Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-05-06

THE POINTS IN THE DISPUTE BETwEEN THE MOI
THsRN AND SOUTHERN CHURcBEs-TuE sTEi

THE POINTS IN THE DISPUTE BETWEEN THE NOR
Them AND SOUTHERN cHURcBEs-TuE sTEps
TOWARDS RECONCILIATION.
TO the Editor Of the Commercial:
Taat the public generally may have = correct
and clear understanding Of the points Of differ
ence between the Northern and Southern Pres
byterisn General Assemblies, about which there
are negotiations for reconciliation in progress
we give the following condensed history Of the
whole matter from the beginning up to the pres
ent date
1. About the year 1897 the Presbyterian
Church in this country WAS divided on
doctrinal issues into the Old and New School
General Assemblies.
2. Previous to the beginning Of the late civil
war the New School General Assembly, having
become involved In discussions relative to
slavery. wss again divided into tho Northern
and Southern branches. Tho seeded Presby-
teries OF the New School Assembly in the
Southern States organized themselves into
the United Presbyterian Synod. Thus at
the beginning Of the late war tho Presbyterian
Church in this country existed in three sepa-
rate and independent organizations viz :the Old
School General Assembly with Presbyteries and
churches in every State and Territory in the
Union, the New School Assembly with Presby-
teries and Churches only in the Free States and
Territories, and the United Synod, which had
seeded from the New School Assembly, and had
Presbyteries and Churches in only the Slave
States.
8. Soon after the beginning Of the war those
Presbyteries and Churches Of the Old School
General Assembly which were in the Southern
States, seeded and formed themselves into the
General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church Of
the Confederate States Of America.
4. During the time Of the war the United
Synod was consolidated with the General AS
sembly Of tile Presbyterian Church of the Con-
federate States At. the close of the war the
Presbyterian Church in the South, which then
embraced in itself both the New and Old School
elements in the Southern States assumed the
name Of the General Assembly of the Presbyter-
ian Church in the United States. Thus at the
close OF the war tho Presbyterian Church in this
country WAS divided into three separate and in
dependent General Assemblies, popularly known
- the Southern, tho Old School, and the New
School.
S. In May Of 1870 the Old and New School
General Assemblies formed All organic union
under the name Of the General Assembly Of the
Presbyterian Church in the United States Of
America. Since the formation Of this union the
Presbyterian Church has existed in this country
In two great divisions, popularly known as the
Southern aud Northern Presbyterian Churches.
These terms do not 90 much designate geo.
graphical division as one OF sentiment and SYM
pathy relative to Northern and Southern issues.
6. For sometime past there have been nego-
tiations on foot, trying to bring the Southern
relations and fraternal correspondence with one
another. Up to the present time these efforts
have been unsuccessful. The great difficulty in
the way of the accomplishment Of this very de-
sirable end, originates in certain actions and de-
liverances made and adopted by both the Old
the war and immediately after, relative to war
issues which involve charges of
"schsn,, heresy and blasphemy" against
the Southern Presbyterian Church. Now,
the Southern Church demands, rs the condition
on which alone friendly recognition aud frater-
nal intercourse can be established, that all these
imputations against them should be distinctly
and unequivocally withdrawn and disavowed, and
an expression Of regret on the part Of the
Northern Assembly for ever having made such
charges against them.
Here is the difficulty in the Gaze the Old and
New School Assemblies, which made and adopted
the deliverances against which the Southern
Church complains, have had no corpor-
ate existence since the period Of their
union in 1870. The Northern General Assem-
now has no power OF review or repeal over the
eetiapP AAd qsaFess Q1 tAf tue Aasspbliss which
were merged into one body in the act Of union
But both these Assemblies, when meeting fol-
the last time before their union, adopted wha
is known as the concurrent declaration
the union was formed, ii that no rule OR prece
dent which does not stand approved by botl
bodies shall be Of any authority Ill the reunited
body except 30 far al such rule or preceden
| may affect the rights Of property founded there
on"
1t is held by the Northern Church that thi
comprehensive declaration has stripped all thos
past deliversnoes, involving imputatons agains
the Southern Church, OF all possible authority
| and rendered them null and void; and has thu
done away with all charges expressed or i'm
piled in them.
l A.
has, in several subsequent action
taken by their General Assembly. re
affirmed this concurrent declaration,
and also by unanimous vote expressed its full
| confidence in tho doctrinAl sonndness and christ
| ian character of the ministers and members O
| the Southern Church.
In their meetings of last May both Of the Gen
| eral Assemblies appointed committees to NEE
and confer about the establishment Of fraterna
relations between their respective Assemblies
Those committees held their conference in til
city Of Baltimore in June last. They failed
agree upon basis on which they could recon
mend to their respective Assemblies the estat
lishment Of friendly intercourse and f-atcrni
correspondence.
The committe Of the Southern Church d.
manded that the General Assembly of the Nortl
ern Church should take farther action to tt
effect Of saying by another resolution. " th'
the obnoxious things we're said and done
times Of great excitement, that they are to
regretted, and that now, in calm review, til
imputations cast upon the Southern Church al
disapproved." They said that, il tile Gener
Assembly should see its way clear to such resi-
ution, it would end the whole matter at once
The Committee Of the Northern Assembl
replied that, 30 far a. the Northern Church LA
any powers OF review or control over the de!ive
ancss complained Of. they have already bee
declared "nul and void,' and all their imput
tations and charges done away with and TIL
to all intents and purposes the very .conditie
. demanded had already, to the full exte
OF the powers and authority Of their Assembl
: been granted.
This answer was not satisfactory to the Cor
\ mittee Of the Southern Church, and thereupe
! the conference was ended without accomplish
: = ing the most desirable end for which the con
: mittees had been appointed.
We have thus made plain and concise stat
!, ment OF the Gaze az 1t now stands. 1t is not u
= = organic union Of the two Assemblies that
= = sought to be accomplished, but only their IN
q q tual friendly recognition and fraternal CORE
. pondence with one another. 1t is at this poi
= = that the overture from the Presbytery Of N
Castle comes in. 1t approves of the positi
#, taken and held by the Committee Of the Norl
e,N church. They were appoint
? to s,s.2w that, as the Northern ehuI
/. basis for 1rs ternsl recognition and corresps
! dence has alre COY been laid in the several
!, | tons OF the N, Mtliern Assembly bearing up
the case, This ,the Presbytery thinks they {
show. but the Committee OF the southe
: Church could not zee their way clear to acc
: tins explanation. The presbytery wants
= have the explanation OF the committee snppe
: ed by the authoritstiv.> declaration Of the O.
II eral A sembly, and also 70 have the General
o sembly again to decla re-. in the piainest
!, most unequiyacal words thal az i1putati'
!" against the Southern Chu'sn Are wlthdraWh
- disAyOwed. -
o The result Of the Bttltimoss Conference
= :, proved to be Of great value, because IL DrI
Y out the fact that the point Of difference I
=. =. now keeps the two Assemblies apart, is AIM
IT nothing. 1t seems to tho Presbytery, in VII
the Above overture originated, that what
i, Southern Church demands has already D
~ ~ granted; but inasmuch as the Southern Chn
" " is not satisfied with the way III which tho I'm
~ tations against them have been Withdrawn.
u y Presbytery now overtures and petitions the q
~ !. eral Assembly to do this good deed over ag'
Ss ~ and this time in the most authoritative
sd emphatic manner. II IN deed
ID truth what the Southern Church dema
y. ~ has already been done. then let the North
~ .s Assembly cay 30, in the most explicit and U
- :. quivocal words; and thereupon the Soutf
- Church will stand pledged by the iolemn
~, laration of its committee to accept said
u ~ laFation, and thus end the whole controve
,ts It seems now that the point OF difference
10 10 tween the two Assemblies has been whit
=. down to the little end Of nothing" and it is
=. ao hoped that the General Assembly, in its ses
~ at cleveland in May next, will. with one 8
"a aud sharp sentence, cut on that "little on
10 nothing" and thus bring this whole matter
1t imp. Or
set The over Dressed school Girl
nor The Over Dressed School Girl IL attractin
Ike teptiop all around. The Washington Star