The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-03-07
PROPER ORDINATION
/ 49,
The Matter Debated YeSter.
day by the Jersey
I City Presbytery.
ATTACKED THE STATE SYNOD
Rev. DR.. McKelyey Will Enter the
! Newark Presbytery--H. W.
Hathaway Licensed.
ATTACKED THE STATE SYNOD

The Jersey City P~resbytery held its regu-
lar monthly meeting in the Second Presby-
terrain Church, Third street, yesterday after
noon, and transacted considerable business.
The Moderator, the Rev. II. R. McClelland.
Phi. D., did not arrive until after roll call,
SO the Rev. J. s. Young, the former Moder-
ator, opened the session with prayer. DR..
E. A. Bulkley was stated clerk, and the Rev.
G.. r. Garretson, permanent clerk. The
Rev. James H. Owens of Perth Amboy pre-
sented his letter from the Elizabeth Presby-
terry, and asked to be received into the Jer-
sey City ~Presbytery. His letter was ex-
amined, and, being found satisfactory, his
name was enrolled.
The Committee ON Examining Candidates
for Licenses reported that they had ex-
mime and found them in every way salts
factory. These were Harley Wallace Hath
away of Princeton College and John Kamm
of Bloomfield German Theological Seminary.
These young men read papers on their be-.
liefs, and then, after answering the constl-
tutional questions put to them by the Mod
orator, were licensed by him, the vote to
grant them licenses being unanimous. The
East Side Church of Paterson presented a
call to the Rev. James H. Owens, agreeing to
pay him a salary of $4,000 a year. The call
{ was presented to him by the Moderator, and
he received it. Arrangements for his in
stallation were referred to the Standing
Committee on Installation, who later re-
ported that the installation will take place
on March Is.
HIS CHURCH o ooR
Rev. F. B. Hanley, Pastor of the First
German Evangelical Church of Passaic,
asked that be be allowed to resign from his
charge and preach his farewell sermon on
the first Sunday In April. he said that it
was five years ago that he took charge of the
church. Things went smoothly for a couple
of years, but since then the congregation has
been steadily decreasing, until now it is very
small indeed. He lays the decrease in the
congregation to the fact that the Salvation
Army and a German Baptist Church AVE
sprung up in the neighborhood and drawn
them away. His present congregation, he
said, is unable to pay him even the small
salary they pledged themselves to pay him.
As he only spoke of the matter to them on
Wednesday last, and as they have held no
meeting to act on his resignation, the Presby-
terry deferred the taking of any action in the
matter until such time as the congregation
shall be heard from.
ORDINATION BY COMMISSIONERS.
The Committee on the Exceptions of Synod
presented a paper which they have prepared
to be presented at the next General Assem-
bly,. II was read by the stated clerk, who is
chairman of the committee. The paper asks
the Assembly to decide whether ordination
by commissioners is or is not constitutional,
the Synod of New Jersey having taken ex-
ception to the Jersey City Presbytery for
having ordained candidates in that way in
stead Of having the P~resbytery ordain them.
The Rev. DR.. Levins of the First Presby-
terian Church of Passaic, said that he for
one would vote against the introduction of
the paper, as he had been a commissioner,
and as such had ordained a number of
preachers, and he was not going to invite
the General Assembly to pronounce his acts
unconstitutional. He wanted to know, too,
whether, if it is declared unconstitutional,
all the ordinations which have been per-
formed by commissioners will be void. He
said that although the Presbytery is feeling
a little sensitive at being censured by the
larger body, they should let some one else
raise the question Of constitutionality.
The Rev. J. W. Hathaway said that even
If the assembly pronounce the act irregular
it would not invalidate past ordinations.
DR.. Levins again took the floor and said
s'Let those who want fight go and attack the
Synod of New Jersey, We take an uncalled
for course when we bring forward an alb
stract question"
The Rev. Alexander McKelvey said that
he has always been against ordination by
commissioners. He said that the only
authority there is for doing it is that it was
done by a Presf ytery in 1113, seventy years
before the constitution was drafted, OF there
was a general assembly. He said that
authority for SO doing canno be found in
the constitution. I'VE should simply ASK"
he continued, ''for an Interpretation of the
article or ordination. This would serve the
purpose, and we would not offend the general
assembly or anyone else.
ut was finally put to q vote, and the
majority were for sending the paper to the
assembly.
DR., M'KELVEY WITHDRAWS,
Rev. DR.. McKelvey surprised everyone by
asking for his papers to take to the Newark
P~resbytery. He said that it causes him much
regret at leaving, but that he at is present
without a charge, has been living for some
in Newark, and believing there is a better
field of work for him there, he has decided
TO make the change. He brought his papers
to the Jersey City P~resbytery ten years ago,
and has always taken an active part in the
affairs. All the dominies expressed their
regrets at his leaving, but granted his re