The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1871-06-28

igrate from Missouri. We have tradition
about one Of the founders Of your great
commonwealth q refer of course to Daniel
Boone) that he went down to the river, and
saw, floating down, the limb of q tree evil
IDENTIFY cut by the axe of white man; he
went up to the house and said to his wife
that it was time to move from there, the
population was getting too thick Laughter. ]
We are glad to hear that you have nearly
two millions, and if we live little longer
we expect to hear Of more millions.
There is another thing which it gives us
great pleasure to say. We believe you are
entirely competent to manage your own bu-
sinesss, and whatever may be our ardent
wishes and longings, you are the sole judges,
and you alone are responsible to God for the
course you shall pursue, We have neither
the right nor the disposition to revise the
proceedings of your venerable body on great
questions of expediency or of law. We re-
member what it was that put you into this
position. 1t was your Declaration and Tes-
timony-testimony for principles which have
been admitted by all the soundest Presbyte-
rians from the days Of the Second Book Of
Discipline to this day. Nor is it possible for
any Presbyterian Church, however it may be
organized, and however it may repudiate
those principles in Others to be long organ
lied and work out any Presbyterian princi-
pie without virtually avowing the main prin-
ciples on which your Declaration and Testi-
mony rests.
We are rejoiced to hear of your 80 min
listers, and your $50 churches, and 5000
communicates. Why should you not set the
world on fire? speak with great serious
ness. Twelve fishermen and publicans started
on their public career the first day with
three thousand converts; and you know the
result. If your 80 ministers can obtain from
heaven that fire that ought to animate their
bosoms, they will BIO heard from all over this
land, and especially all over the great land
which God has committed to them. My
brethren, it would be JOY unspeakable to
US to hear that the Lord was with you, pour
ing out His Spirit on your waste places and
your churches, and raising up among you
men of such spirit as preceded you In for
mer days in that great commonwealth.
You have spoken of your being the only
remnant of the Old School. That is literally
true, And now may l propose with some
degree Of seriousness what | ventured to
suggest rather in pleasantly the other day
that the Old School Synod of Missouri shall
fix time for the meeting of that body in
the city of ST. Louis, and send message of
brotherly kindness to us to come there to be
received into the Old School Presbyterian
Church in the United States. Laughter.
Dear and honored brethren, in the name
of the Assembly give you the right hand
of fellowship. The God of all grace and all
mercy bless your Synod, your Presbyteries,
and your churches, all your friends,
and all your enemies too
THE Rev. A. S. Sloan, delegate from the As
ISOLATED Reformed Synod OF the South, was re-
ceived - May
ADDRESS OF REV. A. S. SLOAN.
Mr.. Moderator, father and brethren, it is
with difidence that Iappear before you as a
delegate from the Associated Reformed
Synod of the South, to bear to you their
honest sympathies and cordial Christian
salutations. Little is known of US, and if it
did not look like advertising the Church,
something might be said of It's history and
work. But you are all too near of kin to
this little sister to he ignorant of the fact that
she bears a striking likeness to the great
Presbyterian family. True, she is small,
| oaf,r RI " hn
much spoken against. Still this little sister
is loved and cherished by many of these full
grown brothers, and by Him who is the
Father of us all.
1t would be the merest presumption in me
to attempt to trace to this Assembly the
duties growing out of the intimate relations
of the two Churches. l think, however, /
speak but the words of truth and soberness,
when l assert that our Church loves your
Church, as it does no other branch of the
Presbyterian family. Companions in tribu-
lation, familiar with the same scenes of labor,
accustomed to the same modes of govern
ment, holding the same symbols of faith, and
all of us claiming the same Father, it would
be strange indeed if we did not cherish for
each other strong affection. We have been
pleased to hear of your zeal in repairing the
desolations of Zion, and sending the gospel
to the heather. We have not been disnter-
ested spectators, either, of the promptness
with which you have repelled Erastianism,
and your unanimity in maintaining and de.
Tending the crown,rights of our common Re-
deemer. Our common mother was cast out
without a marriage portion or dowry, for no
other crime than unwillingness to compro-
mise these rights. Our churches cannot
wink at such errors without sin, or rejecting
upon the purity and intelligence of our
mother. 1t is true that ecclesiastical cor
respondence between denominations does not
necessarily imply an absorption, although it
must be admitted that it frequently results
in this way; hence it may be apparent that
you have acted wisely in the long run in de-
clining correspondence with the Northern
Assembly. Truth compels me, my dear
brethren, to assure you that feeling of this
sort is experienced in our own Church, and
has barred correspondence with the United
Presbyterian Assembly The law of self
preservation ought to be regarded in the de-
nominatianal intercourse of protesting Chris
tians as much as in the intercourse of in
dividuals.
You are aware of the fact that some of US
think that the Distinguishing peculiarities of
the Associate Reformed Church are of sufi-
cient Importance to Justify its separate con-
tinued existence, especially when one of these,
and the main one amounts in our humble
conception, to nothing less than one of the
crown rights of our Redeemer. This AS
sembly cannot think less of us for so.doing,
when it is borne in mind that no other alter