches, that they shall exhibit the delightful spectacle of brethren dwelling together in unity. The Rev. S. Ironside said— ■ The subject assigned to him by the brethren was, the advantages of Alliance, an easy subject al first sight, as union in a good cause must bo good. But the advantages were so numerous, that the difficulty with him was that of selection. lie might say, 1. It was an advantage to bring about the answer to our Lord's intercessory prayer— "that they all may be one" — and that was realized in this Alliance ; for it was a real, an essential unity. They were "endeavouring to obtain and keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." They did not seek uniformity ; that had not been, covld not be— it was Utopian, chimerical. But union might be, would be realized in the Evangelical Alliance— witness

tlie present assembly. 2. It was an advantage to carry out the scriptural idea of the Church, and that was realized by this movement. By the Church, he meant not a public edifice, howeyer splendid, but the whole body; of true believers. In Scripi.are, the Church was represented as a Body of which Christ was the Head— a building of which he was chief corner stone,— a tree,— an army, — a flock, — a family, — all denoting union, which could not be if members were at variance j but I was perfectly consistent with different opinions as to minor points of doctrine and discipline. Who differed more in opinion as to the five points thanWhitfield and Wesley 1 and yet they loved each other feivently, even ralo death. 3. It was ph advantage to fiirnish an answer to Papist objections. He did not use Ihe term offensively, but simply to describe ihoge who recognise the Pope as the Vicar of Christ, the visible head of the Church. These people say — "You Protestants have no bond of union, your sects are many, and all cannot be right." They could now reply, we have a bond of mien, viz. Ihe truth of God as contained in Ins own word, What had been adopted (ps the basis of the Alliance, was contained in, and could be proved by the Bible, which alone was the religion of Protestants, rudon that common ground they could and did unite. 4. This jM'irnce wou'd promote ihe piety ? id happiness of its members. Controversy benefiUed none, but injured many. It generoMy ended where it began, for "Ho Iliad's con^nc -* r£. ! nst his Will, " Is of ihe s"me o/Mon sllM." But here they agreed to love each other without giving up anything they believed to be (ruth. The speaker was a Wesleyan Methodist, and did Hot give up one iota of his Methodism by joining the Alliance ; but sorely ho could love h's Presbyterian brother, though they did differ on the five points. His Indepe ident brother and he coy-Id shake hands, plthough the one prefcircd a connejp'onal, the other a congregational foi .n of Church Govcioment. 5. The interests of Christ in the world would be furthered by this movement. "By this shall all men know," says he, "(hat ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Men might reason and hope as much f om other ma ks, but "by this" they " shall know" it, 'and the fact W'M tell upon them — hence, in the beautiful prayer of our Lord, union is desired in order " that the world may believe that thou hast sent mo." Prayer world be more effectual if united. While the divided army would be defeated pnd scattered, union amongst them world greatly tend to success. 6. By this Alliance they would be preparing for the unionof heaven. There were degrees of knowledge and felicuy in heaven, but no vnholy feeling, no ungenerous rivalry, all was hp'.mony there, the bond of union was " the Lamb in the midst of the throne." All join in crowning him "Lord of AN." Could not Christians leavn the new song now ? He thought so. They would vie with the choir of heaven in chanting Immanuel's praises, p'ld they world sing— "Oh f'Et v'th yonder sac cd ihiorg We p.. 1 i« fret iryt foY, Join ' » tie eve •!: ■? "'l3 so.' 3 And c.ouj) liLn Lord of AH." The Rev. J. Duncan then conducted devotional exercises, after which the Rev. R. Ward addressed the meeting at consideiaMe length, and in aveiy eloquent manner, which want of space compels us to omit. The Se • eve lii y then made a few rempvks upon personal acquaintance, as necessa.y to union. The Chairman, in concluding, said, that he differed in opinion from the last speaker, inasmuch as .he felt himself united in spiiit to such men as Baptist Noel, and J. A. James, although he had scarcely seen either, nevertheless he advised Chiistians to cultivate that f:iendly intercourse that should cause them to be more united. He also promised that when the plans of the Evangelical Alliance should be more fully developed, pnother meeting should be called for their consideration. After s'iging the hynm commencing "AM hail the power of Jesu's name," the Rev. J. Inglis offered up prayer, and pronoun ced the benediction.

Female Fondness for Red Coats.— Had the royal army of Israel been accoutered after the colour and fashion of the British battalions I am quite satisfied that another enigma would have been added by King Solomon to his special list of incomprehensibilities. The extraordinary facination which a red coat exercises over the minds and optics of the fair bex appears to me a greater phenomenon than any which have been noticed by Goethe in his Theory of the Development of Colours. The same fragment of en. sanguined cloth will irritate a bull, charm a viper, and bewitch the heait of a woman. } No civilian, however good looking or clean limbed, and I rather pique myself upon my pins, has the host of a chance when opposed in the lists of love to an officer, a mail guard, a whipper-in, or a postman. You may be as clever a fellow as ever coopered up an article for the magazine, as great a poet as Byron, in beauty an Antinous, in wit a Selwyn, in oratory, a Canning — you may dance like Vestris, draw like Grant, ride like Alexander, and yet with all these accomplishments, it is a hundred chances to one that your black coal, although fashioned by the shean and polished by the goose of Stullz, will be extinguished by the gaudy scarlet habiliments of a raw-boned ensign emancipated six months ago, for the first time in his life, from the wilderness of a Highland glen, and even now as awkward a cub as ever presumed to plunge into the perils of a polka.— Blackwood. A female Follower of the French Army. — A cantiniere, the wife of a suttler of •lie of the regiments, rode past in. My attention was attracted by her dress. She wore on her head a sailor's old straw hat, beneath which was seen the lace border of a white cap. A blue jacket, fitting tightly to her form, and a petticoat of some kind of red woollen stuff, completed her costume. There was a tort of coquettish smartness in everything about this woman, even down to the little cask of bi andy painted in tri-coloured stripei, which was slung across her shoulder. Mr. It— — observed to me that these cantiniere are invaluable in the army. They are for the most part the wives of sub-officers. When her husband's battalion is in garrison, cantiniere oificatesas a laundress : when the battalion is on the march, she puts on her costume and marches along with it. n the event of a change she stations herself behind the second platoon ;if a square is formed she takes her place in the centre, and, during the action, she goes from one wounded man to another tendering assistance, and distributing glasses of wine or brandy. In Africa, where the French troops have suffered so severely, these women have rendered signal service to humanity, and have frequently performed acts of extraordinary o urage. There is not an officer or private who coes not respect the cantiniere of the baltallion.— Cdount St, Marie's Ali/cna in 1845,

Shocking Occurrence.— About the time the Shamrock left Twofold Bay, a most shocking occurrence took place there. Three ladies were bathing, when one of their .husbands came down with a gun, took a deliberate aim and fired, killed the unfortunate wife on the spot j he^next drew, a knife and cut his own throat from ear to ear, ■ The two remdtnding ladies were so terrified |at the frightful occurrence, that they had not recotered at the time the steamer left.— P. P, Gaxette.