702 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



terian Church leaves it to the individual mem- 

 ber to determine conscientiously what his ac- 

 tion shall be. A proposition to instruct pres- 

 byteries to refuse to license candidates for the 

 ministry who are addicted to the use of tobacco 

 was rejected, on the ground that the Assembly 

 has no right to make such a rule. 



IV. Reformed Presbyterian Church (Synod). 

 This body includes eleven presbyteries, with 

 121 congregations, 116 ministers, 503 elders, 

 325 deacons, 10,970 communicants, and 12,574 

 members of Sabbath-schools. The number of 

 baptisms returned during the year was 462. 

 The contributions were : For foreign missions, 

 $18,247', for home missions, $3,767; for the 

 Southern mission, $3,632 ; for the Chinese mis- 

 sion, $1,493; for the Theological Seminary, 

 $^,222; for education, $5,177; for sustenta- 

 tion, $2,156; for church erection, $21,648; 

 for pastors' salaries, $78,190; for national re- 

 form, $4,650. 



The Central Board of Missions, besides "do- 

 mestic missions " in the States and Territories, 

 supports a school at Selma, Ala., and a mission 

 among the Chinese of the Pacific coast, and 

 contemplates a mission among the Indians. 

 The Board of Foreign Missions returns at La- 

 takiyeh and Tarsus, in Syria, 11 missionaries, 

 57 teachers and other agents, 209 native com- 

 municants, 1,165 pupils in schools, 23 baptisms 

 during the year, and $465 of contributions. 



The Synod met at Allegheny City, Pa., May 

 29. The Rev. J. W. Sproull was chosen mod- 

 erator. The Committee on Union with the 

 United Presbyterian Church reported as the 

 result of its conferences with the committee of 

 that Church that the difference between the 

 bodies in their doctrines and practices on the 

 subject of civil government and their attitude 

 toward the Government of the United States 

 had proved to be irreconcilable, although the 

 two bodies were in full accord on other funda- 

 mental principles. The Synod, approving the 

 course of its committee, reaffirmed its convic- 

 tion that 



The Constitution of the United States is a virtual 

 agreement or compact to administer the Government 

 without reference to Christ or the Christian religion, 

 and that incorporation with the Government on the 

 basis of this Constitution is therefore an act of dis- 

 loyalty to Christ. With this conviction in our hearts, 

 we can not do otherwise than maintain to the end the 

 discipline we have maintained in the past. 



While expressing itself desirous for the re- 

 storation of the unity of the Church, it declared 

 that- 

 Partial unions on the basis of compromise, for the 

 purpose simply of forming a larger sect, involves for 

 us the abandonment of our testimony and unfaithful- 

 ness to the special work which the Lord, as we be- 

 lieve, has called us to do. 



The Synod resolved, on the subject of jury- 

 service that it recognized 



But one supreme law in civil and in ecclesiastical 

 courts, and this is God's revealed Word. If anv of 

 our members be summoned to serve on juries, it shall 

 be the duty of such member to state in open court his 



determination to make God's law. as we understand 

 it, the basis of all decisions involving moral consid- 

 erationSj and that he shall take the juror's oath such 

 oath being otherwise unobjectionable only on this 

 condition "being definitely accepted by the court. In 

 such case there shall be no censure visited on a mem- 

 ber sitting on a jury, since the court, in accepting him 

 on this condition, has, so far as he is concerned, ac- 

 cepted God's law as the basis of judicial action. In 

 case any member acts as a juror, he may be required, 

 by the session of the congregation to which he be- 

 longs, to furnish proof that he has complied with the 

 conditions laid down above. 



A special service was held in commemora- 

 tion of the second century after the revolution 

 of 1688, when addresses were made upon the 

 principles for which the Covenanters contend- 

 ed, the character and spirit and the influence of 

 the Covenanters and their struggles on Ameri- 

 can history. 



V. Cumberland Presbyterian Chnrch. The fol- 

 lowing is a summary of the statistical reports 

 that were made to the General Assembly in 

 May: Number of ministers, 1,584; of licenti- 

 ates, 246; of candidates, 262 ; of congregations, 

 2,648; of communicants, 151.929; of members 

 of Sunday-schools. 85,890. These statistics do 

 not include the Colored Cumberland Presby- 

 terian Church, which numbers about 15,000 

 communicants. 



The Publishing House returned a profit of 

 $8,272 on the business of the year. It had 

 freed itself from debt, and had declared a divi- 

 dend of $5,000 in favor of the Board of Minis- 

 terial Relief. The latter board had received 

 $5,826, and had relieved 59 families of minis- 

 ters. The Board of Missions had received 

 $13,071 for home, and 9,418 for foreign mis- 

 sions; while the Woman's Board of Foreign 

 Missions returned an income of $11,212. 



The fifty-eighth General Assembly met at 

 Waco, Tex., May 17. The Rev. W. H. Black 

 was chosen moderator. The Board of Missions 

 was directed to take immediate steps toward 

 establishing a theological training-school in 

 Japan. Satisfaction was expressed at the move- 

 ment toward organic union among the mission 

 forces and native Christians of different de- 

 nominations of Christians in that country, and 

 a willingness that the Cumberland Presbyterian 

 Missions should enter the "United Christian 

 Church " upon the basis of the exceptions to 

 the Westminster Confession that are set forth 

 in the Declaratory Act of the United Presby- 

 terian Church of Scotland. 



VI. Presbyterian Church in Canada. This Church 

 comprises 5 synods, 43 presbyteries, 783 pas- 

 toral charges, with 1,831 churches and stations 

 supplied, 145.640 communicants, 78,649 fami- 

 lies and 1,326 single persons connected with 

 the Church, and 12,976 teachers and 112,940 

 pupils in Sabbath-schools and Bible-classes. 

 The number of members admitted during the 

 year on profession of faith was 12,471 ; num- 

 ber of baptisms, 10,144 of infants and 1,148 of 

 adults. Amount of contributions to the 

 schemes of the Church, $22,490; amount 

 raised for all purposes, $1,730,252. The 



