Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-06-21
PREsBYTERIAN CHURCH.

There has been lately publish
ed in many papers a statement
Of a Union of this Church, the
purport and character of which
is not generally understood. 1t
is only a union between the
Old and New School Churches,
of the North-and does not
embrace the churches-either
Old or New School-of the
South. In the year Of 1887
the Old and New School sepa-
rated on some doctrinal points,
but principally on the forms of
Government. The Presbyte-
rian Church in it's government
is essentially Republican, and
the Constitution and Govern
ment of the United States are
framed on the same principles.
The Church Session is formed
by the Pastor and Elders-the
Presbyteries-composed Of
many churches-of delegates
appointed by the Sesslon-the
Synod-conlposed of many
Presbyteries-of delegates
Pastors and Laymen-appoin-
ted by the Presbytery, and the
General Assembly of the whole
church, of delegates appointed
by Synod; and any individual
member, who may feel aggriev-
ed at the action of a church
session, has the right to appeal
from it's decision to the Pres
bytery-and from that to the
Synod, and thence to the Gen
eral Assembly, precisely as any
individual can appeal from the
Court to another in the Courts
of the United States. A por-
ton of the church, in the
North, who claimed to be more
Democratic, always held that
the congregation, and not the
rae+e-e should Iule IN The
church, and we're known by
the name of Congregationalists,
and the same parties also diff
fering on some doctrinal points,
caused the split in the whole
church in the United States in
1887, the Old School churches
of the South still remaining
part of the church, and send
ing delegates as usual to the
General Assembly of the Uni
ted States-and the New School
members North and South
forming a different Assembly.
Some years, afterwards, when
the slavery question began to
assume political aspect, the
Northern preachers and
churches in the Old School, be-
gan to agitate the question in
the General Assembly, but it
was voted down, but finally |
became so bitter that on the
passage of certain anti slavery
resolutions, the Southern mem
bers left in a body, and formed
a Southern General Assembly,
which exists to this day, with
more than 500 ministers, and
all attempts on the part Of the
Northern Assembly to unite
them, has been rejected This
is the same question which
split the Northern and South |
Methodists, and the PROPOSE
ton to'unite them has lately
been rejected by the General
Southern Conference. 1t also
split the New School Presbyte-
rian churches, into Northern
and Southern Assemblies, which
still exist. .~ ..st
The Northern fanatical
preachers, who caused all this
separation, have been trying
for years to bring about unity
again, in order to give them
more extended control and
larger field of operation, but
have never succeeded in getting
the Southern churches of any
creed, to unite with them again
but at last have inveigled their
Northern new school brethren,
as fanatical as themselves on
the slavery question, to unite
with them on the mere forms
of church government, but how
1onr It will last If all Southern