O. N. Stoddard. James King. D. D. Demarest. Cornel. Collins. J. McK. Peoples. H. H. Leavitt. Cincinnati. A.E.Chamberl'n Mutchmore, S. A. St. Louis. Philadela. 2d. Murphy, Thos. McClellan, A. McConaughy, N. West Jersey. McGregor, J. W. Michigan. Rice, George 8. Swift, E. E. William Black. MINISTERS, 143. RULING ELDERS. John McClellan. George Fahl. F. H. Trineson. Northumbl'd. Jacob Schuyler. DELEGATES FROM CORRESPONDING BODIES. J. K. Ewing. G. W. HEACOCK, D.D., Minister, and HORACE STILMAN, Ruling Elder, from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, holding its sessions in Brooklyn, New York, in 1865. J. G. BROWN, D.D., and Rev. LUCIUS OSGOOD, from the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church of North America, THOMAS C. STRONG, D.D., from the General Synod of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in North America. Rev. LEROY WOODS, from the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of the United States of America. JOHN C. LOWRIE, D.D., of New York Presbytery, was elected Moderator. Rev. THOMAS S. VAILL, of Toledo Presbytery, was elected Temporary Clerk. Bills and Overtures. JAMES WOOD, D.D., of Madison Presbytery, Chairman of the Committee, reported the following Overtures: OVERTURE, NO. I.-From Ohio Synod and from Richland, Redstone, Indianapolis, New Lisbon, and Muncie Presbyteries, asking the removal of the Board of Domestic Missions and the Board of Education to points farther west; also, one from Bloomington Presbytery adverse to any removal. These Overtures, for the most part, ask that the Board of Education be located at Pittsburg, Pa., and the Board of Domestic Missions at Cincinnati, Ohio. One of them asks that the Board of Domestic Missions be located at Indianapolis, Ind. In order to give further opportunity for our Presbyteries and Synods to express their views on this subject, the Committee recommend that final action be postponed until the next meeting of the General Assembly. The report was adopted. No. II. From members of Platte and Upper Missouri Presbyteries, stating that the Presbyteries having failed to get a quorum, ask this General Assembly to appoint a meeting of Presbytery, to be held at St. Joseph, Mo., on Thursday, August 3, 1865, at eight o'clock, P. M. It was resolved that the request be granted. No. III.-From Fairfield Presbytery, asking the Assembly to appoint a meeting of Southern Iowa Synod, at Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Thursday, Oct. 25, 1865, because the last Synod failed to obtain a quorum. The Committee recommended that, whereas the minority of the last Synod adjourned to meet at Afton, Iowa, on the third Thursday of September, at seven o'clock, P. M., the Assembly decline to interfere with the action of the minority to meet at Afton. The report was adopted. No. IV. From Chicago Synod, asking the Assembly to adopt as its arrangements of Synods, both in its Roll and in the Statistical Tables appended to its Minutes, the alphabetical order instead of that now used; and that the same order be followed with regard to the Presbyteries in the several Synods. It was resolved that the change asked for be made. No. V. From Pacific Synod, asking the Assembly to adopt certain resolutions with reference to the Board of Domestic Missions, and especially with reference to an extension of the work of that Board on the Pacific Coast. The Committee recommended the reference of the Overture to the Board of Domestic Missions, to take such action on the subject as the necessities of other fields may warrant. The recommendation was adopted. No. VI. From Richland Presbytery and from members of Madison Presbytery, asking the Assembly to drop from its roll the names of certain Ministers, Presbyteries, and Synods, in the so-called Confederate States. The Committee recommended the following Resolutions, which were adopted :WHEREAS, During the existence of the great rebellion which has disturbed the peace and threatened_the_life of the nation, a large number of Presbyteries and Synods in the Southern States, whose names are on the roll of the General Assembly as constituent parts of this body, have organized an Assembly denominated "The General Assembly of the Confederate States of America," in order to render their aid in the attempt to establish, by means of the rebellion a separate national existence, and "to conserve and perpetuate the system of slavery;" therefore, Resolved, 1. That this Assembly regards the civil rebellion for the perpetuation of negro slavery as a great crime, both against our National Government and against God, and the secession of those Presbyteries and Synods from the Presbyterian Church, under such circumstances and for such reasons, as unwarranted, schismatical, and unconstitutional. Resolved, 2. That the General Assembly does not intend to abandon the territory in which these churches are found, or to compromise the rights of any of the church courts, or ministers, ruling elders, and private members belonging to them, who are loyal to the government of the United States, and to the Presbyterian Church. On the contrary, this Assembly will recognize such loyal persons as constituting the churches, Presbyteries and Synods, in all the bounds of the schism, and will use earnest endeavors to restore and revive all such churches and church courts. Resolved, 3. The Assembly hereby declares that it will recognize as the church, the members of any church within the bounds of the schism, who are loyal to the government of the United States of America, and whose views are in harmony with the doctrines of the Confession of Faith, and with the several testimonies of the Presbyterian Church on the subject of domestic slavery. And where any three ministers, who entertain the views above mentioned, belong to the same Presbytery, such ministers are hereby authorized and directed to continue their organization as a Presbytery; or any two such ministers are authorized to receive any minister of the same views, regularly dismissed to them, and thus continue their organizations with the churches above described in the same bounds, in connection with this Assembly. But if a sufficient number are not found in one Presbytery, they are authorized to unite with the loyal ministers and churches of one or more adjacent Presbyteries, retaining the name of one or both such united Presbyteries as shall be deemed expedient. A similar course is also authorized with regard to Synods. Resolved, 4. In cases where there is not a sufficient number of loyal ministers and churches within a convenient district to form a Presbytery, such ministers are directed to supply churches and other places around them, as God may open the way, with the preaching of the gospel, and such churches are exhorted to use all diligence to secure the stated means of grace; and both ministers and churches are directed to report to the next General Assembly what has been done in these respects, that further order may be taken by the Assembly in the premises as the interests of Christ's cause may require. Resolved, 5. The General Assembly furthermore give counsel to the Presbyteries and churches which may be revived and restored under the provisions of the above action, to treat with kindness ministers and churches or parts of churches, who are disloyal, or who are not in sympathy with the former deliverances of the General Assembly on the subject of slavery, and to inform such persons of their readiness to receive them into ecclesiastical fellowship, when they properly acknowledge and renounce their errors. Resolved, 6. The Board of Domestic Missions is hereby authorized and requested to give special attention to the Southern field, in providing missionaries and appropriating pecuniary aid in order to carry into effect the measures contemplated in this Minute. And the Board is also authorized to employ any loyal minister whose residence may be in the South, as a missionary, provided he shall furnish satisfactory evidence of his fitness for the work, though circumstances may render it impracticable for him to obtain a Presbyterial recommendation. Adopted. No. VII. From California Presbytery inquiring what course ought to be pursued in regard to admitting to their body ministers who are known to be disloyal to the Government of the United States, or who may be suspected of disloyalty. The Committee recommend the following, which was adopted: I. The right of every Presbytery to examine ministers asking admission into their body, as to their soundness in the faith, which has been long acknowledged and practiced by our Presbyteries, implies their right by parity of reasoning to examine them on all subjects which seriously affect the peace, purity, and unity of the Church. II. The exercise of this right becomes an imperative duty, in the present circumstances of our country, when, after the crushing by military force of an atrocious rebellion against the government of the United States, for the perpetuation of slavery, many ministers who have aided and abetted this revolt, may seek admission into Presbyteries located in the loyal States. Therefore, III. It is hereby ordered that all our Presbyteries examine every minister applying for admission from any Presbytery or other ecclesiastical body in the Southern States, on the following points: 1. Whether he has in any way, directly or indirectly, of his own free will and consent, or without external constraint, been concerned at any time in aiding or countenancing the rebellion and the war which has been waged against the United States; and if it be found by his own confession or from sufficient testimony, that he has been so concerned, that he be required to confess and forsake his sin in this regard before he shall be received. 2. Whether he holds that the system of negro slavery in the South is a Divine institution, and that it is "the peculiar mission of the Southern Church to conserve the institution of slavery as there maintained," and if it be found that he holds either of these doctrines, that he be not received without renouncing and forsaking these errors. IV. This injunction to Presbyteries is in like manner applicable to Synods, and it is hereby ordered that upon the application of any Presbytery to be received into any Synod where such Presbytery is or has been connected with the Southern General Assembly, such Synod shall examine all the members of said Presbytery on the points above named, and the reception of such Presbytery or any of the ministers thereof by such Synod shall depend upon their compliance with the conditions before mentioned. V. Church sessions are also ordered to examine all applicants for church membership by persons from the Southern States, or who have been living in the South since the rebellion, concerning their conduct and principles on the points above specified; and if it be found that of their own free will they have taken up arms against the United States, or that they hold slavery to be an ordinance of God, as above stated, such persons shall not be admitted to the communion of the church till they give evidence of repentance for their sin and renounce their error. VI. The General Assembly gives counsel to the several church courts specified in these orders, that in discharging the duties enjoined therein, due regard be paid to the circumstances of the case, and that justice be tempered with mercy. Especially is this counsel given to churches in the border States, where many impulsive and ardent young men, without due consideration, have been led away by their superiors, or seduced from their loyalty by their erroneous interpretation of the doctrine of State rights. Such persons, though highly criminal, are far less so than their unprincipled and ambitious leaders. While, in the treatment even of these, the honor of religion ought to be fully vindicated, more tenderness may be properly exercised than duty requires or admits in dealing with their guides and deceivers. By kind and faithful instruction and admonition, and by the presence of the Holy Spirit, most of them, it is hoped, will be reclaimed from the error of their ways, and become loyal citizens and valuable church members. VII. It is further ordered, that if any minister or ministers belonging to any Presbytery or Presbyteries under the care of the General Assembly, have fled or been sent by civil or military authority beyond the jurisdiction of the United States on account of their disloyalty, or who may have gone for the same reason to any of the Southern States, and have aided in this rebellion, such Presbytery or Presbyteries shall take action on the subject, and unless they obtain satisfactory evidence of the repentance of such ministers, they shall declare and enter upon their records that they are thenceforth suspended from the functions of the gospel ministry until their cases can be regularly issued. And if, after two years, they shall still remain beyond the reach of such Presbytery or Presbyteries, the names, of such Ministers shall be erased from the roll, and they shall thereupon be no longer deemed Ministers of the Presbyterian Church. PROTEST of SAMUEL R. WILSON, D.D., for himself and others, against the action of the Assembly in adopting the report on Overtures 6 and 7. The undersigned would respectfully enter their protest against the action of the Assembly on Overtures, No. VI. and VII., with regard to the Southern Presbyteries and Synods, for the following reasons, viz. : I. The minute adopted by the Assembly declares that the Presbyteries and Synods in the Southern States organized an Assembly in order to render their aid in the attempt to establish, by means of the rebellion, a separate national existence, and to conserve and perpetuate the system of slavery." To us such an allegation by this Assembly appears to be most extraordinary, when viewed in the light of the facts. It is well known that the Southern Church did not take any step toward a withdrawal from our connection until after the meeting of the Assembly, in Philadelphia, in May, 1861. It was at that meeting that the Assembly passed the resolutions on the subject of allegiance to the Federal Government, commonly known as the "Spring resolutions," together with the order for a day of general prayer. Against this action a large minority of the Assembly most earnestly protested, as calculated to bring about that very separation on the part of the Southern brethren, which did actually follow. That action, in the opinion of many of the wisest men in the Church, amongst whom was the Rev. Dr. Hodge, of Princeton, was "unjust and cruel in its bearings upon our Southern brethren; a violation of the law of love to adopt an act which must expose the Southern churches that remain in connection with our Church to suspicion, to loss of property, to personal danger, and which tends to destroy their usefulness in their appointed fields of labor." It was this action of the Assembly, thus characterized and condemned, that gave occasion to the withdrawal of the Southern Presbyteries and Synods, and which, in their view, left them no alternative but either to withdraw and form a separate and independent body, or to be utterly destroyed. It was not in the spirit of schism that they adopted this course; much less was it from a purpose "to aid in the establishment, by means of the rebellion, of a separate national existence, and to conserve and perpetuate the system of slavery." It was to avoid the strife and ruin which must, as they supposed, inevitably follow, if they continued in connection with an Assembly which by its acts had decided "the great political quesa question which the Assembly had no tion which agitated the country,' was clearly beyond the jurisdiction of the Asright to decide," and which sembly." To be satisfied with this, it needs only to weigh with candor the grounds and reasons of this separation, as they were set forth by the Southern General Assembly itself, in an address" to the churches of Jesus Christ throughout the earth," and which was drawn up by the Rev. Dr. Thorn |