The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1866-10-24
For THE CENTRAL PREsBYrERIAN.
Division of the Synod of Kentucky.
STEAMER MORNING STAR,
OotnLn.. III 1QEG

OCtOOcf liTt1 lOOO'
Messrs. Editors,-The Synod of Kentucky
held its annual meeting, in the city of Hen
lerson, on the 10th instant, and was opened
With sermon by the Moderator, Rev. r. L.
Breck, from John 90; " Behold the Lamb
Of God which taketh away the sins of the
world. "
The sermon produced very happy impress
sion upon the minds of the members, and the
vast congregation assembled to hear it, in view
of the impending division of the body, which
all parties admitted to be inevitable. The two
parties in large numbers had gone down the
river on the same steamer, and had mingled
freely together, during the day, and the leading
men on both sides had exerted their influence
to have division effected, as it must come, with
as little asperity and confusion as possible.
The Assembly men, with DIR. r. j. Breckin-
ridge at their head, had discovered that they
were largely in the minority, and that the
whole tide of public sentiment in the commu-
nifty in which the Synod was to meet was
against them They felt, therefore, that they
were completely at the mercy of their oppo-
nents, and that any indiscretion on their part
would be fatal to their cause. The other party
showed great firmness and determination, but
no disposition to humiliate the minority, or
exult over them because of their weakness
Each party held meeting before the Synod
met, and agreed upon the line of conduct to be
pursued by Them but each was ignorant Of
what had been agreed upon by the other. The
party had the Stated Clerk, and their
opponents the Moderator. After sermon, the
Moderator proceeded to organize the Synod
He called upon the Clerk, Mr.. McRoberts, to
call the roll. This he proceeded to- do, beginn-
ing, not where he usually did, but with the
Presbytery of Louisville, which, you will re-
member, had one year ago adopted the Decla-
ration and Testimony. He called only the six
ministers who had seeded from the Presby-
terry, declaring it dissolved, ipSo facto, accord
ing to the order of the Assembly, when it ad-
mitted the Declaration and Testimony men to
a seat At this point the Moderator stopped
the Clerk, and ordered him to call the entire
roll, and as he declined to do so, he declared
that he would call the roll himself, and called
Rev. DR.. Hill to assist him by taking down
the names Of the members who answered to
their names. Dr. r. j. Breckenridge called in
question his power to appoint Clerk, but as
he claimed that he was acting both as Moder
ator and Clerk in consequence of the Clerk re-
fusing to do his duty, and only calling DR..
Hill to write the names for him, DIR. B. sub
sided, calling upon all who wished to adhere
to the Assembly to refuse to answer when their
names were called. That party implicitly
obeyed their leader, and the organization of
the Synod then proceeded without any further
from them. Forty-three ministers
and fifty-six ruling elders answered to their
names. The Synod then elected Rev. f. G.
Strahan Stated Clerk, and Rev. Rutherford
Douglas Moderator, and adjourned till the
next morning, to meet in the Presbyterian
Church.
After their adjournment the Assembly
men remained in the house, and without ser
mon or prayer, organized; thirty-one ministers
and twenty-six ruling elders answering to their
names. They elected Rev. j. 7. Lapsley as
their Moderator When the time for adjourn
nent came, they were in quandary as to the
place to which they would adjourn, as heother
Synod had already adjourned to meet in that
house, and one Of the Presbyteries to meet
n the Session room half an hour earlier.
They called upon the session of the church to
decide which body should have the church; but
he pastor had gone with the other side, and
he session was unrepresented; so they called
n vain. A member Of the session rose and
'ead a resolution of the session to the effect
hat the Synod presided over by Rev. Mr..
Brock, was the one invited by them and the
me which they desired to occupy the house.
But as both parties claimed to be that Synod, |
he resolution decided nothing between them.
The SYNOD therefore, resolved to meet in that
house half an hour before the other body, some
# the members alledging that it would give
hem time to meet and adjourn to another
house before the other body would meet; but
Dthers asserting that it would give time for the
essiOn and trustees to decide which should |
AVE that house. The next morning at half |
,ast eight o'clock, they met in front of the
,uilding but found the doors closed. 1t SEEM |
d that during the night an order had been is
ued by the only trustee within reach, that Mr. |
Douglass, the Moderator of the old Synod,
hOuld have the key, and occupy the house,
nd the house had not been opened because
he sexton did not have any order to that eff |
ect This, of course, created intense indigna-
ion among the seeding brethren, but there
,as no help for it, and so they adjourned to the
cumberland Presbyterian church, which had
cen offered to them. Before the evening of
he next day they adjourned to meet in the
econd Presbyterian church, Lexington, Rev.
IT. Drank 5, on the Goth of November. To
hat place they were not invited, as Mr. Drank
nd his elder were sitting in the old Synod, but
,r. Breckenridge announced that it was his de-
re that they should hold monthly sessions in
1 the churches in Central Kentucky, where
hey could find any adherents, in order to
rengthen the weakened and confirm the
ayering. Whether they will adopt that poll
2 l am unable to say; probably those Of them
no have much to do at home will soon get
red and quit Perhaps it was said by way of
ldinage merely. Before the shades of even
G of the second day had closed in, they were
/ board steamer on their way to Louisville,
wing found Henderson an uncongenial eli
ate for ecclesiastics Of their ilk.