The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-09-01
Southern Presbyterian
NEW sCHooL) CONVENTION.
anrorrrp roa rHr mcamoso DAILY DISPATCH
FOURTH DAY-soansa SESSION


FOURTH DAY-MoRN1Na SESSION.
The proceedings were opened with religious SER
vices, conducted By Rev A. McIntire. ~. mama
The committee on credentials reported the na is
Of J. B. Gardner, of Hanover Prespytery, WIG"
was added to the list Of delegates .r,.
Rev. Mr.. Handy said that the newspaper repoiSa
were matters Of history. but In noting the nIooeeu
ings of that body. they differed greatly. ne w
gested that for the future the Secretary oil ne oouy
keep fuller record Of the proceedihgs' Ao''o"
eanbodying his view was adop'ea- .,,
Thu order of the day--she fourth reselnfisn-
Rev br Boyd said the Convention occupied a
peculiar and trying position. we had been called
to seperate from oretnIen ~hg ahor .s v nna
vsrd Of the Divine Master. When he called to
mind what hsd taken place since the division OF
1857 he confessed to feeling deep sorrow Of heart
mot that he thought that we had done anything
wrong-anything to be repented of, or that he
was un willing to assume all proper responsible
ties Everything In respect to this lfe-ecesiasti-
caliy would have caused him to adhere to the Old
School, having been educated In its tenets. On
principle, however, he was forced to leave 1t, and
In the fall of 1873, with eighteen of his brethren,
they met in W ashington to form different body.
II was matter Of christian honor, else had be been
willing sooner, like his friend. Mr. Tucker, to Sc
yer his right arm than become schismatic. He
thought Mr.. Tucker, however, placed too low
estimate on Christian honor, and he thought that
II his friend had given more attention to the caus-
never consent to union with the Old School until
they had abandoned and disavowed the principles
contained in those resolutions. He was not sur
prised at the position taken by Mr.. t. he was
aware of many ties which connected him
with the other branch. He made these remarks
because many of the members present had come in
TO the church since the division of 1887, and
who, without being familiar with the causes Of
difference, were willing to forget all and throw
themselves into the arms of the Old School
lie could earthly consideration which
could induce those who abandoned their brethren
from principle to return. He would rs soon ex-
pect to see the sun fall. He had no doubt that II
this abolition agitation continued, every Church in
the Union would be dismembered. 1t was the
Kansas or Fremont excitement of last year, that
created the split in the Cleveland Assembly, and
there not Northern man on the floor CT that
Bssembly in &c. who was then prepared to take the
action which was taken in '57. He knew that this
outside pressure did the damage-it overwhelmed
men who were really conservative in their Vows
but could not Withstand public opinion
There were three alternatives before us. The
first was a reunion with our Old School brethren;
second, existence in separate Presbyteries and Sy-
mods, aud, third, forming a permanent organiza-
ton.
II was necessary for us, in regarding the first, to
look at the difficulties and differences which forbid
n union It is necessary to look at the cause of
separation-the exscindng resolutions. What is
the principle of those resolutions! 1t is that the
General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church has
the right to cut off minister or member, without
charge or trial. Are we right in union with
Church which alone, of all the Evangelical Churches
in the land, asserts this principle' We took the
position in 1888, that could not conscientiously
remain In connection with that Church.
Tho speaker then went OH to quote from the pro-
ceedngs of the Farmyille (secession Convention to
show that the division was caused by purely con-
scientous motives, and asked if anything has since
occurred which would warrant us in disregardlnS
ITS position. They commended for the principle tnat
a man cannot be condemned without fair trial.
IL YOU go to your New School brethren you give
up this principle Are you prepared to DO II
Mr.. Tucker in trying to get rid OF tins dlncuity,
says the Old School in 1887, were guilty OF revo
utionary act, and that we are now guilty OF the
sans revolution we might rs well go back aud JON
them. Now this revolutionary act must einquir-
ed into, and the principles of the revolution expos
ed. How was il when we left the Assembly in 80
Were we the exscinders7 Were DR.. Chalmers and
DIR. Welsh when they left st. Georges Church, III
Elinbugh, exscnders? Are we exscinders now!
Have not the Cleveland Assembly passed resolu-
tons virtually exscinding US, and have we not done
did with the Old School, withdrawn from
them? If the Old School is right in its condem-
nation without trial, could not the Synod OF flr-
gnia be cut of because it was slaVeholdlnS body,
and cut off without defence Could our Old
School brethren believe that it through sym !
pathy for the Western Synods that we were led |
away from them! He utterly repudated the I
idea; it principle, aud nothing else could
have led the New School from those who were
their neighbors, and who, had first admit |
ted them in the church. Our Old School breth- |
have never receded from those acts-they !
have repeated them in their circular letters-and
there cannot be found now an Old School man. who
will disavow them. You leave body, (the Ceve |
land Assembly who, though virtually exsclnding, !
You have disavowed the intention. and Yet you
would go into body (Old SCHOOL, which has never /
disavowed the intention to exscind you Yet, !
it is said by some that the old School does not
quire to recognize the justice of those acts, aud
that we can join them with protest against /
them. Very likely. And very likely that tho !
have received Drs. Chalmers and Welsh and the rest
of those distinguished men, by merely entering /
their protest. He spoke of Mr.. fuckers remarks
regarding the unity Of the church lie did not re-
gard division of the churches being division !
Of the unity of the Church. He thought the unity |
Of the Church was the unity of spirit, unity OF
purpose and not unity Of temporal organization. !
He would yield TO no man in his love for Cavinsin.
(IIe went on to reply to editorial in the Central
Presbyterian
The speaker referred to the declaration by the Old
School in 1916, that slavery is totally rreconcila
BILE with the word of God, the declaration be- |
ing re-affrmed in 1886 and still being cardinal
principle of that branch of the Presbyterians. Dr.
Rice. a prominent man of that church, no longer !
ago than last summer affirmed the same principle.
DIR. Breckenridge, another prominent member of
the Old School, in his discussion with Geo Thomp
in 1885, declared slavery to be contrary to the
law of God. and that it "s violation of the most
precious rights of men," If this assertion of DIR.
Breckenridge is right, the Old School is abolition
as General Assembly With regard to the present /
condition of the Old school, the speaker said II be-
came U.S. having just left one body on account OF
its abolition taint to think before We joined Dody
where we will have to fight the same battles over
again. They have abolitionism enough 10 tnelr
Western Synods to warrant the belief, that they
would as surely undergo trouble on the slave |
ry question. as the New School had ALREADY unoei-
gone it. They had referred to their press, anu yet
upon looking at it he found that the press vi
Mason & Dixon's line, consisted of only three pa |
pers one of which was rank abolition lie quoted
from one of those journals to show that IL was eA-
pected to make slavery subject of discussion IN all
tba courts of the Old School lie said that the Cen
raj presbvterian one of the Old School organs |
Soutb. took the ground, that the discussion of
slavery ought not to be debarred. Now, the New
School take the higher position, that the church |
udcatory have no more to do with slavery than |
thew have with the tariff, internal improvements,
or ANYTHING else of similar character.
The question then comes up-Brethren of the |
New School, you have abandoned one Assembly for
its antislavery sentiments. Can you 60 back to
body which declares slavery to be a sim The Old
School have 40 ministers, 500 of which from
the South. The North has 30 Presbyteries, to 122
IN the South. Giving the North IS majority in the
Old School General Assembly.
Where is your security. You speak of conserva-
tive men in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburg &c.
lie had had experience in this conservatism. The
conservatives at the North didn't have the nerve
when they got into the General Assembly, to stand
up and place their feet on this agitation. The
speaker could mention Old School man after Old
school man. who came out in support of Fremont.
Looking at the probability of the occurrence of
he slave discussion in the Old School Assembly at
IN early day, the question presented ITSELF wheth
n we willing to go into it, and then go over the
'ame scene through which we have passed.
With regard to the new organization, Mr.. Tuck
,r called it sectional. We utterly deny that it is
sectional He calls it sectional because its power is
southern. Why, then, the Old School Assembly is
sectional for the power which controls it, lies in
he North
Speaking Of the money view, the speaker said if
t was true, that with our small organization;
We should want money, yet the want would
be correspondingly small one, and in time, both
d ganizaton and money would increase. He
thought churches would be filled, and missionaries
dispatched as well as had done under the rule
u theCleveland Assembly. He argued that the Old
school in murh want of money 4 he New | .