Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-10-24

lss., sid th,. In eeaasc..oa VITA shs ,usisss he
Southern maa who would hold for a moment
with the faction who had Effected the action Of
the General Assembly. The Presbytery had
nothing whatever to do with the subject. The
Synod could make no progress in virefnia unless
they repudiated the action Of the Cleveland As
| sembly. The District Presbytery would not
funds for the church would never be obviated by
adhering to the measures of the Cleveland As
sembly. The objection about the church prop
er,y amounted to just nothing at all.
Rev. Mr. GTattan remarked that the gentlemen
who brought up pleas OF precipitate action could
not reasonably complain Of want Of time to con-
slider the matter; they had had abundant time
There had been a convention at Richmond
| which lasted he could not say how long and
they all left il in disgust He had not understood
Brother Haskell to say that his own mind was
| not made up as to the final issue. Objection had
been made to postponing the matter, and be
| thought that the arguments in favor of decisive
action were conclusive What was the object TO
| be attained by postponement? Nothing bni Ipay
| ing the strife, which must be met face To face
some day, TO grow and ripen under the influence
OF agitation, in circumstances calculated to aug
ment the divided state Of feeling in relation to
| the matter. The man who would hesitate TO act
| In matter so seriously compromising the inter.
| ests or the Church in the South held himself up
ant mt subject for contempt. The minds of the
4 PlesoyteTy OF Virginia were made up, and Il only
| remained for the District Presbytery to decide
| whether they would 20 off with the South, and
thereby repudiate the action of the abolition fac
| ton. Ii was to be hoped that they would do so
at once. The Virginia Presbytery would be ex-
| tremely reluctant to part from their District
| brethren, whom they loved, and to whom they
IeI bound by strong ties Of brotherly affection.
Ii was clear that the District Presbytery and the
whole South had nothing now i'm common with
| the General Assembly. None of the churches i'm
| Virginia had any connection with the General
| Assembly, in financial point of view; therefore,
| they Were decided to go. There could be no pos
slollity of any hesitation in transferring the prop.
erty OF the District Presbytery TO the South. TIE
| faction which had brought about the division in
| the General Assembly were willing and anxious
| to be rid Of the South in the Assembly What
ever the General Assembly OF Virginia might do,
ne would never 60 into an assembly of the Pres
| bytery again which had any connection with the
| Cleveland Assembly
| Mr.. Haskell wished to give more explicit rea-
| sons why he did not feel called upon to act at
| once IN this matter One was that he had been
| deeply engaged as recording clerk of the SYNOD
| ana had had no time to collect his ideas in a
| proper manner TO decide upon the matter with so
| great preclpitancy. He wished to do right and
not TO violate his conscience i'm the matter While
| he regarded a man without a conscience as a
| fraction of a man, he regarded one with a con-
| science improperly exercised to be equally So
| He had too high regard for the conscience of
| the Christian world to take the step which had
| been advocated under the auspices through which
| II was presented. Toe gentlemen had all spoken
| their opinions at the Richmond convention and
| they had gone forth to the world. Two Presby-
| teIie' had already acted in the matter He con.
/
tue PresbyteTy would occupy in case they receded
from the General Assembly that he felt il neces-
sary to hesitate gravely before taking such step
4 Three fourths of the material support which he
had received 10 aid him in establishing the work
| OF the Gospel in destitute part of this city had
been The gift OF those who would not like to see
| his church become extreme Southern church
! he went on to say that he could not conscen-
ciously endorse the sentiments contained I'm the
! report When he thought of the claims of every
human being on the Gospel he must repeat that
solemn he
vi Withdrawal from the General Assembly He
| held out the olive branch of peace to the synod
and hoped they would give few DAYS of rrTace
to the District PrCsbyteTY, who were rather slow
coaches and desired 10 move rightly i'm the mat
\ ter.
Mr.. Mitchell made some strong remarks sus.
tanning the report. and stated that he wished to
| know whether the District Presbyterv would 90
on with the proposed new Synod. Three Pres
| byteries would form Synod, and they had al
ready two. II the District Presbytery wonld 90
with them, they would thereby preserve the In.
| tegrity of the synod but if they did not, they
Were prepared to meet the crisis He held in his
hand the papers in connection with the Hanover
PIesbyteTy, wherein they proposed TO form them
selves into two PresbyteTies They would then
be prepared to meet the issue. w hfle they would
deeply depore the dissent Of the District Presby-
terry to the measure, they could get along with
out them IL they adverse TO the witbd rayyal
from the General Assembly.
MIR. Carothers stated, in reply to Mr. MitcbeU,s
remarks, that the congregations had not been
heard In this matter In the District; that at the
last meeting of that PTeSbytery there were but
Tour ministers present, and that the great major
lily OF thar PTesbytery were elders that ii was
very evident that had they any desire to move on
TINS subject they were not prevented by any over
bearing movement.
Mr.. Mitchell had reference esDeciallv IN tho
congregations. r
Dr.. Sunderland felt strong desire for a short
recess stating as u reason the fact that he was
Gun dui,e hunsfy' and wanted his supper. (Laugh
Mr.. Carothers moved recess till after evening
service Ne
Several gentlemen opposed this, on the ground
that they had just got up from dinper
DF- sunderland thought that. Notwithstanding
these reasons, he wanted his supper.
Dr. Reed moved that a committee be appointed
to b ing 1t 10 him. C.aughter)
Df. heeu, In reply to remark OF Mr. Haskell.
said that he had seen good omen, ATTENDING this
movement aad he stated number of converse
nohs resulting from Efforts made during the SEES
sion Of the Richmond Convention which he
regarded as marked and striking evidence that
The Lord was on their side. and that His favor
rested npon the attempt to cut loose from the
Cleveland Abolition Assembly
MI. CnmPster seconded DR.. Reed In this idea.
also giving instances which he regarded as
showing the same. He then went into a general
aus uSSlon, urging unanimous vote in favor Of
the secession, thinking that all financial and mo-
raj considerations should bow 10 the plain intima
| this secession
Mr LeybuTn Of Richmond, wanted to know II
MT. Nt"lin contemp lated in his substitute To
'ohHtCtiOh Win the Cleveland
bly,! because i'm either case an imnediate seyar
ance from The Cleveland Assembly would leave
thfi alone for year until the Assembly shouId
Coh@ INTO active operation. As to the question
That money had been contributed at the North
iof the District churches, il was given where
IL was We'll known that the District presby
tSy pursued the course recommended now
ny The Richmond Convention, thar il would he
DO preach o. faith for them to 20 with the seces-
SION lie stated that he had been looking at the
Me,nodist and baptist churches and had found
ihat while The Southern branches of these churches
| had increased in membership and contributions
70 ali Denevoient objects, the Northern branche,
had been steadily decreasing in these noints ana
De thought that this was another evidence OF the
favor OF God on such movement and of his dis
appreciation OF an agitation Of this vexed ouestjop
| Mr. Haskell wished to know Of Dr. Reed whe
| tnei IL was religious or secular paper which
| lnnlsted that TRADE upon him for his statement
that he had seen the favor of God upon the seces-
sion movement; also, he would ask of the last
speaker his authority for his remarks on the rela
| ive positions Of the Northern and Southern
| q az he lot, LIT.