The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-05-29
TaE PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLIES.
ola school Assenbig -Elghth nay.
MORNING SESSION.

X M
MORNING SESSION.
After some preliminary business of
no special interest to the general pub
lie, DIR. Thomas resumed the floor in
support of the Committee on the
Louisville Presbytery case. Hespoke
at length In vindication of the legal
position of the Committee. Here fer
red to the action of the Kentucky
Synod on the motion of DIR. Mcmillan
to refuse seats to the Louisville Pres
bytery, and their subsequent refusal
to allow those who voted in favor of
DIR. McMillan's motion, because they
had prejudiced the case; and among
those who were reported in favor of
that action was DIR. Smoot, who arose
and said that if his name was on any
such paper, it was there without his
consent. DIR. Thomas accepted the
gentleman's apology. He proceeded
to quote precedents justifying the As
sembly in conducting this case. Their
offense stood in the same light as if
they had declared the confession of
faith and the crede false and heretical.
Could the Assembly hesitate in that
case? Why should they hesitate in
this? He claimed. they were under
process regularly, and they deserved
very severe rebuke, if ever an offend
ing body deserved it. The General
Assembly should purge out the old
leaven.
He ridiculed the proposition to
wait year to decide the case, as sug-
lgested by DR. Humphrey, of fDanville
It would leave the Louisville Presby-
terry in the midst of the Kentucky Sy-
nod. What would be the position of
the Presbytery and Church of Ken
lucky year hence? Now the Com
mittee propose to dissolve the Presby
terry and organize a new one. They
propose to allow the reorganization of
the Assembly upon loyal basis The
present age is wanting in obedience to
law and respect to persons high in Of
fee. The papers were full of vituper-
alton against public officials. He
thought that this little rebellion in
the Church was the fruit of the re-
bellion in the land. These conspira-
tors come here deiantly. Now we
have an opportunsty to settle,this ques-
ton forever. We must show that
government in the Church means
something; that the General Assem-
bly, is not mere Convention, but a
body called by the command of Christ.
We should meet the emergency and
do our duty. Applause and Kisses.
An Elder requested that the house
should protect itself against this dis
turbance.
DR.. W.. L. Breckinridge, of Ken
lucky, followed. He said he replied
with difidence to so learned a.speaker
as DR.. Thomas, yet he should try to
reply to him He took up the con-
stitutional question, and made an Ella
borate argument to prove that the
views of DIR. Thomas were incorrect
He stood out of sympathy with the
majority, and probably widely differed
from the minority also. He had no
sympathy with the Declaration and
Testimony movement. Occupying
this position, he had introduced a
resolution to the Kentucky Synod
censuring this movement, but he was
outvoted He wished to have this
/ distinctly understood at the outset, he
objected to thewhole proceedings now
pending. He didn't believe there
was any power ii the General As
sembly to stretch its hand over a
Synod and exclude Presbytery. Ii
it had this power, it could go to the
bottom and lay its hands upon
Churches-even Synods, Presbyteries.
Churches can be dissolved as easily as
Presbyteries There were Elders and
| Churches in the Louisville Presby-
terry who would sign the Declaration
and Testimony if allowed an oppor-
tunity, and many congregations who
would express their entire concur
renee with that document.
4 He would like to see any brother
show the difference. He referred to
the dissolution of the Third Presby-
terry of Philadelphia, relied OF as 9
precedent by DIR. Thomas, and said
that was a case where the Genera
Assembly acted through the Synod
This was not parallel case. He reac
the history of the case. The Presby
, terry dissolved had been formed by the
General Assembly of 1892 In reply
to an interruption, DR.. Breckinridgt
said the record read was formed by
7 the General Assembly. The speaker
!, resumed by giving further particular
of the Philadelphia case. He claimed
r that one of the consequences of th'
/. trouble of the General Assembly wa
that it had been irregularly formed
7 The Presbytery had been organized
: against the wish of the Synod, ant
3 the General Assembly, in 1887, decid
5 ed the whole thing as rotten from tn