The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-06-08

/ Episzits lksR flsss SisR tE 81 STATS In,
| ppll&ie1 sisei 1annSi delibsratel pro-,
sssaSs4 ysis aft ftsfJssr; astd which in.
| ods 3pdk dknSat, y Ssst : sad bstsaysa of
.shsss sssss;sss aised 6p of our common
Lotk and Head Z. We SslisvS h. 70 be
soisnair .inesRbsnt upco ths Norsherh
Presbyterian Ghurch, not will reference
u as, bnt LsfSre khs GhtlsIsn world aud
before our Divi6s Msster snai King. to
purge itself Of this error, and hy public
proels nation of the trothsto place the
crown once more upon the head Of
jesus Christ a. the alone King in Zion.
In defsult Of which. the Southern
Presbyteriau Church, which has already
suffered mnsh in maintaioing the iode-
pendcoce aud spirituality Of the Re.
deemer's kingdom upon earth, feels
constrained to bear public testimon6
against this detection OF ou, late asso-
ciates from the truth. Nor can we, by
official correspondence even, consent
to blunt the edge os this, our testimony,
concerning the very nature aud mission
of the Church as purely spiritual
body among men.
q. The union now consummated be-
tween the Old and New School Assem-.
blies North was accomplished by me.b-
DDS which, in our judgment, involve a
total surrender Of oil the great testimo-
MES Of the Church for thaf fun 1amental
doctrines of grace at tidlev when the
victory Of truth over error hung long
in the balance. The United Assembly
stands. Of necessity, upon an allowed
latitude of Interpretation Of the stan
dards, and must come at length to em
brace nearly all shades of doctrinal
belief. Qfs.those falling testimonies
we are n5w the sole surviving heirs,
which We must lift from the dust and
bear to the generations after US. II
would be serious compromise Of this
sacred trust to enter into public and
official fellowship with those repudiating
these testiMo MES and to do this e4.
pressly upon the ground, as stated in
the preamble to the overture before us,
":lat tho terms of re union between the
two branches Of the Presbyterian
Church at the North, now happily
consummated, present au auspicious
opportunity tor the adjustment of such
relations" TO found correspondence
profitable upon :his idea would be to
endorse that which We thoroughly disap
prove.
3. Some of the members Of our own
body were but short time since violent
ly aud unconstitutionally expelled from
tho communion Of our branch of the
now United Northern Assembly under
ecclesiastical charges which, iftrue, ren.
der them utterly Infamous before the
Church and the world. 1t is to the last
degree unsatisfactory to construe this
offensive Legislation obsolete by the mere
fusion Of that body with another, or
through the operation of a faint declara-
ton which was not intended originally
to cover this case. This is no mere
"rule" or "preccdcu,," but a solemn
sentence of outlawry against what is
now an important and constituent part
of our own body. Every principle of
honor and Of good iaith compcls US to
say that an unequivocal reputation Of
that Interpretation of the law under
which these men we're condemned must
be condition precedent to any official
So'i eoPo"ucuCc ou ouI paII'
4. 1t is we'll known that similar inju-
rious accusations were preferred against
the whole Southern Presbyterian Church
with which tho ear Of the whole world
has been filed. Extending, as these
charges do, to heresy and blasphemy,
they cannot be quietly ignored by
an ibdireetiop of any sort. II true, We
are not worthy Of tho confidence.
respect, Christian honor, and love-"
which are rendered 10 US in this overture.
If untrue, Z" hri>siun honor and love-"
manlioess, aud truth, require them to
be openly and squarely withdrawn. So
long as they remain upon record they
are an impossible barrier to official inte-
course: