PRESBYTERIANS. 



705 



by the majority of the Presbyterian ministers 

 in Kentucky and Missouri. A document was 

 drawn up, called a "Declaration and Testimony," 

 in which the action of the General Assemblies, 

 since 1861, on the above subjects, is designated 

 as an apostacy from the true spirit of Chris- 

 tianity, and a determination expressed to call a 

 convention of all opponents of that action for 

 the purpose of concerting further measures. 



This document, which produced a great ex- 

 citement in the Church, received the signatures 

 of sixty persons, ministers and ruling elders, in 

 the State of Missouri, and thirty-three persons, 

 ministers and elders in other synods, chiefly in 

 Kentucky, and was formally adopted by the 

 Presbytery of Louisville. At the meeting of 

 the Synod of Kentucky, the Rev. Dr. Robert 

 Breckinridge offered the following resolution : 



Resolved, That this Synod adjudges that the action 

 of the majority of the Louisville Presbytery, by en- 

 dorsing and adopting a paper styled the "Declara- 

 tion and Testimony, assumed such a state of open 

 rebellion against the Church, and open contempt and 

 defiance of her scriptural authority, and contempt 

 of her faith, order, and acts, as to render each and 

 every one of them unqualified, unfit, and incompe- 

 tent to sit and act as a member of this or any other 

 court of the Presbyterian Church. 



After several days' discussion, the Synod re- 

 jected the resolution of Dr. Breckinridge, by a 

 vote of 102 against 25 non-committal, 7. By 

 the rejection of this resolution, the Synod did, 

 however, not intend to endorse the action of 

 the Louisville Presbytery ; but on the contrary, 

 it expressed its disapprobation of it by adopting 

 the following resolution : 



Resolved, That the Synod having caused a certain 

 paper, styled the "Declaration and Testimony," 

 lately adopted by the Presbytery of Louisville, to be 

 read in its hearing, and having carefully considered 

 the same, hereby expresses its disapprobation of the 

 terms of this paper, and of its spirit and intent, indi- 

 cated on its face, as looking to the further agitation 

 of the Church, if not its division, at a time when great 

 mutual forbearance is called for among brethren, to 

 the end that we may have quietness and repose. 

 Whereupon the Synod enjoins on the Presbytery of 

 Louisville in particular, and upon all the presbyteries 

 and churches, ministers and people, subject to it in 

 the Lord, to forbear whatever tends to disturbance 

 and alienation, beseeching, in the name of our Lord 

 Jesus Christ, that "they all speak the same thing, 

 and that there be no division among them, but that 

 they be perfectly joined together in the same mind 

 and in the same judgment. 



The Synod defined its position to the General 

 Assembly by adopting (by a vote of 48 to 52) 

 a paper which is substantially as follows : 



1. The acts of the last Assembly on overtures Nos. 

 6 and 7, and resolution No. 4 on the reports of the 

 Committee of the Board of Domestic Missions, are 

 condemned as unwise, unconstitutional, and unscrip- 

 tural, and it is hoped the Assembly will review and 

 correct them. 2. Yet none of the acts of the As- 

 sembly during the years 1861 to 1865, inclusive, jus- 

 tify a withdrawal from that body, and the Synod 

 will adhere with unbroken purpose to the Presby- 

 terian Church of the United States, and will oppose 

 every eflbrt to produce schism. 3. The Synod dis- 

 approves of the "Declaration and Testimony" adopt- 

 ed by the Presbytery of Louisville, and enjoins upon 

 that Presbytery to forbear what tends to disturbance. 

 VOL. v. 45 A 



4. All under the Synod's care are urged to study the 

 things which make for peace. 



A similar paper was adopted by the Synod 

 of Missouri. 



The statistics of the New School Presbyterian 

 Assembly were, in 1865, as follows : Synods, 23 ; 

 presbyteries, 108; ministers, 1,694; churches, 

 1,479; communicants, 143,645; Sunday-school 

 membership, 112,781; contributions for home 

 missions, $94,507; for foreign missions, 112,- 

 296 ; for education, $36,952 ; for publication, 

 $46,325; congregational funds, $1,264,667; 

 miscellaneous contributions, $501,141. 



The New School Presbyterian General As- 

 sembly met at Brooklyn, N. Y., on May 18th. 

 The composition of the Assembly presented sev- 

 eral novel features. Of the presbyteries which 

 seceded in 1857, and organized the "United 

 Synod," two (Union and Kingston), both in 

 East Tennessee, had pronounced in favor of a 

 return to their old connection, and their dele- 

 gates were present on the opening of the As- 

 sembly. The Assembly, in addition, recon- 

 stituted a third of the East Tennessee presbyte- 

 ries (Holston), and erected these three presby- 

 teries into the " Synod of Tennessee." More- 

 over, for the first time in the history of this 

 Assembly, it counted among its members rep- 

 resentatives of the colored race, two negroes 

 having been chosen commissioners, one from 

 Philadelphia and one from Newark. The As- 

 sembly resolved to place, for the present, in a 

 state of probation ministers of the Church from 

 the South who have supported the Confederacy. 

 A resolution was adopted authorizing the As- 

 sembly to send ten ministers to East Tennessee 

 to explore the field and see how the work of 

 reunion might be promoted. The Assembly 

 also unanimously adopted a report on the state 

 of the country, which expressed grief at the 

 assassination of President Lincoln, confidence 

 in President tfohnson, joy at the end of the 

 war, and a hope that the Africans would be 

 no longer excluded from the rights and privileges 

 of freemen. 



The United Presbyterian Church was, in 1865, 

 composed of 7 synods, divided into 46 presby- 

 teries, with 3 Missionary Presbyteries addi- 

 tional (Sealcote, Egypt, and Oregon), being 49 

 presbyteries altogether. There were in tho 

 Church 384 settled pastors, 132 ministers 

 without charge, being a total of 516 ordained 

 ministers, 50 licentiates, and 46 students of 

 theology, 659 congregations, with 24,921 fam- 

 ilies, and a membership of 58,265. The Church 

 had an increase during the year, by examination 

 and profession of faith, of 2,725, and by certifi- 

 cate 2,908, with a decrease by death of 1,055, 

 and by removal of 3,365, being a total increase 

 of 1,213. There were 4,521 children baptized 

 by her ministry, and 281 adults. Her contribu 

 tions to the Boards of the Church were not 

 fully reported. The amount contributed to 

 home missions, as reported, was $19,722 ; foreign 

 missions, 42,722; education, $1,768; publica- 

 tion,- $2,369 ; church extension, $11,796 ; 



