The New York herald., 1869-05-16
TIIE PRESDYTnRIiN CHURCH,
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Its History and Constitution i'm
America.
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The "Old School" and the
"New School"
The Approaching General Assemblies of
Both in This City.
What Business Will Come Before
Them.
THE PROSPECT OF REUNION.

On the 2oth OF this month there viii be convened
In our city two very large, Influential and interesting
ecclesiastical bodies. These are the Old and the New
schoo General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church
in the United States of America. They are annually
opened Nth sermon from the retiring Moderator
upon the third Thursday in May. The Old School
Assembly meets this year in the Brick Presbyterian
church. corner OF Fifth avenue AMI Thirty-seventh
street, Drs. Spring and Murray pastors 1t Is the
frst time in the history OF the holy that 1t has met
with this church. The New School General Assembly
is adjourned to meet the Church of the Covenant
Park avenue corner of East Thirty-iith street. Dr.
George l.. Prentis pastor
These bodies consist OF representatives from all
the presbyteres in the United States, at the rate OF
one ministerial delegate and cne lay delegate from
each presbytery OF twenty-four members and two OF
each from presbyteries that contain more than
twenty-fo members
The last Old School Assembly, which met at Alba
nv, n Y. consisted OF l65 members and 124 ruling
elders-ln all 2S9 commissioners.
The last General Assembly OF the New School
branch which met at Harrisburg, Pa, contained
l3l ministers and 1l2 ruling eders-a total OF 253
members in all.
AS many other persons besides commissioners are
of necessity present TO attend to business which
comes before these bodies 1t is not likely that the
number TO be expected the present year and for
whom hosDltality will be provided, be less than
S00 while some estimate it at ,Ooo
The presence in our CITY for several days Of bodies
so numerous ana possessed OF such influence as
these Is an interesting event; and their
sessions will attract TO them very many
individuals, who will ind not only the
debates and discussions worthy of attention, but
haar
ing some of the most distinguished and representa-
tive men OF these churches. 1t is well known that
the title Presbyterian is from Greek word which
means an elder and that the Presbyterian Church is
so called from the fact that the oversight of each
CONGREGATION is committed TO teaching and to ruling
elders, while the presbytery or church court, in
which all the churches OF certain district are re-
presented is the most important Judicatory All the
teaching elders ministers theoretically upon
an equality The ruling elders, as representing the
people, have seat In all the church courts, while
the decisions Of the presbyteries are reviewed by
the Synods and all the Synods by an annual General
Assembly
While the Church Of Rome and the Church Of Eng
land satisfied to 20 back for their antiquity to
the Apostles. the Presbyterian Church, If we may
allow the claims OF its divlnes, dates beyond
them, If not TO Paradise, since all admit
that Adam was both a teaching and a
ruling elder certainly to the time when Moses ap-
pointed for his assistance In church government
cable men out Of Israel" The Presby terian Church
in this country was formed by emiarants from Scot
land aud Ireland at early period OF American
history. several Presbyterian churches were estab-
lished Eastern Virginia before the close OF the
seventeenth century. In Maryland and Virginia
there are churches that were formed in 1880; the
churches In Freehold n. j., and Woodbridge, " j.,
constituted in 1892, and the first church in Pha-
dephia in l59s. There very good grounds for
believing, however that Presbyterian church was
formed in 1872 at Jamaica, Long Island, in this
State. which is probably. the oldest Presbyterian
church in the United States. In 1905 1906 the first
presbytery was organized, called the presbytery OF
Philadelphia. which increased the number Of its
churches so rapidly that in 17l6 four presbyteries
were constituted from the churches In its bounds.
These were the presbyteries OF Philadelphia,
OF Newcastle, OF Snow Hin and OF Long
Island, and these were formed into a synod
under the name OF the Synod Of Phlade .pha.
In l74l this synod was divided by differences Of
tment into ''old side'' and new side" The new
side' Prysby yterians formed the synod OF New YORK
but after seventeen years had passed reunion was
medltated and consummated by the adoption on
the part OF botn Sides OF articles OF union. the
Synods again became one, with the title, ''Ihe
Synod Of New York and Philadelphia"
AT the close OF the Revolutionary War the Presby-
teran BODY contained 10 ministers and nearly 200
churches ia New York New jersey, PENNSYLVANIA
Delaware. Mdrfann. Nlrgnl1 ana the NarOlluaS. In
15ss the original synod had grown so large that 1t
was subdivided aud became four synods-namely,
the synods OF New lork and New Jersey OF Phila-
delphla, OF virginia and OF the Carolinas. over
these was constituted, as In the Church Of Scotland,
General Assembly. The Westminster confession
of faith was adopted with three slight alterations
and the Larger and shorter Ca,echlsms Of the same
origin, with but a single change. form OF gov
ernment and discipline ana directory for public
worship, drawn chiefly from the standards OF the
Church OF Scotland, with such notifications az our
republican institutions and the state OF the Church
here required, competed the system The first Gen
eral Assembly under TINS new arrangement con-
vened III the second Presbyterian church IN Pha-
deipnla lhe following year Isg ana was opened with
sermon by the Rev. Dr. John Wtherspoon. Presl-
dent ol Princeton College, member OF Congress
from New Jersey and one OF the sgners OF the Dec
laration OF Independence. HIS text was:-"So, them
neither Is he that planteth anything, neither
he that watereth, but God tnat giveth the
sembly appears the name OF DR.. John Rodgers,
at that time pastor OF the Wall street and Bride
churchert IN TINS cry. by an interesting comet
Jersey Is member OF the coming Assembly In 1897
the Presbyterian Church was again divided into
favoring more rigid the other less strict con.
struction OF the same standards OF doctrine and gov
ernment In 1889 there were four synods, seventeen
presbyteries. nearly 800 churches and about 2oC
ministers. Now however, In less than hfy years the
church had grown TO contain thirty m synods
22O,55I Communicates It's growth aud progress
since that time have been even greater and mor'
THE OLD SCHOOL GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Both The Ola school and the New School Assemblies
are known by the same designation namely :-"Th'
General Assembly n the PRESBYTERIAN Church In th'
United states OF American Both use the same con
fesslons OF faith, and their usages OF worship
scarcely differ at all. They are gradually drawing
nearer to each other, and there are not wanting
those who predict tnat union between them Will
very soon be consummated.
The Old school body will contain the present yea
representatives both ministerial and lay, from about
l4O presbyteries. These presbyteries are grouped
together into large bodies called synods which have
an annual meeting In the autumn 10 deliberate upon
matters OF advantage TO the churches under theil
care but the synods as such have representatives
In the assembly, these coming In all cases, from the
presDytcnes. New England Is represented IN seve-
raj presbyteries; all the Northern ami Middle states
send delegates; the Western aud Northwestern
states will also furnish numerous commissioners.
California has four presbytertes, several OF the
Southern states Will also appear by their representa-
tves, ana such distant presbyteries as those OF Rio
Janeiro, OF Canton, Ninppo and Snantung I'm China
and Lodana, Furrukhabad aud Aahabad in India
will have their members upon the moor. Africa alsd
has its presbyteres represented In this body as fo
example, the presbyterles OF Corisco aud Western
Africa.