The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-30

ernment Of each church is administered
by the Session, consisting of elder:
chosen by the church together with the
minister. This is the first udiCatOry
The next is the Presbytery, composed oj
the ministers and one elder from each
church within given district. Thi:
| body licenses, ordsins and discipline
ministers, organizes churches, receives
appeals from the Sessions and reviews
their proceedings. The next iudicatcry
is the Synod, body consisting Of sll the
ministers and one elder from each church
in district embracing at least three
Presbyteries. This body reviews the
proceedings OF the Presby teries and re.
ceives appeals appeals from them. The
highest judicatory is the General Assem-
bly,, the bond of union over the whole
and the ultimate resort in the way Of re.-
erence or appeal.
The business Of the next Assembly, 90
far rs known st present, will be chiefly
OF routine character. On the first even
ing of the session, the Lords Supper will
be celebrsted. On the second evening,
Friday, May 18th, a popular meeting In
behalf OF the Sabbath School WILL be
held. The following Tuesday evening
will be appropriated 10 the consideration
of the Home Mission work, and tie fol-
lowing Wednesday evening to the For
eign Mission work. On the next eveuiDg .
reception will be extend
bodies. The order of this business is
fixed by rules The other DAYS will be
devoted to hearing appeals, considering
Overtures and reviewing the years work
Of the Church in general. There are 10
doctrinsl questions Of any moment to be
settled, so isr as is known, though sU ap-
peal of Rev. DR.. Skinner and Rev. DR..
West, Of the Cincinnati Presbytery on
Church order, will come up for consider
alton. The points at issue are
of minor Importance. The late war
proved the cause Of division between
the Presbyterians Of the North and those
OF the South, and for some years past the
question of reuniting has been more or
less earnestly and frequently agitated
The question was sgitsted last year at the
Assembly in Chicago, but nothing came
of it, The General Assembly of the
South will be in session st Knoxville at
the same time of the sessions at Pitts
burgh, but neither body will be likely 20
broach the question of reuniting. The
leading lights in the denomination say
these differences between the brethren Of
the South and those Of the North can be
most speedily settled by allowing them TO
t.L g., tpf5 10
will likely be followed.
Tle question of representation in the
Assembly in future will be a leading
item OF business The present basis of
representation is two commissioner
one clergyman and one elder-irom
every twenty-four churches in Presby-
terry, though every Preskytery, no matter
how small, is entitled to at least two com
missioner,. THIS makes the Assembly u
very unwIeldly body. Probably there
will be six hundred commissioners entitl-
ed to seats at the coming sessions. This
basis will be changed, but just how can
not be fortold now, as there is 8 multi
plicity of plans recommended by differ
ent Presbyteries. The question is one
very difficult OF settlement, and will oc-
cupy much time. 1t proved too much
for the Washington Presbytery, which
met last week, for while that body favor
ed change, they could agree on no
plan.
This article would be incomplete with
out some statistics of the church, and we
have therefore taken from the minutes OF
the last General Assembly the following
tables, showing the number of Synods,
churches, etc, belonging to the denomi-
nations at the close of 1877: