Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-09-01

and he would cut of his arm before he would strike
blow to sever any branch Of il. The more divided
the less concentrated energy We possessed. and Inc
less concentrated energy the less good results from
the example. He did not favor enforced unity OF
The Church. Far be il from him 10 attempt the union
| Of a Cavanist with AL Armenian, which Was simply
An mpossb!i.y. lie wished to know it unity III the
! Church was desirable, why in the name OF reason
and Christianity could not the two Presbyterian
branches come tug :ther. Is thers to be end OF
srifeis the breach never to heal! As he understood
the action Of the New School brethren at the time OF
the split, was not taken because the shoe pinched
| Them Bat, like Virginia standing by Massachusetts
in the Boston tea rebellion, it for those We
thought oppressed, and we have received the same
| reward from those for whose sake We left the Old
School, that Virginia has received from Massacbu.
setts.
| The speaker proceeded 10 give history Of the
sclsms between the New and Old School He
showed that the Old School, in e1peling the Synods
of Western New York. in 1897 had just been ~ years
before the New School, for this body was practically
doing to Gay what they did then. We took them to
our bosoms, and they have turned upon u.s. Is there
a man here now. who, if in the Old School Assembly,
would Vote to refuse to exscnd the Synods OF West.
ern New York! He asked If it not the duty OF
two religious bodies having the same belief, the came
faith. guided by the same book, TO unite and thus
strengthen the great cause of Christianity.
The hour of two o'clock having arrved-the time
for adiournment-the Speaker ceased remarks, to
be renewed at the hour OF re-Bssembling.
EVENING SESSION.
After the usual religious exercises
Mr.. Tucker resumed the floor. He said, III the
morning his remarks directed to show that the
maintenance of separate Presbytery in the South
WAS impossible and against the essential principles OF
Christianity. The causes of separation which exist
ed in 1887 had ceased TO exist. Gentlemen may differ
about shades of doctrine, but We arc all Ca!vinists
and there is no reason why We SHOULD be separated
from each other in conqueriug the world from sin-
He thought the resolution offered for permanent or.
anization would make the chasm wider. He was
for bridging the gulf. 1t WIS objected that the
| scheme Of union was impractcable. He would in
turu ask, if the scheme OF dlsunlon was III The high
est sense practicable was it possible 10 make the New
School eicieut-rnake it aggressive against the com.
mon enemy
Power has been transferred from the sword to mo-
| ney aud if We establish the organization We
mus, have money Money for seminaries, where the
breaches, your young are taught 10 preach the
New School Doctrine and not able 10 do that you
must seud t.ieln to New School Summaries in the
Northern States, where they learn q little abolition
ism, and colue down here TO preach it. religious
body cannot be very popular where the first appeal
tC those coming into 1t ID an appeal 10 the pocket
nerve Il there was an essential difference in creed.
you might appeal to men 10 come into your orsanl
cation. But where there is no difference, will they
not rather choose the Weather and more powerful!
Human nature would rGther ride the white crested
wave of popularity than descend into the quiet wa
tiers of ob.cury They spoke of sectional organzs.
tion and he rather thought upon looking OF list of
the Cleveland General acknowledgement that was
| sectional orgauiZnton-the Northern ministers stood
in the proportion of to to the Southern. How il
il in this body nowl There is not single representa-
tive from north of Mason l. DiXons line among us.
| He knew gentlemen would answer the question of
imprGc,icGolity OF maintaining separate organIza
ton by referring TO the early Christian Church and
its paucity of members. He would say in reply,
that while the early Christian Church, sustained
us il by miraculous power, was scarce i'll
numbers, yet the gentleman should remember that
few as they were, they were unHcd lie &C.
cupied delicate position having chords of syrnpa
thy with both parties ami Yet not being able TO sn
| swear for either. II he was asked If union was
practicable he would reply it was, Though he did
not know what scheme for the union would DC adopt
ed. Ole thing he knew: il Christian men think
right about any subject they will be TO ACT right
He referred to the subInity of The crucidxon-that
great sacrifice for the common good-8nd asked if
points Of mistaken honor should prevent Christians
from making sacrifices for the good of their fellow
belngs. Il is intolerance OF opinion which divides
the two sections of the Church, AID it is only toera
ton which can ever bring them together. Tha. pas
sage in the Scripture, Let all wrath and evil speak.
ing, and rrii surmiEing, and camor. bs put away
from among YOU applies to the case very we'll
They split in 1887 upon two or three minor differ.
euces which have only been kept alive by being
msgni d. and by surm-ing obstacles Let there be
of this sny;ng, You must come to mel can't
come 10 you." Let there 6r a meeting halt way
He supposed the Old School branch would say they
Were as Dickous idea of an important man, butoned
up to the throat, aud looking down upon the little man.
the New School Now he would ask, if the Old
School could not afford 10 come down little. and
should the New School in such refuse the hand
of friendship!
Who gave You tho right 10 throw yourself in the
path of Chrs'ianiiy' Go aud tell !hs Great Master
at the as day that you made your ideas OF honor an
obstacle 10 the progress vi His work. Let no man
give up honest scruplo of conscience, but lei them
try reconcile these scrupIes for they can be recon-
ciled among the brothers. Remember those two
great armies, who, meeting each other on the
held aud recognizing in each others lace !her
kindred threw down their arms and rushed in
to each Others arms. Oh. my brethern, of tue
Old and New Srhnnis. 30 ito~ieo I.ot 40 s'.."i
our tl1 OF frsuds, and repair 10 the held
against the common enemy. lie wished cores.
puudrnce might be opened, n meeting appointed, and
when the representatives OF the branches let the
building let them leave their differences and preju
dices behind. Garry them 20 the altar and there
crice Perchancs hi. bearers might fear that split
should occur in the Old School branch the slave
ry Question after they entered ii, and they would be
again exscinded. The proportion of Northern
members 10 Southern members in the Old
School il only three to one, which accounts
for the larger amount of conservatism than
the Cleveland Assembly, where the proportion
was six 10 one The effect Of union would be TO
throw larger Southern power into the Old School
Assembly, which would prove guarantee against
division. There was one other aspect to which he
would refer. Dr. Boyd had truly said that orgsnza
ton Of Southern Church would be truly omlnous TO
the duration Of the Union. As long as there was
hope of preserving the Union, he WAS III favor OF ia
king no step which would tend TO destroy it, and he
thought sectional religious organization was such
step. He loved the New School branch even more
in it's distress than he did in s prosperity. lie pre-.
landed not to be Good Samaritan in the full sense
of the word, but he found this church had fallen in
with thieves on the road down from Jerusalem She
lay wounded aud on the road side and ha would
fain pour oil into her wounds. He was willing to
launch the Ship Of Church, manned as she was, aud
give her to the winds of Heaven, borne upon those
waves which His hand uphods and let her find That
haven of peace to which her Prov points the way.
| DR.. +. A. Ross began by speaking OF the coninu-
titles which biud the Old and New Schools, but said
10 was not ready to unite with them yet for their own
axe. He went with some humorous remarks
10 did not object to the Old School coming 10 them,
indeed, he would require very light repentance on
teir part Before lie could join the Old School, they
rust allow him to interpret the confession OF faith
Emself. In regard 10 our connection With Adams he
vas an Old School man. He would also defend the
general atonement He then went on to offer some
r.marks opposing come of the rules and belief of the
Old Schools. He particularly alluded to the practice
Termination OF ministers OF sister Preshyteries and
is injustice. Another reason for not joining into
i1em was that the Old School not prepared yet
nake our slavery platform They must adopt our po'
,ton on slavery because it is the only position which
will or can give peace 10 the South, to The Union,
and 10 the world for the whole world needs peace
OF this slavery question. He cited three theories on
slavery: the sin theory the liberation of slavery and
tie ordained theory. The first the theory OF the
sooli;ioniss, who were more honest than the
v.tve men, for they came out and pronounced slave
holding wrong. The liberation theory viz: that the
relation Of master and slave was no, Gin in ltae, but
| wa natural evll-never approved Of by God but tol
Grated BY God This is the theory of the ceDserva.
ves and our Old School brethren, but not the theory
of the bible lie defed any man to prove from the
bible that God regarded slavery with only liberation
II Was false, utterly false. The last the ordained
theory was what the bible asserted aud was what be
affirmed He believed that God ordained slavery
for the benefit OF the master and man.
he went on tn define the position Of the slave.
holder and hia rights and expressed the opinion that
u here conscience was opposed to conscience, ~ wa.
the case between the North and the South there
| no resort but the sword. The South will no longer
bear that sin theory. and will but few days longer
submit to the federation theory The North will have
to find out that the South is the great balance wheel