The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-06-23

To the General ASSEMBLY Of the PfeS6yte-
rian Church aa the URited States
The Presbytery of Florida, at its late
session at Tallahassee, Fla, having adopted
a memorial to be sent up to your venerable
body, touching the peculiar circumstances
of the church at Jacksonville, we deem 1t
proper and necessary to forward to you the
following paper, embodying briefly the facts
and history of the case.
The congregation contemplated In the said
memorial, comprise at least three-fourths
(}l of the original church of Jacksonville,
which has been in connection with, and I'M
der the the jurisdiction Of the Presbytery OF
Florida ever since the organization of that
body. They were, Immediately proceeding
the war, under the pastorate of the Rev.
James Little, and in the possession and use
of comfortable church building and par
sonage. When the church in the Southern
States was driven to separation from the
General Assembly with which it had been
previously connected, the church of Jack
sonville expressed no disagreement Of senti-
.ment with the Presbytery of Florida in its
s Establishment of relations with the General
Assembly in the Southern States, but quiet
ly and voluntarily acquiesced in the action
taken by that body. During the occupation
of the city by the Federal forces, the mem
bers of the church, or most of them, with
their pastor, were compelled to retire into
the interior, where they remained until the
close of the war. Returning then they were
visited by, and enjoyed the ministratlons of
missionaries-their pastor being absent from
the eountry-sent occasionally by the Pres
bytery of Florida, whose authority they dis
tinctly owned and recognized, and by whom
they were as distinctly owned and recognized.
The congregation, composed of persons OF
both Northern and Southern birth, were then
living, working and wOrshipping together in
the most friendly relations.
The following winter, after the close Of
the war, the remaining and only elder who,
during the war, had moved to the North, re-
turned, and at once assumed the administra-
ton of the affairs of the church, Of this the
church did not complain. 1t was his right
and duty to do so as ruling elder, regular
ly elected, ordained and installed as an of
fcer of the church. But the church felt
and insisted upon it that his administration
should also consist with the rules, require
ments, pOlity and usages of the Presbyterian
Church as explained and defined by the AS
sembly and Presbytery with which this
church was in regular and proper cOnnec-
ton. The complaint of the church as en-
tertained and entered by a majority of its
members was that all of the acts of the said
ruling elder, in his administration of author.
ity, were in violation of the rules and regu
lations of our church, and so irregular, lille
gal, void and of no effect, as we shall pro
coed to show:
On the 23d of July, 1866, at the instance
of the elder aforesaid, meeting of the
church was called, without any specification
of the object. AT this meeting two resolu-
tons were adopted by an illegal vote, as we
shall show, and which were consequently
irregular and void, viz:
1. A resolution declaring the church in
dependent, no notice having been given to
the Presbytery of Florida-its proper and
recognized conneetion-that any such action
was in contemplation.
2. The pastoral relation subsisting between
this church and the Rev. James Little, in
stituted by the Presbytery of Florida in
the fall of 1860, was declared to be dis
solved, without any reference to or respect
for the jurisdiction of the Presbytery in the
matter.
The congregation who voted upon and
adopted the foregoing resolutions was CON-
posed in large part of members of other de-
nominations, persons of no religious views,
and transient visitors; in fine, majority
who were disqualified by the express provi-
sion of our Form of Government.
A congregational minister visiting the city
early the following spring was, by the elder
aforesaid, invited to supply the pulpit of the
church; and on the Goth of May, 1867, a
meeting was called to consider the propriety
of continuing the services of said minister.
At this meeting motion was adopted re-
considering the action adopted by the meet
ing held the previous summer, in which the
independently of the church was declared
affirming as illegal and void the action of
the Rev. James Little, in declaring the adj
herenee of this church to the Presbytery Of
Florida, in 1861; which action, as we have
before seen, was acquieseed in by the church
and declaring that this church recognized
no ecclesiastical body not authorized by the
Old School General Assembly," North.
The above mentioned congregational minis
ter, of violent partizan feelings and preju-
dices and extreme political views, which he
prOpagated openly, and often insultingly, in
the presence of the Southern members of the
congregation, was then elected pastor of this
church.
The majority of themembers of the church,
consisting of nine persons, together with
twelve persons members of Presbyterian
churches elsewhere, but then residents of this
city, and members Of the congregation, and
eli ht persons members Of the congregation
bnt not members of the church, then with
~ from any further association with the
dominant but illegal party, OBJECTED to the
whole procedure, and entered and filed
protest against it upon the following
grounds.
l. The meeting was composed of members
of various churches and denominations, and
who were strangers and persons who make
no pretensiOns to religion, or profess any
religious faith.
2. The meeting thus constituted under
took to change or fix the status of the church
by voting to dissolve its connection with the
Florida Presbytery; whereas such an act
could only be done by the members of the
church after due notice had been given from
the pulpit of such intention; and no such
notice had ever been given.
3. The meeting thus irregularly held,
proceeded by their vote to invest the Rev.
Mr.. Hart, without the consent of Presbytery,
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