The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1858-11-20
Old School Presbyterian Assembly on
Slavery.
WHAT Is THEIR PRESENT POSITION ?

SAoNCA y
WHAT Is THEIR PRESENT POSITION
This must be asccrtained from their
'acts. deliyerances and testimonies" on
this subject, 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 c0pstgotud ,nqhcroJle-thatt their
tsstrngag in relation to Slavery. has been
,,,ttorD,-and that during a period of sixty
or seventy years they have held ai.d uerrcd
substantially Hc same sentiments.
PRooF: In the "deliverance," drawnun
by Dr. Breckenridge. in reply to the prom
osition for union from the United SYNOD
Of the Presbyterian Church, South. uuan-
imously adopted and uttered by the Gen
eral Assembly of 1858, in New Orleans.
we find the following:
"The subjects upon which the whole
New School body differed from rs at the
period of their separation from us. and the
subjects upon which the two very UNEQUAL
portions Of that body have recently sepa-
rated from each other, are questions unon
which we. as denomination. are at peace.
and with regard to the whole of which we
see no occasion to revise the constant and
unalterable faith of our church, or to en-
ter into frutless conferences" See min
otes Of he 1gscmbHof 1888
"The two very unequal portions of that
body" are the New School South. and the
New School North, which separated from
each other in 1857; and the only subject
upon which they differed and separated
is the question in relation to Slavery
! With regard to this, the Old School Gener-
al Assembly say: They "sea no occasion to
revise the constant and unaltcrablc faith
| OF their church"
! Further Poor: The Assembly. (Old
| school, Of lS46. thus profess and claim :
| Our church has. from time 70 time. du-
| ring a period Of nearly sixty years. cx-
| pressed its views on the subject Of Slavery.
| During all this period, Il has held and ut
tered substantially the same sentiments.
| Believing that this uniform testimony is
| true, and capable Of vindication from the
word Of God, the Assembly is at the same
| time clearly of the opinion that it has al
| ready deliberately and solcmnlv spoken
on this subject with sufficient iulnc-s and
! clearness. Therefore,
| Res1Irsd That no further action upon
this subject is at present needed See
minutes of the Ass. of 1916. page BOO
! Baird's Digest, page sl4.
Now what is the faith Of the Old School
| Presbyterian Church. which UP 10 the
! time of the meeting Of the General Assem-
bly, in New Orleans in May last, they say
| has been constant and unaltorabley p
! What are the sentiments substantially
the same which they have uttered from
! time to time during "A period oiueariy SIX
! ty year! n What Is the testimony o.
| the subject of slavery. which during al
| this period" the Old school General A.
| semhiy has delivered: and which, the,
| profess and claim, has been Uniform an'
true and capable OF vindication from tn,
| word of God We can hope TO ascertain
"the exact position Of the Old School As
| sembly on the subject OF Slavery to-day
only by looking to the record Of their de
liverances during the period named
This record, genuine and authentic, Is con
tanned in BAIRD'S DIGEST: ia collection Z
| the Acts. D6hraWcce, and TGst.m0ai6s, Or II
Supreme interchangeable PresJytyit Ch'rci
from, is origin IN Amsr'cg % NJ present time. 2
volume of $50 pages, octave, published b
the PREsBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION
PHILADELPHIA, 1856.
Let Us look at this record. The fir
Geaeral ASsam5y was held in l1SS. tn
Synod Of Nor I0rE GFd PhL7aEphia wa
the supreme iudicatory' of the chrc
before the Assembly was formed. Til
Synod in 1877. made asl,rruacs, on 81,
very. which the Compiler Of the DiGe,
designates as the First action on the sui
ject.' The record Of this action is as fo
lows:
The Synod Of New York and Philade
phia do highly approve Of the geneE
principles in favor Of universal liberty
that prevail in America and the intere
which many of the States have taken
promoting the abolition of slavery: We
inasmuch as men introduced from a Sc
vile state 10 a participation OF all the pri
ileges Of civil society. without a propere e,
ucation, and without previous habits
industry may De- N many respects dal
Gefou' 70 the community, therefore 'h'
J earnestly fecohilnen1 II 10 an 'he meI
pefs belonging 70 IleH communion
give thoSe persons VINO are az present ne.
F; III N'iNl,u'e' S.'cn So9l e''"o".IolI "9
/ prepare 'leIl lor 'l'e 'e''er ENJOY iiieIIt
7 freedom ana the> moreover reGoulIller
= tnat masters Wherever tney ma 7erVan
i GIslo7eu TO make "a JUST improvement
r., IL -. - ''''il' 4,
VI sl'n' Eiiel 7'Ilisleil. .'ile anu -, 'uiielei
e means OF procuring thelr own liberty at
7 iilo,.'.Ia'e r''e' l-iaI therGoy' 'hey may
h Drought ll'o -oeiely WIN thoSe haoits
II INDUSTRY ihet may i9haer them usel1l c'
IF 1ghs; anu hhaAy they recommend II
n an llet peopie 20 Gre s.f lIo,l ft.'i,
,I,''t' r i, Eociet[ in thn coI,,t
= yrbora tbav Iva n nrocI,ro eventually. Il
:, finaI eLoiition IF sIavor- IN A,,,oria5 :.
y Ba;rd,s D;acsr nae Sen
4 Tb;s i H. lin, /, which \
p-,aI.,,,,;,l', ,ll,,los II, III. - =; =
,se,-,li-. ~ IS5g 10 rbicb H. Fd;+ =
: u ~, ,,,-,,',.,l
~ -, h., 49,, IL o,,ast;n,,nc tbl, ia.
,i 10y
n led .oven NV years since ,, SettIed, TTC
i sa+tIod9