Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-18


able library among his family and friends. An
original portrait Of him was destroyed in the
burning Of the residence Of Rev. Dr.. Balch Of
Georgetown, d. c..
Among the names Of other great divines that
were associated with that Of Mr. Mackenzie In
the carly history of the Presbyterian Church in
America are Josias Mackie Jedediah Andrews,
Jonathan Dickinson, George Gillespie, Robert
Cross, William Tennent. James and David Nc
Gregore, Ebenezer Prime, Gilbert Tennent,
John Tennent. John Moorhead, Jonathan Par
sons, William Tennent, 3D., Samuel Blair, David
Cowell and Aaron Burr.
THE FIRST MINISTER IN DELAWARE.
The first minister Of the Presbyterian Church
in Delaware was Samuel Davis, who was en-
gagged in business and also preached at Lewes,
Del, as early as July. 1892. He is supposed to
have been an Irishman. The Boston ministers
were also active in caring for Presbyterianism
On the Delaware, increase and Cotton Mather
being especially active in this regard After
the battle of BothweM r large number Of ban
ished Scotchmen began to emigrate to America,
and a body Of Twenty-Five sailed from Glasgow
for Carolina. William Dunlop, probationer,
came with them andset:, ID at Port Royal The
colony was soo1 afteraard broken up on &C.
count of the unhealthy character Of the place.
Mr.. Dunlop served as the pastor of this gather
ing for several years. but later returned to
Scotland and afterward became principal of
New England also sent missionaries to Carolina,
the first of these whose names we know being
Thomas Barrett. who was on the Ashley river
prior to 1854.
1t was in Philadelphia in 1929 that the synod
solemnly declared it's agreement with the West
minister confession and catechism as "being in
all the essential articles good forms Of sound
words and systems of Christian doctrine"
Soon after this a lively controversy arose in the
synod between the two factions that were
known as the 'old side' and the new side"
the former holding hard to the Presbyterian
symbols Of faith and their demand for an edu-
Gated ministry, and the latter as firmly main
tanning that the great revivals under Whitefeld
and Tennent were from heaven and not from
men. The two factions did not long remain
apart, however, and in the reunited synod there
were ninety-four ministers, of whom about
three-fourths had worn the NEW side'' badge.
GILBERT TENNENr.
The moderator Of that reunited synod was
one of the most remarkable men that the Pr es-
byterian Church has ever counted among its
members. Gilbert Tennent has been called
the most powerful member Of the most power
full family in the church of that era His sue
cess as a preacher was phenomenal and he was
the heart and soul in the revival movement
that swept over the country at that time As q
boy he came over from Ireland with his father,
the famous William Tennent, and settled on
the banks of the Neshaminy creek. There the
elder Tennent, with his four sons, erected that
rude structure, the LOG College," which, de-
spite it's humble and unpromising beginning,
yet contained within itself the germs Of Prince
ton College, the Princeton Theological Sem
mary and all the other institutions Of learning
in the Presbyterian faith on this continent
The Log College" did good service in train
ing a number of ministers for the church, but
it was not all that was needed, and both fac
tons OF the synod saw the need of greater
educational facilities. The 'old side allied
itself with Yale College but the plan of a con-
nection fell through, and it was left in an I'M
pleasant condition as result of it's hostility to
the Log College. The new side" was more
successful. 1t took sides with the institution
founded by William Tennent. At his death
there was no one to fill his place. and it was
felt clearly that the time had come for some
thing more considerable in the way of a coll
lege. Through the efforts Of Jonathan Dickin-
son charter for new college was obtained in
1746. and it was opened in the following year,
with Dickinson as its first president, in his
house In Elzabethtown. Upon his death-n
| the fail OF 1S47. the college was removed to
Newark, and Aaron Burr was selected as its
president Ten years after the date Of the
| charter the college removed to Princeton
and while its formal title is tho College Of New
jersey, it has always been better known by the
name of the town it has made famous.
THE FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
The first steps looking to the formation Of a
constitution for the American Presby terrain
Church were taken by the synod Of New York
and Philadelphia in MAY, 17S5, and committee
| was appointed with instructions to report the
following year. On the 10th of May, l7Ss the
constitution was ratified and with its adoption
came the organization Of the first general
assembly in May 1888 The assembly Of that
year embraced four synods seventeen presby-
! teries, $50 ministers and 4l9 congregations.
The sessions OF the first assembly occupied but
five days. and one Of its first official acts was
| the adoption Of letter of congratulation to
| President Washington. In reply he sent q
| modest and diguified answer. Most OF the
time of the assembly was spent in welding to-
gether the new organization. in adopting
measures to print and circulate copies Of the
Holy Scriptures, and In organizing church ex-
| tension and home mission work.
THE REVIVAL OF 1900.
A remarkable event in the history of the
church was the great revival" which began in
1900 and few like whirlwind over the country
to the west Of the Alleghenies and to the south
as far as Georgia and South Carolina. 1t was a
| curious spectacle of religious excitement, and
with 1t came the introduction Of camp meet
irgs. which at that time were tremendous in
point of numbers and attended with all sorts Of
physical exercises, commissions and ecstacles
The supply Of preachers, especially in Ken
lucky, where the excitement reached its
greatest uelSut, was quite INADEQUATE Tor the
| occasion and a number of volunteer Law ex-
horters were licensed This was done in oppo-
sition to the authority Of a .'synodical commits
| sion" and started the disagreement that ended
in the Cumberland schism Of 1910. Another in
fluence beside that Of the great revival in Civ
ing an impetus to the church grew out Of the
"plan of union" that was adopted in 1902 and
under whose influence Presbyterians and Con-
gregationalsts joined hands in the work Of
founding new churches through the wilderness
OF western New York and Ohio. This scheme.
however, was abandoned in the storm Of con-
troversy which disrupted the church in 1887.
In 1902 the general assembly appointed a
committee to direct home missionary work, and
in 1916 this committee was enlarged into board
Of missions. Other matters that received a
great deal of attention from the church about
this time were the temperance reform, the
slave traffic and the practice Of ducing. So
cieties for the education of ministers were or
ganiZed. WAS also the American Board Of
Foreign Missions" and the leading theological
seminaries throughout the country were
founded. During that first third of the century
there wonderful development Of the lay
element in the eldership and in all branches OF
church work. Within that time the church had
grown until it contained twenty-one synods, l16
presbyteries, $500 congregations and 233, 900
! members.
THE OLD SCHOOL AND THE NEW SCHOOL.
Toward the close of this prosperous era it
became evident that there was trouble ahead,
and the conflict, partly theological and partly