Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1869-06-10
PreSbNter Reunion.

Long before this paper reaches
our readers in the most distant
paris of this wide country, the
joyful tidings will have been borne
to their ears that the two Genel al
Assemblies of the Presbyterian
Church. with degree of unanimity,
perhaps, without parallel in &C.
clesiastical history, have declared in
favor of organic reunion.
In the Assembly, New School,
the vote was unanimous. In the
Assembly, Old School, it was 275
in favor, only 9 against.
In the latter Assembly the vote
was taken by calling the yeas and
nays, and nine were found voting
no. If the other Assembly had
been polled in the same way, there
might have been as many non-con-
tents. Certainly the unanimity is
as astonishing as it is gratifying
1t manifests the power of the Divine
Spirit, bringing to one mind five
hundred men upon a question on
which there was room for many
conflicting opinions.
The basis of union has been al
ready approved by nearly every
Presbytery in the whole Church.
When the terms of last year were
sent down for presbyterial action,
the Presbyteries that disapproved
them expressed their desire for
reunion on the basis of the Stand
ards pure and simple. We do not
know that more than one Presby-
terry in the Old School Church
voted against union. That was a
Kentucky Presbytery 20. S.. of
four ministers 1t was represented
in this Assembly by Rev. Dr.
Yerkes, who voted no, and the only
no that came from the State of
Kentucky. Maryland gave solid
aye, but the day after the vote was
taken an absent member came in
and recorded a no. Missouri gave
no negative vote.
The unanimity of the vote in the
Assemblies is the expression of the
sense Of the Church that the basis
of reunion is right, and the time has
come for 1t. IT ever the voice Of
the Church is the voice of God, if
the Holy Spirit ever manifests the
divine mind in the decisions of the
Church, certainly we may without
fear affirm it of such result as
this. In this decision, all the ele-
ments of divine approval concur
With pray erful and patient de-
liberation, through long years, the
Church has been approaching this
subject. Successive General AS
semblies have cautiously and anx-
iously discussed it Large, learned,
wise, and excellent committees of
ministers and laymen, have given to
the question long sessions of most
careful thought. From the begin
ming, it has been felt by many of
the most valuable men in both
Schools, that the union must be
accomplished upon one basis only,
the simple confession ofthe Church.
Anything more, anything less,
would put in jeopardy property and
truth.
At last this result is reached.
The basis proposed is just what
every Presbyterian minister adopts
when he is ordained. The. Church
undergoes no change in it's doctrine
or polity when i, is, on such plat
form, united with another, body
holding the same confession of faith
and order All the Presbyterian
churches in the land may come.
together into one connection on
this basis, and be safe. And the
strong probability is that the good
work now begun will be carried on
until the union embraces all the
branches Of the Presbyterian family
in one. ~ Al i
1t now goes to the presbyteries
for their approval. If the votes in
the General Assembly are an indi-