The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1886-09-29

without any such claim of power over
the seminaries by the Assembly as that
now asserted by Col Henry and the Au-
gusta Assembly having been raised.
During this long period, and for years
before, money has been contributed, pro-
perty acquired, and rights exercised un
der the belief that these institutions were
independent of the Assembly, and that
these provisions of the constitution did
not give it the control over them now
claimed, or any power, but that agreed
on between those who established and
controlled them and the Assembly. And
l maintain that construction so long
sanctioned and acted under should not
now he changed.
At that very time Columbia existed in
dependently Of the Assembly, and did
not then, nor, as far as l can find, did
not up to the war make eve's report to
the Assembly. There is another consid
Grafton overlooked by Mr.. Henry. The
proposition adopted by the Assembly
says that this power is lover corpora
tions" Now a corporation is creation
OF the civil law, and no church constitu-
ton can give, and no church court can
have any authority whatever over it ex
cept so far as it is given by that law, or
obtained by agreement or arrangement
made by the Assembly with the corpora
tion acting within the scope of its powers.
1t is not claimed that the civil law has
given the Assembly any such authority.
arrangements? The Assembly undoubt-
eddy has power to establish institutions
for the training of candidates for the
ministry, and when thus established to
control them absolutely according to reg
ulations prescribed by itself, and which
may limit its own exercise of power. If,
instead of raising the funds necessary to
establish such institutions it deems it
best for the interests of the Church to
enter into arrangements with corpora
tions such as Union and Columbia, or the
inferior bodies of the Church to provide
the funds and establish the seminsries
giving to the Assembly such supervision
as may be agreed on between them, it
has certainly the power to do so. And
as long as such arrangements are recog-
nized as IN force, the Assembly and the
Church are in all good conscience bound
by them. If, for any cause, it is found
that it is not desirable TO continue these
arrangements, proper steps must be taken
to abrogate them But as long as, by
mutual consent, they are recognized as
existing, the Assembly cannot claim any
power over the institutions other than
that specified in the agreements. 1t can
not at the same time claim under an
cement and against it. 1t cannot
Nave the benefits OF it without also sub
hitting to its restrictions. The power oil
the Assembly to bind the Church by
such arrangements as these has been sc
long acquiesced In and acted on by the
Church, it should not now be disputed
To these agreements, and to these alone
must the Assembly look to ascertain its
authority over Union and Columbia Sem
inaries.
Let us consider now the agreements
And first az to Union Seminary for the
Assembly in surrendering Columbia Sem
mary to the Synods declared that il
thereafter should sustain to the Assem-.
bly, the same relation as Union. In 1926
the General Assembly agreed with Han.
over Presbytery to take under its care
Union Seminary with stipulations to be
found in Baird's Digest, pages 44l-2, and
8. According to these the Assembly had
the right to negative on all appoint
ments to the Offices of professors and
trustees in the seminary and on general
laws or rules adopted by the Presbytery
for the government of the Seminary and
further to require the Presbytery to dis.
miss from his Office any Professor whose
teaching the Assembly was convinced
was repugnant to the word of God and
to our Confession of Faith. This agree
ment continued in force until the semi
nary was incorporated in 1868. 1t was
then found necessary, in order to get the
benefit of that incorporation, to change
the agreement and new one was made
in 1869, between the Assembly, the Syn
DDS OF Virginia and North Carolina, the
successors of Hanover Presbytery, anc
the trustees of Union. This agreement
continues in force. 1t provides (see Con
stitution and Plan of Union Theological
Seminary, art. l, sec. 3 that the Gen
eral Assembly shall have the right o
general supervision over the interests o
this seminary, and for this purpose tn,
Directors shall lay before the Assembly
at its annual meetings, report setting
forth the existing conditions of the insti
tuition; and the Assembly can advise anC
recommend measures for its welfare
Should the Assembly see reason, at any
time, to object to any Of the acts Of thu
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