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

Your committee respectfully recommend thu
this question be answered in the negative, for tn
following reasons:
l. When an accused person, after due cltatlor
pleads guilty before the court empowered to tr
him, the necessity of further investigation is,
course, superseded, and the court may proceed
once to pass the appropriate sentence. But 1t
not safe, in every case to accept the report OF
committee, such as is described in the overture,
conclusive proof that the accused dellDeratei
intends to plead guilty.
2. In chapter A. section o. of the Book OF Dlscl
pline ('Of Actual Process" we find this law
The judlcatory, IN many cases, may ind 1t NOR
for ediication, to send some member to converse
in private manner, with the accused person; ant
if he confess his guilt, to endeavor to bring him
repentance, than to proceed Immediately to clta
tion." We have here described the proper actor
to be taken by just such committee of the cour
as the above overture contemplates The only re
suit aimed at by such private dealing of that com
mittee with tho accused confessing his guilt, i
the bringing of him to repentance; and we heal
nothing in this law of a sentence, immediatel!
founded on the report of the interview. On th'
contrary, it seems to be implied that the prope
alternative is the citation of the accused provided
he cannot be brought to repentance after comics
sion of guilt.
8. In the same chapter, section IL, it is writer
"That, although the accused shall declare In writ
ing, or otherwise, and to the court itself, his pur
pose not to obey citation, this declaration shall
in no case induce the judicatory to deviate from
the regular course prescribed for citation. They
shall proceed as if no such declaration has beer
made" The person cited may afterward alter hi
mind. The regular course prescribed for sucf
cases is (section IO that he shall be cited seconG
time before sentence is pronounced. The spirit O.
this rule evidently requires such second citation
and for the stronger reason before the courts car
properly proceed to final sentence against an ac
cused person who has given weaker evidence O.
contumacy by a verbal avowal of guilt in private
'" He may afterward alter his mind, !" and submit
ting himself to the lawful jurisdiction, he may 81
explain his faults and manifest such penitence al
ought to modify the penalty.
For these reasons the Assembly decides tha
sentence may not lawfully be passed on any mem
Der or officer of the Presbyterian Church, unless
he confess his guilt In the presence of the cour
itself; or else demonstrate his own contumacy after
second formal citation, as above prescribed in the
constitution.
DR.. Da6ney-I merely remark for expla.
nation, that this case was sent up by refer.
ence from the Presbytery of Montgomery
to the Assembly of 1870, and was very
keenly discussed 1t was debated with per.
severance until the Assembly became con-
vinced that it could not give an intelligent
answer at that meeting, difference of opin.
ion existing to considerable extent between
the representatives of that Presbytery as
well as other members of the Assembly
The Committee have given the best attention
they could, and have devised what seemed to
them a just and lawful answer. If any
members of the Montgomery Presbytery
are in the house, l hope they will be heard
Adopted
PREsBYTERY OF SAC PAULO.
DIR. Hendrick presented the following:
The Committee on Foreign Missions would re.
port in regard to the organization of Presbytery
in Brazil:
l. That Rev. G. Nash Morton, Rev. Edward
Lane, Rev. James r. Baird and Rev. w. Q. Emer.
son, with the church, in Camninas, be detached
stituted into Presbyery to be called the Presby-
terry of Sac Paulo, in connection with the Synod
of Virginia.
2. The boundaries of said Presbytery shall be
commensurate with the limits of the kingdom OF
Brazil.
8. The Presbytery of Sac Paulo is directed to
meet in Campinas on Saturday before the second
Sabbath in January, 1872 at II o'clock A. NJ,
and be opened with sermon by Rev. James K.
Baird, or in case of his absence or inability, by
Rev. Edward Lane, who shall preside till Mod.
orator is elected.
Adopted.
VALID BAPTISM.
The report of the Committee ON Valid
Baptism was again taken up and read.
This report has already been published.
The question was on the adoption of the
report.
DR.. s. j. Baird-I am prepared to vote
for the report without word said.
Rev. r. z. Berry, cannot say am
ready to vote for the report. 1t is with re-
luctance that | enter upon a discussion at
this late stage of our proceedings. ! was
sorry yesterday to see disposition mani
tested on the part of the Assembly to hurry
its business to close without what seemed
to me due deliberation The subject before
us is worthy of serious consideration. |
deem this an able report on the whole, yet
there are some positions taken in it which |
must characterize as extreme. There seems
to be tendency on the part of some con-
nected with the Southern Presbyterian
Church to take, in some instances, extremely
ultra positions and to force US into an atti-
tude not merely sectional but sectarian.
have no sympathy whatever with such ef-
forts. The positions taken in this report
have that tendency. The one, however, to
which | have chief objection, and to which
l shall confne my remarks is the statement
in regard to Roman Catholic baptism.
cannot vote to adopt that position. With
out entering into an elaborate discussion of
the subject, shall assign as briefly as pos
sible the reasons for my vote. do not be-
lieVe that the position assumed on this point
is sustained by majority of the Presbyte-
rian Church in the United States; though
may be mistaken in that.
l oppose the adoption of the report be-
cause, first, the Roman Catholic Church
whatever may be its errors of Theology,
comprises three hundred millions of souls,
who with US "profess and call themselves
Christians who profess to believe in, love
and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. | am not
prepared to un-church 3O0,0OO,0OO of pro
Tossing Christians; and that is what we shall
do if we adopt the report. We throw them
beyond the pale of visible Christianity. Have
we any authority to do this?
The second reason I assign is that the
Roman Catholic Church, whatever may be
its corruptions in our view, holds this day to
the fundamental doctrines of the Christian
religion as they are held by US. They hold
the Apostles and the Nicene Creeds, symbols
as strong and as sound as are to be found in
any church in the world, and which we our.
selves recognize as true symbols of the faith
1t cannot be denied further, that the Ro'
man Catholic Church is to some extent the