The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-06-13

criticism upon the report OF our excellent an
devoted committee at Baltimore. am NJ
sure but that if we were to make a minut
examination of this report we would find tia
there are certain parts Of it better suited {
the pages of the " Missionary" But pre-
.ceed to matter of perfectly plain and vastl
greater importance. Remembering that thi
committee is the hand of the Church, whel
it comes to take to task any of the sOvereig
Presbyteries represented on this floor,
trauscends it's privileges. 1t is necessary t
resist at the beginning, and to beg that ou
committee shall not ALLEVIATE the affections o
the Church from this, which ought to be tn
right arm of the Church-the right arm, bu
not the head. That [ may not be suspected
of speaking vaguely, let me call your atten
ton to one or two points. We are told OF
page 7, that one or two Presbyteries have
done admirably, but that some of the Pres
byteries are lamentably behindhand. -
Moderator, l did not listen with pleasure tc
language of this kind when it was uttered BY
an agent. The agency was not constituted
lsar that purpose. The report proceeds
lRHow this painful dereliction Yof which
you, my brethren, have been guilty" may
be remedied, is question to which the AS
sembly may properly apply its wisdom"
[ am not willing to listen to any such lam
guage at this. | cannot but remember that
l am member of the Presbytery of Augusta,
and find that the Presbytery of Augusta
has not pleased at all our agents in the mat.
ter of Sustentation. They are sorry to in.
form us that the Presbytery of Augusta has
terminated its connection with the Assem-
bly's work. The inevitable tendency OF
which action iS, we are told, to narrow the
sympathies, and contract the benevolence Of
those who are subjected to it. plead not
guilty for my Presbytery. We have not
shown any lack of sympathy in the work Of
Sustentation. may say, sir, that was op-
posed to this action of my Presbytery. l
have always been in favor Of. cooperating
with the Assembly's Committee, but it never
occurred to me, when pleading with my
brethren Of the Presbytery not to sever their
connection, to use as al argument the sorrow
of the Sustentation Committee. thought
that the matter was entirely in our own
hands; such rebukes, however, will ALLEVIATE
one after another of the friends of the cause.
l do not forget, Moderator, that we are told
that it is not intended to censure the Pres
bytery whose action is being considered, but
only to have statement of facts as they ex-
ist. But this action of Presbytery is spoken
of as unwise, which prompts the Committee
to bring the matter to the intelligent consid-
GRAFTON of the Church. will not speak IRON
ically and say that We are much obliged to
the Executive Committee for not censuring
US: but the thing certainly implies right to
censure. If this course is pursued much long
er, there will not be much need for the Sus-
tentation Committee. There has already
been presented memorial from one Presby
terry of the Church, asking that the cause of
SuStentation be remitted to the Synods. And
the question may soon be asked: Why not,
rather than be subjeCte to criticisms of this
kind ? The report shows that from only five
Synods are the receipts in excess of the
amounts paid back to the same SyRods.-
The amount of excess was So, 400. The ex.
pense of managing the Committee was ST.
200. If we are to be put in position that
is in any way antagonistic, wewould be forced
to look at these figures and inquire if it would
not be better to accept the policy of East
Hanover Pfesbytery. The result will be to
put US beyond the power of this annual crit
icism. Therefore, have felt obliged to say
what have said, though being second to no
one on this floor in my admiration of the way
in which the work has been done.
DR.. McIlaVaine-I will not pretend to
justify every word in that report after having
heard it criticised by DR.. Woodrow; per-
haps the word dereliction ought not to have
been there, and other individual words; but
l can say this, that when they were used,
they were not used for the purpose of con-
veying any sense that would be injurious to
the feelings of any Presbytery or brother
The part Of the report to which DR.. Wood.
row specially objects, was one that gave me
more earnest and anxious labor than all the
rest of the report put together. The view
that I took in preparing this report was the
view which / found common with the Com
mittee when l took charge of this depart
ment, and has been the view upon which l
have acted for the five years during which l
have written the reports; that it was the
duty of the Committee to inform the AS
sembly Of the exact state of the work, as we
understand it, in all it's departments, and
that as laid down in the constitution of
the Sustentation Committee, namely: " In
the exercise of its advisory power it shall
report to the General Assembly the condi-
ton and wants of the whole field, and also
communicate to the Presbyteries such in.
formation with respect to the necessities
and progress of the work as will tend to in.
cite them to greater liberalisy. How car
they be melted to do more, unless they
know how little they are doing? How
would Presbytery be melted to get iti
churches to come up more literally in con
tributions, unless they have it brought be
fore them that number of churches have
failed to contribute ? This is all we had il
view. If we have failed to make the rea
state of things so plain that everybody
could see it, it was not because we have de
sired to injure the feelings of any preSbytery
or brother. With reference to the criticisn
of Augusta and East Hanover Presbyteries
it was not intended as criticism. What VI
intended was to make distinct, plain state
ment of facts, and therpresent the dificultie
which lay in the way. If this system shoult
be pressed as to the question of continuing
the Sustentation, Dr.. Woodrow is not tn
first man who has been asked that question
have asked myself the question; Is it bu
to maintain this committee? And standing
here, the Asaembly's Secretary, I do say it
that unless the work progresses, l cannot Sc
that it is of use to keep it. l was called t.
this office, not of my own seeking. Ibid no
know that such an office was to be create