The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-08-11
CANDoR AND COURTESY.

11ealh, under the title Christian CandOr, Uersas
Christian Courtesy, and under the signature Of
"R." was copied into the Central Presbyterian ct
July It'll. To this a reply was made the next
week by "W. T. R." At the same date few
lines of editorial remarks were added, chiefly ex-
planatory, with promise to say more at another
time. This is all we have written in reference to
the action of the last Northern General Assembly
(Old SCHOOL, concerning our Church. We own to
a reluctance in saying anything nOw-tOr our con-
yicon has been clear that it would have been best
for both sides, and best for the peace and good
neighbOrhood, ultimately, between the two church
es. to let the question alone. But in compliance
both with the promise referred to- and private re-
quests from respected brethreni 1t Is proposed to
express such views as have presented themselves
to our mind The subject is one of those which,
if touched at an, should be treated with some full
ness it may therefore require two or three papers
to answer the purpose in hand.
The paper adopted by the last Northern Assem-
bly,, at their sessions in New York, is as follows;
Whereas, The last General ASSEMBLY acknOwl
edged the separate and independent existence of
the Presbyterian Church in the Southern States,
and enioined upon all subordinate courts so to
treat It, thus according to ITS ministers and mem
bers the privilege of admission to our body upon
the same terms which are extended to ministers
and members of other branches OF the Presbyte
rian Church in this country; therefore,
ReS0bed, That this General Assembly hereby
CONVEYS its Christian SalutatiOns to the General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the
Southern States, and gives expression to Its sent
mentS of Christian fraternity and fellowship to-
ward the ministers and members of that body.
Al nh nd hold Will fha YOn
ancient symbols of faith, the same forms Of gov
eminent and of worship, thus representing before
the world the same sacred principles to which our
common ancestors witnessed and which we have
maintained together in the past; and especially
since we occupy adjacent and In many places COM
mon territory, we deem it due to our one Lord
and to the best interests Of his kingdom on EARTH
to express the desire that the day may not be dis
tant, when we may again be united IN one great or
ganization, that shall cover our whole land and
embrace all branches of the Presbyterian Church.
Resolred, That the Stated Clerk be directed to
forward copy of these resolutions to the Stated
Clerk Of the Presbyterian Church in the Southern
States.
Now, concerning this paper there are some things
which it may be proper to remark.
l. 1t is great improvement upon the former
declarations of the Northern General Assembly
This will be seen by looking back and noting
what was said by previous Assemblies. In 1862
they declared that we were schismaticS, and that
it was their fixed purpose under all possible cir
eumstanees, to labor for the extension and the per-
manent maintenance of the Church under them
care, in every part of the United States. Schism,
so far as it exists, we hopAt see healed If that
cannot be, it win be disregSrded In 1868 it ut,
tered its solemn rebuke towards those ministers
and members of the Church of Christ who have
aided in bringing on and sustaining these immense
calamites referring to the war and ecclesiastical
separation.
In 1865 came their notorious paper IN which,
among other things, it was enacted that if any
minister from our Church should propose to unite
with Presbytery in theirs, it must examine him,
whether he has az 0ay l0ay, directly or Indirect
y, of his own free viii and consent, or without ex-
ternal cOnstraint, been concerned at any time in
aiding or cOuntenaneing the rebellion and the war
which has been waged against the United States;
and il it be found by his own confession, or from
sufficient testimony, that he has been so concerned
that he be required to confess and Orsake his sin
in this regard before he shall be received They
follow this with another point respecting slavery
Again it is enacted:
Church sessions are also required to examine
all applicants for church membership by persons
from the Southern States, or who have been living
in the South since the rebellion, concerning their
conduct and principles on the points above speci-
fed" If the examination is not satisfactory,
such persons shall not be admitted to the com
munion of the Church til they gre erileRee of re-
peatance for their sia and repudate their error "
1t was proposed to amend this, making it the duty
of sessions tO take eOgnizaRee also Of members of
their o,oa churches, ,oho hare offended IN Ike man
ner" This was strongly opposed the Rev. Dr.
West, for example, (now Professor in the Theolog-
zeal Seminary at Danvile, Kyu) insisted that
if you pass this recommendation, you will disturb
many churches and dishonor this Assembly -
The amendment was rejected by large majority,
and the Assembly was honored by refusing to treat
what they denounced sinful in members of oar
Church, as being sinful if committed by members
of their Church. and for the reason it would seem,
that by so doing they would breed disturbance
among themselves!
To reeite in full the SANDERS upon our Church
with which their Minutes Of 1865 are stored, would
be to copy what would amount to two or three Of
its pages. They did not hesitate to declare, upon
the deliberate report OF their committee OF Bills
and Overtures, that our General Assembly was
organized in order to render their aid in the at
tempt to establish, by means of the rebellion,
separate national existence, and to conserve and
perpetuate the system of slavery" And when in
the protest of DR.. S. r. Wilson and others, the
truth of this allegation was refuted and correct
statement drawn from our own official action at
Augusta, Ca, in 1861, was given, the SANDER was
not only not retracted, but was repeated and re,
adopted in the answer to that protest.
Again, upon the recommendation Of their Com
mittee on Domestic Missions, they adopted policy
of proceeding towards our Church which is thus
described in the above protest-"We protest
against this action Of the Assembly, because it
seems to us to tend to destruction, rather than to
edi6eation 1t puts it in the power of any two
ministers, in any particular district, with the aid
of any other whom they may choose to select, to
claim to themselves all the powers, rights and i'm
munides ecclesiastical and civil, belonging to the
Presbytery or Presbyteries of which they may be-
members; and in ike manner it recognizes any two
or three members of particular church as consti-
tuting the Church, and, far as hes in the power
Of this Assembly, invests such members with all
the rights, religious and secular, belonging to the
whole Church. This measure, therefore, what
ever its INTENT in its practical workings is calcu-
lated, we are constrained to think, to promote
strife and discOrd amongst brethren in the South
themselves, and to widen and perpetuate the
breach already existing to so sad an extent between
the Northern and Southern portions of the Pres