Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-05-31
DR.. pA1Mra.s supsrIr UTE.

DINA, the Assembly returns answer: That al
good and necessary consequences from the law
Of the church are part Of the same in the logic
al sense of being implicitly contained therein
The authority of this law Is, however, two-fold
It binds all those who profess to live under II
as covenant. by which they are united in ONT
communion, SO that there is no escape from
its control, except by renouncing its jurisdic
ton; and it binds, because 1t has been accepted
as true expression Of what is revealed In Ho-
ly Scripture as infall Bile truth. The conse.
quences deduced from 1t cannot therefore be
equal in authority with the law itself, unless
they be necessarily contained within 1t al
shown by their agreement, also, with the Di.
vine Word. This substitute was adopted.
Rrv.DR. sHANK's SUBSTITUTE
for DR.. Palmer's paper, which was defeated
was as follows:
Nothing is law for the entire church, to be
enforced byjudicial prosecution, but that which
is contained in the Word, as interpreted In our
standards, and good and necessary differences
from those standards, drawn by the General
Assembly. And the right Of private judgment,
in respect to this law, is nothing more than the
conceded right Of every one to appeal from any
application Of the law to him personally, and
to use all proper means to have the law repeal
ed, and finally, If he cannot conscientiously
submit. to withdraw from our communion.
An overture from South Georgia, asking fer
the establishment of new synod. to be called
synod of South Georgia and Florida. was pre-
scented. The Presbytery ofSavannah protested
against it. The committee reported in favor OF
the new synod.
After a long and lively debate, pro and con,
DIR. F. NJ. Robertson. 8. c., moved that the ov-
erture be referred to the synod of Georgia for
further consideration. Defeated.
The question recurring on the report Of the
committee it was adopted, and the new synod
4 will be established.
| PROTEST OF DIR. mutually, EFT AIS.
The protest ofDr. Mutually. ct ais, will SUM-
GENTLY explain itself. and was as follows:
The undersigned beg leave respectfully to
protest against the action of the General AS
sembly, taken on Friday, the goth inst, in
| sending fraternal salutations to the General
Assembly at Buffalo.
Not from any bitterness of feeling, for your
professionals love the Northern Church, and sim
cerely pray for her spiritual health and pros
perity. Nor do your professionals desire that
this venerable body should refuse all rec
| ignition of that church as Christian and Pres
byterian. They would Dot, in any way. oppose
la response on the side of this Assembly to pray
| 5Cub w VI Ny A0 a cSOAAA-
bly,. But the undersigned present this protest
| LIST. Because they are persuaded. that under
the aggrievances received from that church.
and never removed, 1t is unbecoming in this
Assembly to do more, than it has done, in
former years-namely: toreturn Christian sal
utations when they have been given.
| End. Because, this action Of our Assembly,
the undersigned are persuaded. taken, as it
hn i,,n frno ,If.
tered in the discussion preceding it, will be un-
derstood as incoming that our church has re-
ceded from the position taken in the Baltimore
Conference, and, since, deliberately confirmed
by three successive General Assemblies Of the
S-uthern Church.
Sd. Because, your protestants regard the in
dependence of the Southern Presbyterian
Church as great boon, mercifully bestowed up
on her, at an opportune time when that laxity OF
discipline and doctrine. now SO prevalent, be-
gan to invade the Presbyterian churches of the
North and of Scotland. ana they deprecate
every tendency towards surrender OF this
great gift ofindependence, which has, hitherto.
proved the means of securing our beloved
church against many evils, that have befallen |
other churches in these evil days. and of enab- |
ling her to maintain her pristine purity ofprac-
tice and doctrine, in degree, that renews the
admonition Of wise spiritual men in all the
reformed churches of the world.
FKAN.IsP P. mutually,
PATTERSON FLETCHER,
D. L. YOUNG.
GEokGE WISE.
Tothis protest DR.. Adger and Rev. A. C. Hop
kins returned the following
ANSWER:
It's not now and it has never been. with our
NOT I'M
some form acknowledge a Christian brother
hood with the Northern Presby terians. Nor.
catholic and christian sentiments towards all
evangelical churches, more especially those of
the Presbyterian order, are to where no be found
than in our minutes of 1851 and 1865
But the question simply is as to the form and
extent of the acknowledgement. This state
ment is established by well known facts:
l. At the close OF the war. when brethren OF
the Northern church were present in: our syn
DDS and presbyteries, they were invited to sit
as corresponding members.
q AS soon as a Christian salutatlon was sent
by their Assembly to ours, it was Immediately
returned.
8. But in 1870 and subsequently, we declined
q proposal for an interchange OF delegates,
which would recognize each other as CORES
ponding bodies on the distinct ground that
this has always been regarded as the most man.
ifest and visible contamination, and the most
complete evidence Of such relations. Like the
sending of ambassadors between nations. this
interchange of delegates carries with it the full
lest significance of Fellowship and We declined
it, unless our aggrlevances should first be re-
moved. This position was confirmed by sever
al successive Assemblies.
From this statement it will be seen that
there is manifestly no Inconsistency in the
course pursued by our Assembly. It is not a
question of fraternal relations in some form
to this we havenever objected. In certain forms
and to a certain extent such recognition has
always been observed. Now. when the form
adopted has been that of merely Christian
salutation is it q question whether we should
or should not give that salutati0n first? That
is q matter of no moment. This Assembly SOL
EMMY denies that our church has receded at
all from the position TAX en- in the Baltimore
Conference, and deliberately confirmed by
three successive Assemblies. The indepen-
dence ofthe Southern Church is. indeed, as the
professionals rightly affirmed, "a great boom
mercifully bestowed upon her at an opportune
time, when that laxity Of discipline and doc
trine, now no prevalent, began to invade the
Presbyterian churches OF the North and OF
Scotland" and with the protestants. this As
sembIy would deprecate ''every tendency to-
wards a surrender of this great gift of inde-
dence, which has, hitherto, proved the peansof
securing our beloved church against the many
evils that have befallen other churches, in
| these evil times.'
This Assembly stands therefore in the posi-
ton assumed by our church long ago. takin g
no step forward and no step backwards.
PROTEST OF DIR. ]. B. ADGER.
DR.. J. B. Adger g. c.. entered his protest to