of bitterness from which has sprung rebellion, war, and bloodshed, and the long list of horrors that follow in their train: its earnest trust that the thorough removal of this prolific source of evil and harm will be speedily followed by the blessings of our Heavenly Father, the return of peace, union, and fraternity, and abounding prosperity to the whole land; and recommend to all in our communion to labor honestly, earnestly, and unweariedly in their respective spheres for this glorious consummation, to which human justice, Christian love, national peace and prosperity, every earthly and every religious interest, combine to pledge them.

No. XIII-A letter from Rev. John Montgomery, asking the Assembly to authorize a meeting of Lafayette Presbytery of Upper Missouri Synod to be held in the First Church of Pettis, Pettis County, Mo., on Friday, Sept. 16, 1864. It was Resolved, That request be granted, and that a meeting take place at the place and time specified.

No. XIV.-See Overture, No. VI.
No. XV.-See Overture, No. VI.

No. XVI. From New Lisbon Presbytery, relating to the religious instruction of the colored Freedmen. It was

Resolved to refer the Overture to a Committee to Report on the Freedmen.

No. XVII. From Miami Presbytery of Cincinnati Synod, and Ogdensburg Presbytery, of Buffalo Synod, in favor of a union of the two branches of the Presbyterian Church. It was

Resolved to refer the papers to a special committee on that subject.

No. XVIII. From the Presbyterian Historical Society, requesting the Assembly to recommend their proposition to erect a fire-proof building for their use. It was

Resolved, That the Assembly renewedly expresses its cordial approbation of the objects and aims of the Society in its efforts to preserve and perpetuate the history of the Presbyterian Church.

Overture, No. 19.-From the Presbytery of Columbus, memorializing the Assembly to authorize the Presbytery of Lake Superior, which is incompetent to transact presbyterial business in consequence of being reduced to less than a quorum, to receive the Rev. William T. Hendren as a member of that Presbytery upon a letter of dismissal from the Presbytery of Columbus. It was

Resolved to refer the Overture to St. Paul's Synod.

Overture, No. 20.-From Sandusky Synod, asking "Whether baptism administered by the denomination of Disciples (usually styled Campbellites) ought to be regarded as valid?" It was

Resolved, That the question be answered in the negative.

Overture, No. 21.-From the remnant Presbytery of Platte, requesting that that Presbytery be united with the Presbytery of Upper Missouri. It was

Resolved, That Platte Presbytery be united with Upper Missouri Presbytery, and that that Presbytery, when thus constituted, meet at St. Joseph, Mo., on the second Thursday of July, (14th,) at 8 o'clock, P.M.; and that the Rev. R. Scott, or, in his absence, the oldest minister present, preside until a Moderator be chosen.

No. XXII.-See Overture, No. VI.

No. XXIII.-From A. S. MacMaster, D.D., referred by the Assembly to this Committee.

It was

Resolved. That the General Assembly hereby appoints the first Thursday of September, or such other day as the President of the United States may in the meantime appoint as a season of national humiliation, as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, in view of the sins of the nation and of the Church, for which we are justly suffering under the displeasure of God. The Assembly calls the special attention of our churches and people to the prevailing covetousness, the idolatry of wealth, the luxury and sinful extravagance, the sins and evils essentially growing out of and sustained by our long-continued system of slavery, Sabbath-breaking, profanity, intemperance, fraud, and violence, pride, and boasting, and insensibility under God's judgments; the injustice, oppression, and cruelty practised towards the Indian race; the abounding corruption of the people; the prevalence of extreme party spirit which leads even good men, in their devotion to party, to support for positions of trust and power candidates of known unfitness or bad character, in preference to those possessing every mental and moral qualification, as worthy of special remembrance and repentance.

In view of these sins and evils, the Assembly hereby calls upon all its churches and ministers to humble themselves before God, and to seek at the throne of grace, through the sacrifice and mediation of Jesus, our great High Priest, the pardon and removal of these transgressions, and the outpouring of the Spirit upon our rulers and people.

No. XXIV. To allow the Second Church at Nashville, Tenn., to transfer its Presbyterial connection.

The Committee recommend that, the last General Assembly having attached the Second Presbyterian Church in Nashvill to the Presbytery of Transylvania, and there being now a prospect of the Presbytery of Nashville rescinding the act by which it seceded from the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America; that it be therefore

Resolved, That so soon as the Presbytery shall have so rescinded its act of secession, the Second Church in Nashville shall be authorized to transfer its connection with the Presbytery of Transylvania to the Presbytery of Nashville.

No. XXV.-From Dane Presbytery, requesting the Assembly to urge Ruling Elders to superintend the Sabbath-schools, it being their duty to feed the lambs. It was

Resolved, That owing to the late date on which the Overture was presented, there is no time to consider it by this Assembly.

No. XXVI. From Rev. J. C. Thornton, asking the Assembly to declare whether Presbytery has absolute power over the settlement of Ministers. It was

Resolved to refer the querist to the Form of Government and the past adjudication of the Church.

Judicial Cases.

JOHN MACLEAN, D.D., of New Brunswick Presbytery, Chairman of this Committee, reported the following:

JUDICIAL CASE, No. I.-A complaint of St. Clairsville Presbytery, against Wheeling Synod, for taking exception to their Minutes on the

ground "that their entire action in the case of the Church of Kirkwood was unwise and inexpedient." It was

Resolved, That the complaint be dismissed, on the ground that in the action complained of the Synod passed no judgment in the case, but only expressed an opinion, and that there is therefore no constitutional ground for complaint. (See Book of Discipline, Chap. vii., Sec. ix., Sub. Sec. ii.)

No. II.-Being the complaint of the Session of the Seventh Church of Cincinnati, and the appeal or complaint of the Presbytery of Cincinnati against a decision of the Synod of Cincinnati in the case of the Messrs. Brown. The Committee find both these complaints to be in order, and recommend that they be considered as one, and in the following which is the usual order: 1. The reading of the decision complained of. 2. The complaint itself. 3. The proceedings of the lower courts. 4. The hearing of the parties. 5. The judgment of the Assembly.

At the opening of the case a letter from J. G. Monfort, D.D., in reference to it was read, requesting, for reasons stated, a reference of this case to the next General Assembly. It was

Resolved, That it be so referred.

No. III.—Being a complaint of Mr. C. J. Abbott against certain action of the Synod of Missouri.

It was

Resolved, That this case was dismissed, on the ground that it had been several years before the Assembly, and that no person had appeared to prosecute it. (See The Presbyterian Historical Almanac for 1864, p. 49.)

No. IV-A memorial of the Pastors and Ruling Elders of the church Bloomington, Illinois, in respect to the decision of the last Assembly upon the appeal of Dr. T. F. Worrell. It was

Resolved, That this memorial be dismissed, on the ground that it is not competent for this Assembly to revise the proceedings of a previous Assembly in a judicial case.

No. V.-Being a complaint of S. B. McPheeters, D.D., against a decision of St. Louis Presbytery; also, a complaint of W. W. Green and others against the same decision; also, a memorial from a number of ministers and ruling elders of St. Louis Presbytery, touching the same

case.

The Moderator explained the state of the question, and read the action of the Presbytery of St. Louis complained against, which was as follows: The memorial of certain members of Pine Street Church having been presented, after discussion

Resolved 1. That by the action of Presbytery, in June, 1863, the pastoral relation between Dr. McPheeters and the Pine Street Church was dissolved, and Dr. McPheeters ceased to be the pastor of that church, and ceased to have the right to exercise discipline, or perform the functions of the pastoral office in that church.

Resolved 2. That inasmuch as this action was taken by Presbytery in the exercise of its power, "to ordain whatever pertains to the spiritual welfare of the churches under their care;" and is its solemn judgment that the interests of the Pine Street Church required that Dr. McPheeters should cease to exercise the functions of minister to that church; therefore Presbytery learn with regret that Dr. McPheeters is still officiating as minister in that church, whether by invitation of session or at his own instance, is not known to the Presbytery; but in either case they do hereby ordain and declare that in the judgment of Presbytery the peace and harmony and spiritual interests of Pine Street Church, as well as a proper respect for the feelings of a large minority opposed to the ministration of their former pastor, require that Dr. McPheeters

shall cease all connection with that church, and no longer attempt to minister to that congregation.

The vote in the case was then taken by calling the roll, and with the following result: To sustain the complaints against the Presbytery, 47; not to sustain, 119; to sustain in part, 2; excused from voting, 1.

Whereupon, the Moderator announced that the complaints in this case against the Presbytery of St. Louis were not sustained.

On motion of Dr. Krebs a Committee was appointed to draw up and report a minute in this case.

The following persons were appointed as the Committee, viz., Drs. Beatty, Musgrave, Elliott, Tustin, Craven, and Judge Linn, and they made the following report, which was adopted:

The Assembly does not sustain the complainants, because the proceedings of the Presbytery of St. Louis in this case appear constitutional and regular, and, so far as we can perceive, were judicious, equitable, and for the edification of the Church.

These complaints, both in their language and the necessity of the case, brought the whole proceeding under our review. The question of a dissolution of the pastoral relation between Dr. McPheeters and the Pine Street Church was originally brought in an orderly manner before the Presbytery, by petition from a minority of said church, and a personal tender of resignation by the pastor; and after all the constitutional steps were taken with care and deliberation, was decided by the Presbytery, acting for the peace and welfare of that church. That which was called an appeal and complaint to Synod against that action could not so suspend all further proceedings as to prevent the Presbytery from considering and acting upon the continued disturbed state of that congregation; and when, at a subsequent stated meeting of that body, this subject came before them, they did, almost unanimously, deem it unadvisable that the late pastor should continue ministerial labors in that congregation. Against this decision of the Presbytery, Dr. McPheeters and others have uttered these complaints, which we do not sustain.

The Assembly has patiently listened to the history of this case from the opposite points of view taken, but in their decision have strictly confined themselves to the facts on record. The resignation of the pastoral relation, and the distracted state of the church, seemed plainly to call for the action of the Presbytery; and being upon the ground, and conversant with all the circumstances and demands of the case, they seem most competent to understand and decide what that action should be. The question of the pastor's loyalty to his national government, which seemed to be so largely a disturbing element in the church, has not been properly before the Assembly, as it was not pronounced upon in any Presbyterial action. They judged it best for the peace and prosperity of that particular church that the late pastor should retire altogether, and cease from his public ministrations to them; and this Assembly cannot decide otherwise. And though many of the members of the Presbytery were absent from that meeting which so decided, this could not invalidate their proceedings, as it was a regular and lawful meeting of that body. The right and duty of the Presbytery "to order whatever pertains to the spiritual welfare of the churches under their care." and especially to heal dissensions, by seeking to remove the occasions of them, is a distinctive and important feature in our Presbyterian polity. And when the pastor himself so far recognized the propriety of his withdrawal as to tender to the Presbytery his resignation, it was clearly competent for that body not only to grant his request, but to order, if necessary, that he cease his ministrations to that people, if they believed that by longer

continuing to serve them the dissensions would be fomented, the strife become embittered, and the spiritual interests of the church endangered. And when the Presbytery did, at length, so interfere and direct, without pronouncing upon the rumors and side issues which were the occasions of the strife and unhappy condition of the church, they simply undertook to control the relations of pastor and people for the welfare of the church, without impeaching, by any expression, the moral character and ministerial standing of that pastor. They only ordered, as a prudential measure, that the resignation which he had himself voluntarily tendered to them, should properly and entirely be carried out, by his ceasing in any way to keep up this unhappy state of things by ceasing to minister to them as their pastor.

No. VI. Being the complaint of N. West, D.D., against the Synod of New York. The substance of the case is as follows:

Mr. Rowland had absented himself from the ordinances of the Second Church of Brooklyn, New York, of which Dr. West is pastor, for some months. Upon application for his certificate, the Session gave him a certificate, omitting the words, " at present in good and regular standing," and substituting for them a testimonial to his previous good Christian character; inserting, at the same time, a statement of the fact of his recent absence from the ordinances of the church. Mr. Rowland brought a complaint against the Session, before the Presbytery of Nassau, and the Presbytery sustained the complaint. Dr. West complained to the Synod against the Presbytery. The Synod of New York, by a vote of 10 to sustain, 12 to sustain in part, and 21 not to sustain-sustained the complaint of Dr. West against the Presbytery; and then, in its final minute, ordered a letter in the usual form to be given to Mr. Rowland. Against the decision of the Synod, in adopting this minute, Dr. West complains. The sentence complained of was read, and is as follows:

"The Committee appointed to bring in a minute in the case of the complaint of the Rev. N. West against the action of the Presbytery of Nassau, report as follows: The vote of the Synod was-to sustain the complaint, 10; to sustain in part, 12; not to sustain, 21. The Synod, therefore, sustains the complaint only in part. In this judgment the Synod does not decide that the papers given to Mr. Rowland were unconstitutional, but that, under the circumstances, they deem them to have been unadvised, and therefore, as a measure of peace, the Synod directs the Session of the Second Church to give to Mr. Rowland and wife certificates of church-membership, in such form as is usual among the churches of this city in dismissing members in good standing.

The vote of the Assembly was taken, and the complaint was almost unanimously sustained.

On motion of Dr. Rodgers it was

Resolved, That the complaint of N. West, D.D., be sustained, and the decision of the Synod, in its final minute, be, and it hereby is reversed; and further, that the Synod erred in prescribing to the Session of the Second Church of Brooklyn, the form of a certificate to be granted to Mr. Rowland, after they had already granted a certificate to him which was agreeable to the Constitution of the Church and to the truth. No. VII.-From John B. Saye against Illinois Synod. appears on the Minutes in this case.

Almanac, for 1864, page 51.)

No action

(See The Presbyterian Historical

No. VIII-A complaint from Rev. John Crozier and Rev. John Mack against Illinois Synod. It was

Resolved to refer this case to the next General Assembly.