Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-04-28
FIRST EDITION.
Presbyterian tion.

| ACTION OF THK NEW CASTLE pREsBYTERY- AN oy ER-
| TURE TO THE GENERAL AssEMBLy.
Al tile late meeting of the Presbytery of New
Castle, held In the town Of Lewes, Del, the
following overture, introduced by Rev. j. NJ. Z.
Otis, ID. d., WAS unanimously adopted. aud or
dered to he forwarded to the General Assembly
at its next meeting. The end which in desired
10 secure in not organic union. but the establish
ment OF friendly relations between the General
Assemblies of the North and the South.
As VIII appear from what follows,
overturea have heretofore been made
| looking to this end by the Northern Assembly
| Composed Of the Old and New School Assem-
| blies) and these overtures only lack contirma-
ton because of the domand by the Southern Az
clare invalid the charges OF heresy,
schism and blasphemy which, it is
alleged, were made against the Southern
church by the New and Old School Assemblies
prior to their union and during the
war. In other words, the Southern church
demands that the present Northern Assembly
shall undo what was done by the organizations
of which it is composed, separately before their
union.
The following s the overture
The Presbytery Of New Castle respectfully
| overtnres the General Assembly on the subject
OF fraternal correspondence. as follows -
i. 1t is the opinion and judgment of this
piesbytery that the Concurrent Declaration"
vi tue Clu hHu NOW ocnOOi AbdeiIlDlleh, mhue
and adopted by each of them, when meeting
Tor the last time prior to their union, together
with the several subsequent actions bearing
upon this subject, taken by the General Assem-
blies OF the Reunited church, were intended to
have, and do have, the effect to strip OF all pos
sible authority, AZ law and rule in the reunited
Church, all the past deliverances of both and
each of the Assemblies OF which the Southern
Church has complained M bearing injurlously
against them and thus, so far as any General
nf f..a1r af M
ell has, or eau have, any authority or
control over the actions and deliyerances
of those bodies that no longor have any corpor-
ate existence, all of said actions and deliveran-
ces relative to the Southern Church have been
done away with, and all charges Or imputatiuns
OF heresy, schism and blasphemy, expressed or
implied IN any and all of them have been, and
are now, in all good faith and sincerity with
drawn and disavowed ; and therefore, in the
opinion and Judgment of this Presbytery all of
said actions taken together, and interpreted ac-
cording to their true intent and purposes, do
constitute sufficient basis for the establish
ment of family relations and fraternal correspon-
dence between the general assemblies
Of the Presbyterian Churches, North and
South; and, therefore, this Presbytery does
approve Of. and hereby puts upon record its
solemn opinion and Judgment that the whole
Church should approve OF the position on this
point taken and held by the Committee OF our
Assembly i'll the Baltimore Conference, az going
to the full extent of their powers and authority
in their faithful and earnest efforts to accom-
plish the good and most desirable end for which
they We're appointed.
q But inasmuch ~ the Committee of the
southern Assembly in the Baltimore Confer
ence declared that the ministers and nem-
bers of the Presbyterian Church South, are
under the impression that charges of
heresy, sclism and blasphemy do still bear i'll
inrioualy against them as imputations not yet, to
their full sati sfaction, withdrawn and disavowed
and nasmuch the said committee OF the
Southern Presbyterian Church did in said Con-
ference solemnly declare, aud inasmuch as it
has since been declared and extensively pub
lished in various papers OF the Southern Church,
that these imputations, honestly supposed and
held by them still to bear injuriouhly against
them. do now constitute the only real and Sc
riolis obstacle in the way OF the establishment
of fraternai correspondence between the two A.
semblies and Furthermore because this Presby-
tory believes that the cause and kingdom of our
Lord Jesus Christ in this land wonld be greatly
promoted by the esta blishment of friendly re-
lauoDs and fraterna, correspondence between
the Northern and Southern Presbyterian
Churches therefore, this Presbytery does now
most respectfully overture the General ASSEM-
bly, to take, during its sessions at Cleveland,
snch further action on this subject as may be
within its powers by which its own authoritative
Interpretation of its own past actions may be
affirmed, and by which it may be declared in
the most solemn and uneuuivocal words Of the
Assembly itself, that all charges com. com
planned OF as injurious imputations
against the ministers and members of the South
ern Presbyterian Church have been. and, in
order to prevent all possible misrepresentation on
this point, are now again by the full authority Of
the Assembly withdrawn and disavowed ;and also,
if the Assembly can see its way clear to take
some such action as s herein indicated, there
upon to appoint the same or similar committee
OF Conference to meet with any like committee
that may be appointed by the Southern Assem-
bly,, or il the way should be providentially OPEN
ed, to appoint a delegate or delegates to the
General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in
the United States farther proposition and
overture for the establishment Of fraternal
correspondence between the two great ASSEM-
blies OF the Presbyterian Church in the country.