The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-01-03

election of the following officers: T. G.
Perrin, Chairman; w. A. Giles, Clerk;
g. McD. Miller, Assistant Clerk.
A committee was appointed to draughtl /
an order Of business, aftertwhich. at
half-past two o'clock, recess was taken
till p. IN.
EVENING SESSION.
The Committee reported, recommend-f
ing the following: 1st. The roll OF !
churches be called in reverse alphabeti-
cal order, for the purpose of acquiring
respecting the condition of
the churches, spiritual and temporal;
that the following topics be particularly
adverted to-n1embership, deaconship,
eldership, ministry.
BY resolution, permission was given
to any member to address the meeting,
at any time during the evening, upon
such points as the information from the
churches might suggest. This brought
out several good, brief, pointed address
eS. -
The Conference adjourned at a few
minutes past eleven, to, meet in the
morning at half past nine o'clock, for
the purpose of taking up the second or
der of business recommended by the
Committee TO observe season Of con-
ference on the subject of Ministerial
Conservation and Ministerial Support
THURSDAY MORNING SESSION.
The opening religious exercises hav-
| ing been attended to, a motion to recon-
slider the order .for the morning, and
take ND the subject of Domestic Mis-
! sions within the bounds of our Presby--
terry, was offered, warmly opposed, and
voted down. This Conference on the
part of the ministers was very interest
ling and edifying, not only to brother
ministers, but to the elders and deacons.
Just here, / recall to mind, some re-
marks made in the Conference by a rul-
ing elder the evening previous, nearly
in these words: 1--WE, come into this
world naked :; this is agood thing, for
it teaches US; that what;we make here
our money, our lands, our houses, are
not our own, but simply trust funds, for
Which God will call us to render at last
q strict account. When our Church
members admit this, then the Church
will enter upon wider field of useful
ness, and many Of her present embar-
rassments will be removed" These
words are good and true. I trust they
will be remembered aud acted npon by
those who heard them. recall, too,
. the remarks of ; a deacon: "The .func-
ton of our office is similar in some res
poets to that Of the fireman-we are to
Isupply wood and water-money to the
preachers; so that I think, candidly,
whenever the wood and water. are with
held, the engine should stop-whenever
the PASTORS salary is not promptly paid,
he ought to cease preaching, the doors
of his church should be shut, and his
pulpit become silent, until his arreages
are paid him. This, I think, would
have the effect Of keeping our churches
up to tIieirduty in the matter of pastors
Il salary These remarks aretoo good to
be lost, Let them roll on, until all of
our deacons shall take this view OF their
Office. and many poverty-stricken pas
tor and his family will be made to re-
ioice, and then will be heard no more
these sad complaints of half-pa!d sala-
ries. Another remark, in substance,
came frequently from both elders and
deacons sour pastor is good man, the
people have every confidence in his pie
: ty, they enjoy his preaching, are bene-
fitted by it, they love him very much,
both as man and as o minister of the
gospel, but aue are sadly behind in our.
saldry'" have been trying ever since
to reconcile these two ideas-to combine
into one these two ideas-a people
loving their pastor, and yet behindhand,
wear after year, with his salary. L have
! hitherto failed. The two ideas seem to
have no natural affinity, they seem rath-
er to have mutual antipathy, they
seem to be incompatbles.
The Conference adjourned sine die, on
Thursday, about half-past one o'clock,
D. m., after unanimous passage OF the
following
RESOLUTIONS.
That committee of five be appointed
to devise plan for managing the imam
ces of the Church, and that this commit
tee report to the Executive Committee
of Domestic Missions.
THE Committee selected by the Con-
ference under this resolution Is as fol-
lows: Ruling Elders, T. G. Perrin, Thos.
Thomson Minister, Rev. J. .. Lind
say; Deacons, w. G.. Wardlaw, w. 4.
Blake.)
That the ministers be requested to
preach more repeatedly, pointedly. and
plainly on the Scripture doctrine OF CIV
ing
That we recommend to each church
in this county to appoint deacons, as
NAV be nGeUeu, 10 dIleuu w tle tShhpo-
raj affairs of the Church.
That the dcacons of each church, with
the elders, be recommended to make an
assessment upon all the members OF
their respective churches; in such as
sessments taking into consideration the
means aud circumstances of each
church-member, and thereby fixing and
apportioning the assessment.
-rNl,,t MA tO tho Hnoa0na Of
each church, upon the refusal or neg
lect of any church-member to pay his
assessment made as above, to report such
refusal or neglect to the church session,
who are recommended to take such steps
therein a may be deemed proper.
That fe recommend to the several
churche3who may adopt in practice the
foregoing resolutions, to report the result
to the Presbytery.
That we recommend to the several
CONGREGATIONS to adopt, if not already IN
practice. the plan of collections from all
persons. and of all ages, every day when
RELIGIOUS services shall be held in their
churches: and that special collections be-
taken I'D for their respective objects, on
the days appointed by the general assem-
bly,
Before closing, I desire, for the infor-
nation of such of our church.
members as may not be already Informed,
to add few remarks connected with the
last clause of the last resolution. The
systematic Benevolence Scheme of the
Assembly, and the days appointed for
special collections in their behalf. are the
following: The first Sabbath in Novem-
her for Education (of candidate for the
iministry:) the first Sabbath in January
for sustentation; the first Sabbath in
March for Publication the first Sabbath
in April for Evangelists; the first Sab
bath in May for Foreign Missions; the
first Sabbath in July for Invalid Fund,