The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1862-10-16
Paper On the State of the Country,
ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, IN TIE
UNITED STATES, MAY, 1862.
for SGJtiy.'


We give a second extract from the review
of this paper in the North Carolina PresJy-
terrain, which will be interesting to Southern
Pre8byterians We are sure.
But the most important and sacred con
Germ of Presby terians in the Confederate
States with this paper, is to vindicate their
religious liberty from its political dctalion,
and TO clear themselves FROM the sin Of
schism in forming another church connection.
This Assembly, like the one Of last year,
presumes to command US, by the author
ity of the Lord Jesus" vested in it, rs 1t
claims that we must pay civic allegiance
to Abraham Lincoln, aud not to Jefferson
Davis; and informs US that unless We obey,
we are certainly living in sin. The few
members who were not carried away by the
general passion, opposed the enactment,
both this year and last, en- GGo grounds
first, its impohcy; second, its u, cousiilu-
tionality, as tranacendiug the powers of the
church which are only concerning things
spiritual The first point we leave to them.
n ARGUING the second, since no one ealing
himself Presbyterian could be so auda-
cious as to deny the restriction of the
church declaratye powers to matters pure
ly spiritual, the effort OF the majority was
to show that adhesion to tie Southern Con
federacy was sin; aud so, a spiritual act
amenable to the church.
But how did they attempt to do this .
By an igaoratio eiCnchj, by the raising of q
false Issue, as insulting to US, as it is false.
The Assembly does the same. 1t talks con-
tinually as though the thing it was called
upon to decide, was, whether Christian
man may innocently disobey all constituted
civil authority whether he may innocent
" throw off the obligations of civil govern
ment; whether causeless rebellion Is q sin !;
whether the attitude If an outlaw is law
full one. 1t assumes that those "pOwers
that be" which are ordained of Goo, are
the Federal authorities alone. That Abra-
ham Lincoln alone, is tue ordinance Of
God 10 us for good" And thus, it seems
very fully to bring the ease under the ,on-
domination Of Romans, xiii, verse l to -
l Peter, ii; 10 to 10. They then conc ade
that, inasmuch as the Scriptures maI dis,
o5eisieSce ca civil government q en- Che
church has administrative authority to Ge-
clare it sucd
Very true but uho at the South ever
thought or taught that it was innocent p
Wbat need to argue this question, or to de-
eide it again, when no Christian anywhere
doubts concerning it? To raise onch an
issue is an outrage against the Intelligence
anu the character of Southern Christians.
The issue which they had 10 settle, accord
ing to their individual conscences, and
which the Assembly really intrudes under
this bold piece Of logical j1gglery, was a
totally different one. Il is not whether e
Christian may innocently repndiate the au
thority Of civil government; but whtcd Of
Ira competing az horlfies he .h0aid right
hliy o6ey; the State or Federal This
was the question which the Christian citi-
zen of North Carolina was to decide for
himself. lie found his State and the Fed
eral government in opposition, the one na
king an exclusive claim to his allegiance
against the other. He must elect whether
to obey North Carolina "a true, existing,
civil authority, u living government over
him against the Washington government
also an existing government over him; or
to obey Washington against North Carroll
ne. In other words, he NEST decide Wheth-
er his allegiance to bus State Or his Confed-
Grafton was the primary and controlling
one, when the two are found in opposition.
And this was the question which the As
sembly insoently and unscripturally pre-
sumed to decide for Us, while it debated
another which admitted of no doubt.
Now, as to the real question, we assert,
first, that it is one upon which no church
court has right to dictate, either way, to
q Christian. LII snot of those things spirit
ual which a church court is called to de-
eide BY the authority of Jesus Christ; aud
where he has not authorized the church to
speak, it becomes her to be silent. Where,
We ask, within the lids of the Bible, is there
a word, which either by inference or direct
", settles such question: Fac B,Gle con-
dennis INSTRUMENTATION, but here the Ques
ton is between two sub0rdinations tia
is, between two branches of allegiance to
two authorities hitherto both legitimate,
but now so antagonistic that one or the 9th
err is nulhfed. That the church should not
inserpose her authority tere, is plain, be-
cause the question is one Of purely political
construction it's answer depending, net ny
on the mode in which any precept OF God |
is TO be construed, but upon she mode in |
which certain human documents of pare
ly political nature are to be construed. 1t !
is further plain, from the fact that this ques-
ton of construction is debateable one,
which has always been debated from the
foundation of the government by men Of
honest consciences, and is still debated
It is plain, because the conscience of all
men in the Northern church has
hitherto allowed fully the Christian charae-
ter Of those who differed from them on that
question. No Northern Presbyterian dream,
ed CT questioning the Christian character
of his Southern brother, because the lattor
asserted tho States'-Rights view Of this
question. TO DO go would have struck al
as preposterous, We who always protested {
that view, were received 20 their Christian
md ministerial communion as freely, and in
.apcararso as Gfectionale}y- 20 the Fed6 s
alist diyines, DIS. Hoeg9 and SPRING '