Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-09-01
From the North Carolina Presbyterian.
Old Errors Revived and Retuvenated In
South Carolina.

Old Errors Revived and Rejuvenated In
South Carolina.
Messrs. Editors The close afiliation in eccle-
sisstical affairs that existed formerly between
North and South Carolina, leads US to infer that
there is still sympathy in matters, otherwise Of
only local interest This sympathy becomes
doubly strong where the cause Of truth is in any
way involved; hence the burden Of this communi-
cation may have some interest to number Of your
readers because it brings to mind scenes Of the
days in which the church Of both Carolinas acted
part The caption of this article originates in
the fact that some new Books unknown as yet to
the critical 1corld have made their appearance in
the upper part of South Carolina. Theirtite page
runs thus-s.Lectures on Paups Epistles TO the Ro-
mans and the HeJre,cs acM critical notes and obser
pations, bv Rsv. ". G. Dauis-Publshed by the
General Convention Of the Independent Presbyte-
rian Church-printed by Walker, Evans Co.,
Charleston, s. c., 1852"
Three questions are suggested by this announce
ment which shall be remarked upon as We raise
them:
/. Who is Rev. ". G.. Dauis'
About fifty years ago he attained to consider
able noteriety in the Presbyterian church-of
which he was then minister. From 1907 to 1911
his name is found very often upon the records of
tthe SYNOD OF the CarOiludS anu TWO VI Tue fTeS-
byteries composing it,
But how he began to be charged in 1907 with
holding and preaching erroneous doctrines-how
after complicated routine Of citations and trials
on the part of the Presbyteries and Synod, and of
subtle quibblings and evasions on his part, the
matter was referred by appeal to the General As
sembly in 1910; how the General Assembly con-
demned eiqht doctrines taught in q book called,
"The Gospel Plan," land published in 1907 and
decided that he who taught these errors should
be dealt with by his Presbytery according to the
discipline eff the church relative to the propaga.
ton of :" how in accordance with this judg-
ment of the Assembly the Presbytery of Concord,
Of which Mr.. Davis was then o member, proceed
ed to cite him to further trial. as soon as possible
how Mr.. Davis declared himself no longer mem
ber of the Presbytery or of the Presbyterian
church, although not having yet been either dis
missed or had sentence passed upon him by the
Presbytery as directed by the highest judicatory
but was still under censure of charges pending;
how the Presbytery of Concord continued to cite
him, as our book directs until in April 1911, che
was suspended from the exercise Of the Gospel
ministy, and in October following was solemnly
deposed from the "Gospel ministry"-are all mat
ters of church history. (See .Baird's Digest, PIP.
645&7. Sprague's annals of the American Pull
pit, vol. 4, PIP. 1923 & 4, and Church Records.)
Mr.. Davis still continued 70 preach, calling
himself an Independent Presbyterian.
He removed to West Tennessee few years after
his deposition, but after laboring there for some
time. he returned to York District, S. c., where
he lied in 1881. He was man of vigorous and
disciplined mind-a closely searching and rather
popular preacher, but was given to metaphysical
sneculation-had no small amount of vanity and
doomatism, stubbornness and ambition to be sim
pular and great; and herein We have chief cause
of his cratic course.
He had great fondness, even mania for author
shin He left seven volumes Of unpublished man
script notes on the New Testament. There was
printed during his life q volume of Lectures on
the Gospel" but none Of the others were able to
reach the press until recently. "The General Con.
vention of the Independent Presbyterian Church"
have presided ut the parturition or these "Vol-
umes on Romans and He6reps
We are thus led to second question.
9 Who are the General Convention Of the Inde-
nendeut PRESBYTERIAN Church, 1t is the ecclesias-
tical court of the churches that call themselves
followers of W. c. Davis.
is we'll known that the two churches in South
Carolina that Mr.. Davis was serving at the time
of his separation from the Presbyterian Church,
united with him in the declaration Of independency
To these were eventually added two or three more
in the bounds of North Carolina. These with nine
others subsequently organized in the Districts Of
York, Chester and Union-constitute the tndtpsn-
dent Body, as it now stands. These thirteen
churches are supplied by three ministers and con-
tain about nine hundred (9OO) members. Their
form of government has some notifications upon
that of the Presbyterian church. Their prescribed
creed, which is very short may be reconclled
with, but does not give prominence to the PeculI-
arities of the teachings of their founder, W. c.
Davis.
The efforts made two years since to incorporate
! the Independent Body with the Presbyterian
Church, o. s., are of course remembered BY all;