The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-10-17
THE NEW ORLEANS pREsnYrEar.
A Protest AgainSt intercourse with tho
~ preNby terlnn Church North. -

A Protest Against Intercourse with III,
Presbyterian Church North. :
Ngw ORLEANS, October l4.-At meet
ing of the New Orleans presbytery lasl
evening, after long aud animated discus
sion, MI address was adopted protesting
against the action OF the last General As.
sembly Of the Church, held Mt Atlanta in
regard to tho establishment Of friendly In
tcrcoursc with the Presbyterian Church
North, in accordance with tho action Of
tho latter body At n General Assembly ut
Springfield, III. The address concludes MS
follows: ave protest because the judgment
OF tho Assembly was founded on error, md
because It may DO construed as counte.
nancing the action Of tho Northern AS.
sembly. which VIC regard as contrary 10 the
principles OF presbyterianism and offensive
10 sound morality. We protest because
In our opinion tho assembly transcribed
It's authority in pledsing tho Church to this
measure, md wc respectfully declne to
concur IN, or approved Of, tho action Of the
Assembly in reference thereto" Before
the adoption OF the address tho Rev. 4. N.
Wickoil said lie would have 10 vote against
its adoption. lie thought that iftle men
who fought III the sectional war, md tho
men who Ind wascd. political strife Oh
sectional lines could bury animositv,
surely Christian ministers should be- able
10 find some way 10 harmonize differences
and join hands in fellowship. lie thought
the General Assembly OF the Southern
Church at Atlanta had acted In spirit of
Christian moderation and that the action
should be sustained p Mr.. WickoT isa
New Yorker who has been settled here only
two years.. The Rev. DR.. Il NJ. Palmer de.
clared that the attitude Of the Southern
Church was That It wanted peace and
lraternal harmony II desired every preju.
dice discarded and the differences tlint hnd
grown out OF political strife buried and for.
gotten. The members OF the Southern
Church had not complained when they
had been charged by secular and
political authorities with being Htrai.
tors mud rebels, they hud been couttnt
to suffer before political tribunals for
political ollenses, but now, when. I'LL these
matters Ind been settled by the political
tribunals and there were no longer, any
traitors or rebels in a politiccl sense, comes
uChurcll ecclesiastical tribunal, whichhas
Jurisdiction alone. In spiritual ollenscs, and
crimes against discipline, fifth and doc.
trino, and proposes to condemn the South.
ern Presbyterians for political differences
mud to brand them us traitors and rebels.
lie repealed the stigma and would accept
judgment at the hands OF no such tribunal,
When, in addition to this it was demanded
by the highest council Of the Southern
Church thst It's members should accept the
brand sought 10 BE- put on them, it was
more than they could stand. 1t was too
much, said the speaker, for our own Gen.
eEl Assembly to call us traitors and rebels;
there is no treason; there was Il bloody and
destructive war, but the civil tribunals OF
the country failed to make out one case OF
treason. He could not accept sentence
from Church in the premises. '.lr.T,'Il
The Hon. Ii. n. Ogden, lay member OF
the Prcsbytery and late White Leaguc At.
torney General Of the State, defended the
address. He did not believe that the At
lanta Assembly had any right or power 10
act for the church or to bind it in matters
Of public policy, faith or doctrine The
Assembly must refer, all such matters 10
the Presbyteries. The Presbyteries are the
great safeguard Of the church agains. the
democracy OF congregations and the impe.
rialism Of Ecumenlcal councils lie read
the constitution ofthe church to show
that the Assembly had no power 10 save
what it derived from the Presbyterics, and
it could not take9 any decisive action in
matters Of sacl. Importance rs making or
breaking relations with other churches
without referring everything 10 the prGsby.
teries. The Atlanta Assembly has assnm.
ed to act in il matter in which IN had
no authority or jurisdiction. 1t had
sought to commit tho -. church
to lraternal relations with parties who we're
not willing to ignore past political differ.
ences, but on the contrary had by q specai
resolution affirmed that political differ.
enccs which should have no place in
church reconciliations were subjects which
could not be overlooked, but should be
made the basis Of a standing reproach and
condemnation. lie did not see how the
General Assembly could commit the South.
ern Church TO such needless humiliation.
The Northern aud Southern Churches had
for twenty-one years been independent Of
each other. Why should they come to.
gether to revive ancient prejudices and
give the world u spectacle Of humiliation
on one side and arbitrary and offensive
dic.aion on the other? This did not mean
fraternal relations, and he did not believe
this Preshytery could accept any such stu.
alton. The address was adopted with three
dissenting votes. 4sa a. NJ