The Yazoo Democrat. [volume] (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1858-18??, 1858-11-27
From the Jackson Eagle. ]
WHAT IS THEIR PRESENT POSITION?
DR.. NEwToN's COMMUNICATION.
Old School presb,,fer;on Asse,obb, "a, SJo,.r,t

dellverances and testimonials" on the subs
ject, as they are found recorded in their own
published MINUTES.
PROP. The Old School General Assem-.
bly, claim that their faith on the subject of
slavery is constant and unalterabte-t that
their testimony in relation to slavery has
been anJorm-and that, during reriod of
sixty or seventy years they have held and
uttered substantially the same sentiments.
PRooF; In the " delivennce," drawn up
by DIR. Breckenridge, in reply 20 the propo,
sition for union from the United Synod of
the Presbyterian Church, South, unani
mously adopted and uttered by the General
Assembly of 1858, in New Orleans, we find
the following
"The subjects upon which the whole New
School body differed from us at the period Of
their separation from us, and the subjects
upon which the two very unequal portions
Of that body have recently separated from
each other, are questions upon which we, as
a denomination, are at peace, and with re
gard to the whole of which we see no occa,
sion to revise the constant and unalterable
faith of our church, OF to enter into fruiuless
conferences" See minutes of the Assem-
| bly, of 1853
The TWO very unequal portions of that
body are the New School South, and the
New School North, which separated from
each other in 1851; and the only subject
upon which they differed and separated is
the question in relation to slavery. With
regard to this, the Old School General AS.
sembly say They "see no occasion to re.
wise the constant and unalterable faith Of
ITtheir] church"
FURTHER PRooF; The Assembly 20. S.
of 1916, thus profess aud claim;
" Our church has, from time to time,
during period of nearly sixty years, ex
pressed It's views on the subject of slavery.
During all this period, it has held and
uttered substantially the same sentiments.
Believing that this uniform testimony is
true, aud capable of viudcation from the
word Of God, the Assembly is at the same
time clearly of the opinion that it has al
ready deliberately aud solemnly spoken on
this subject with sufficient fullness and
clearuess Therefore,
ReSolved, That no further action upon
this subject is at present needed See
minutes of the Assembly of 1916, p. 206
Baird's Digest, p. sl4.
Now what is the faith of the Old School
Presbyterian Church, which up to the time
of the meeting of the General Assembly in
New Orleans in May last, they say, has been
g constant and unalterabIe ?" What are the
" sentiments" substantially the same"
which they have uttered from time to time
during a period of nearly sixty years ?"
What is the testimony" on the subject of
slavery, which, during all this period, the
i Old School General Assembly has delivered f;
and which, they profess and claim, has been
uniform aud true, and capable of vindica
ton from the word of God? We can hope
to ascertain 4" the exact position of the Old
School Assembly on the subj sct Of slavery
to-day, only by looking to the record of
their deiiverances during the period named.
This record, genuine ana authentic, is con.
tained in BAIRD's DIGEST; ga Collection
of the Acts, Detiverances, and Testimonies,
Iof the Supreme Jad,catory Of the PresJyte
rian Church, from its origin IN Anserica to
the present tinc," volume of $50 pages,
octave, published by the Presbyterian Board
of Fabrication, Philadelphia, 1856.
Let us look at this record. The first
General assembly was held in 1888. The
Synod Of New York and Pdiladeiphia was
the supreme ludicatory" OF the church
before the Assembly was formed This
Synod in 1887, made a deliverance, on
slavery, which the compiler of the Digest
designates as the First action on the
subject" The record of this action is as
follows:
"Thc Synod Of New York and Philadel,
phia do highly approve of the general prin-
cipes in favor Of universal liberty, that
prevails in America, and the interest which
many of The States have taken in promoting
the abolition of slavery; yet, inasmuch as
q men introduced from servile state to a
o participation Of all the privileges of civil
t society, without a proper education, and
without previous habits Of industry may be,
1 in many respects, dangerous to the commu
. nifty, therefore they earnestly recommend il
to all the members belonging to their COM
5 munioD, to give those persons who are at
Q present held in servitude, such good educa'
ton as to prepare them for the better enjoy
ment Of freedom and they moreover recon-
} mend that masters, wherever they find SER
wants disposed to make u just improvement
) of the privilege, would give them Pecat'@m',
or grant them sufficient time and sufficient
means of procuring their own liberty at q
moderate rate, that thereby, they may be
brought into society with those habits oi
! industry that may render them useful citi
zens; and, finally, they recommend it to all
/ their people to use the most prudent meas
ures, consistent with the interest and the
state of civil society, in the counties where
0 they live, to procure eventually the final ab
: oltion of slavery in America. Baird Il
e Digest, p. S07
This is the deliVerance to which DIR
Breckinfidge alludes in his speech in the
: Assembly Of lS58--to which the Editor o
q the True Witness gives his high approval
when he says, the question Of the blacl
race and their relation Of servitude wa
settled seventy years since" Settled How
q settled
u In 1893, the above deliverance was re
I.14o.oI AZ D.o..n1 Aeeo,,, bl., Co.