Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-10-11
From the New York Evening Post Oct. 6, 1866 ]
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ON sLAV-
ERY, REBELLION AND SOHISM.

ERY, REBELLION AND SOHISM.
1t will be remembered that the position
of the Old School Presby yterian Church on
the subject of slavery, before the war, " as,
if not pro-slavery, at least so "conserva-
tive" that on the outbreak of the rebellion
the General Assembly, convened at PhIa-
delphia il May, 1861, spent no less than
five days IN the discussion of paper, offer
ed to that body hy the Rev. DIR. Spring, of
New York, commonly known as the Spring
resolutions" That paper took calm, tenn
perate, yet decided ground against rebel-
ion, and in favor OF loyalty to the federal
government The extreme conservatives,
under the leadership of Rev. DR.. Hodge, -
sisted to the utmost the adoption Of the
resolutions, which were passed, howcv +,
by vote of three to one. The conserv.,
tives protested against the Assembly's ac-
ton.
The Southern part of the Old School
Presbyterian Church seeded from the iu-
risdiction of the Assembly, and organized
a new Assembly for themselves The north
ern church was denounced, and the schism
became complete From 1861 to 1865, the
northern Assembly remained increasingly
estIy to sustain the moral sentiment under
whose influence, as well as under the ne
cessity OF war, slavery was finally abolish
ed. When the Assembly met in the city Of
Pittsburg, in 1865, it adopted certain in
functions relative to those who had engag-
ed actively in rebellion, requiring the low
er courts Of the church to enforce them in
case of the return OF chismatic and rebell-
ious persons or parties to the church from
which they had seeded, certain pro-sIavery
men, living in the states of Kentucky and
Missouri, resisted and deied the Assem-
bly's authority and denounced the iniunc-
tons as unconstitutional Conservative
men in the free states, backed by the inhu-
ence of the leading "Quarterly" in the
church, united with these persons in their
denunClatlOn of the acts of the Assembly
and gave to the border state recusauts a
respectability and power they would not
otherwise have had.
The Presbytery of Louisville KY, adopt
ed paper, commonly known as the Dec
laration aid Testimony" which openly de-
fed the authority of the General Assembly
For this paper, the signatures OF individ-
al ministers and elders in different parts of
the Church were obtained, and, to crown
the defiance, the Presbytery of Louisville
sent Rev. Stuart Robinson D. D., and Rev
S. r. Wilson, d. d. men prominent for their
disloyalty, as commissioners to the Assem-
bly, of 1866, at ST. Louis. The proceedings
of that body were of such interest as to ell
gage the attention Of all the leading secu-
lar journals, as well as the religious press
in the country. The points of Importance
before the body were, whether the General
Assembly would revoke or modify its past
deliverances for the sake of pleasing the
conservatives whether or not the schis-
matte Presbytery should, while under judi
cial process and open rebellion, be allowed
a representative in the supreme court of
the church whether the individual sign
ers Of the "declaration and testimony
should be allowed to sit in any court, above
the session, until they had changed their
attitude and whether or not the assembly
had what is called "original jurisdiction "
III the premises such as to Justify it in cit
ing before its own bar for trial, prcsbyter-
les, synods or individual ministers, where
it was found that the influence Of rebellion
ON the lower courts rendered them incom-
petent or indsposed to discharge their du-
ty efficiently in the matter.
On all these points the Assembly took
strong affirmative action. The principal
opposers of its course were Rev. Drs.
Brooks, of St. Louis, Boardman, of PhiladeI-
phia, and Vandyke, Of Brooklyn, who cast
their whole influence in favor Of Dr. Stuart
Robinson, S. h. Wilson, and the " "Declara-
tion-and-Testimony party. During the
discussion in the Assembly Rev Dr. Van
dyke, ii is said, asserted that three-fourths
Of the ministers of his acquaintance, in
New York and Brooklyn, were opposed to
the injunctions Of 1865, and would not en-
force them. Rev. Dr. West, of Brooklyn,
replied to DR.. Vandyke, and in the course
of his argument informed the Assembly
that his colleague from Nassau Presbytery
did not represent the sentiments of the
Presbytery, but only one or two members
OF it. From the action of the Pres bvtery
taken this week-an account of which we
publish in another column to-day-it is ev-
idenU that Nassau Presbytery means it to
be understood that any impression created
by this statement of DR.. Vankyke as to the
want of sympathy of that Presbytery with
the General Assembly, is entirely without
foundation The action of the Presbytery
is timely and emphatic, and suggests to
other courts of the church duty which
should be speedily performed