The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-30
4 RELIGIOUS CONGRESS.
,rsrNERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
PHfSBITEkIAN CHURCH.
thing Of The Past History OF
the DenOmiuaIiOn aud of its
stormy Career.

pftSONLtIl III :
.,.,s3 sn interest in the governing
,Es. # the Presbyterian Church which
s..by no means sbsted, and therefore
., n-opo.e g,yiug a sketch of the Cen
,,J Assembly which is to meet at Pitt
rr,,b on the 10Th OF May, and little in
,sr,-t to its past history.
The session will last probably for two
,,.sks and will be one of the great sst
cents in the religious world in this
.,gD,-y that Oss taken place during the
,.., There were five hundred and
,..b,een delegates at the As mbly in
cncsgo LAST year, ard owing TO the in
Jesse in church mem be'ship, the num-
be-, will be greater at the coming one.
Appesl. and other important questions
will come up for dicision at this meet
ing.
The delegates from the Wssbir ION
p,s.bytery sre Rsvs. Smith, f. Greer and
pB Fsrrsr, with Rsvs. Stockton and
c.sD IS sl.egns,es, and Elders j. II.
P-,5igck snd David Kerr, with Samuel
White and K. a. Mcconnell as alter
2s.s:.
The Presbyterian denomination was
frs. organrzed in this country about the
b.rnnins Of the eighteenth century, by
Rev F-snci. Mckenzie, from the north
r Ireland. snd Rev. John Hampton,
rom Scotland. The Quskers of Penn
.y,ysnis and the Roman Catholics Of
Ys-ylsld extended open arms to the
new comers. and in these States the d.
nomination Irst secured it' fOothOld
There ia some dispute as to
when tue first Presbyterian
Church wss organized. The best
authorities sgree on 1854 ss the year,
and Snow Hal, Maryland, as the place,
.gl.l Philadelphia clsims the honor
u. having organized the first church in
I'D, clu4tr,. Ia l7l6 the first Synod,
rupysei OF fJpr Presbyteries, was or
,.a.zed, bat iH l74l the new judicatory
t01y Was rent s.,uuder 10y inward broIIs
std a.,sen~jOrs aid another Synod was
erected In lT5~ the two Synots we're
s...n merged INTO one, and III MAY, l7S5
.ep45Ic standards oil that church were
,sysed a7d re-arIanged. This Rear
.,1gsmeLt divided the body into four
>;lOds. and constituted over these "a a
.9v of union General Assembly"
TIE Westminster confession 0! faith
s.yr beng shorn of its features iavOrlng
ne civil establishment OF religion and
-.-lIzing the right of the civil II agis-
.'a.s TO interfere in the affairs OF the
g.rcr. wss solemnlY adopted as the
summary of faith Cf the Presbvterlsn
Church. The next year, in 1889, the first
General Assembly OF the Presbyterian
g-I-ch ofthe United Stat IS, met in Pnila-
..Dlis, and was opened with sermon
b. Rev DR.. NltherspOOn, who presided
I'LL. Rev D,. John Rodgers, of New
I.rEWas elected Moderator. In course
. time lresn disseusions arose in the
-.-c1. and a. the meeting Of the Assem-
.ys. PnIs1-iphH Ia 1887, the plan Of
-s.ga va, formally abrCgatad. A body
.Lb-a,..s i've hundred ministers, whose
.---.l.s were entitled t. sixty repressn-
a.yas 10 the Assembly, spin. OF, and
Ta-e declared % be no lOrgs- part Of
-a Presbyterian Church.
A. the mex. Gpners, Assembly, at
.Ia.r.qrra DO ISIS, the exscInded dele
,s.a ..su,I sent. bat the Clerk refused
sl-.. t.o names, the Moderator,
g.-.Ea..HC- them to appeal, decided
.-t.-ay We're r,t Commissioners, and
Isl no voice in the Assembly. The cI-
..-e. .er-s.es, however, captured this
assembly. elected a Moderator Of their
.'-. % 'y motion regularly passed,
A'-'aaI 20 another place, where they
:-el their business The old Moiera-
.' and BIS sthereHts continued in ses-
'.-. 50 q. frs. organized Thus there
's,s Two bodies in session, each claiming
Dc the General Assembly
.-s Presbyterian Church Of
-s .I.s- states. The two Assemblies
'.s PoP-.sr.y designated q, the "Old
5000. sud The New School" Suits
owed for the control OF seminaries
b.. we're decided on the validity OF the
'.---.1c sc.s IN favor ot the "Old
$500. wing The Chiet doc.rinsl differ
-.. 'ss.al TO articles IN the confession
% 90 o-rnal sin, human ability
' 10. extent of stouemcut. The "Old
... Le.-tg the impu.8.iOu Of Adams
81. LIS lesceIdants, tho entire natural
90. .'....., 4. man to repyn, and obey, and
80. we s.oremen. was made for the
...E. Ine New School, denied
'..'- o.. ,mas.
ol branches Of the denomination
j regularly their annual sessions
-. assembly generally meeting At
....--.. places, ua.Il IN May, 1859, both
>r1'o. and the New School
D. New York City, and there plan
Was agreed upon. They deci-
'-'. .ae ratification or union meet
.-.-.- be held st Pittsburgh in the
'.- November. Accordingly IN
.-...- both Assemblies met IN that
.~a o! school, in the First
.. 'a Wood street, and The New
% The Third Church, on Sixth
- Rev. DR.. NJ. ". J.cobus, of
s1 Vas Moderator If the for.
'-. Eey. Dr.. 2. II. Fowler, of
~ L. Moderator Of the New
j wing On al appointed day the
i s..''.oEers TO the New School"
4 --...--.lgi 10 formal procession from
4 sr.,- '- Church to tue corner of Sixth
s.,. ana Wood street where they
1 . C ~ the Commissioners Of the
/ $50 -... branch The procession
.-s' a'Alna mingled with those
i s.... P.'.lg, s-t ,aus they marched
4 -. .-s Third Church, where devo-
aF .-s r' a't sp"ech-msking fol-
,..- I-., imp5r.au. incident IN the
4 .-s %. fiesoyterIauism will doubt
.s o.. ny NY v-.ai,ed by the older res
4 4r Wheeling. Tue union was
4 am W "a,us, concessions.
4 ing .1e Moderators of the Assem-
i y..... ~ IN Z this vicinity are Rev. Dr.
4 SIS ,,,N.. y, beatty Of S.eutenville, who
/ :..st,,li,eei ..s,o,ei with the position and filed
/ s,. vo., y Ia lisp. The good words
A @", .y.' oi this venerable divine. who
l ...s,s.4s1 "a >Ieu0eaville, are well known
70 r.-.'-EEs lt the " r..I.-.s. -.-.