574 



PKESBYTERIANS. 



other assembly shall, if present, preach the opening 

 sermon ; and the stated clerks of the present Assem- 

 blies shall act as stated clerks *of the Assembly of the 

 united Church until a stated clerk or clerks shall 

 have been chosen thereby; and no commissioner 

 shall have a right to vote or deliberate in said assem- 

 bly until his name shall have been enrolled by the 

 said clerks, and his commission examined and filed 

 among the papers of the Assembly. 



6. Each presbytery of the separate Churches shall 

 be entitled to the same representation in the Assembly 

 of the united Church in 1870, as it is entitled to in the 

 Assembly with which it is now connected. 



II. CONCURRENT DECLARATIONS OF THE GENERAL AS- 

 SEMBLIES OF 1869. 



As there are matters, pertaining to the interests of 

 the Church when it shall have become reunited, which 

 will manifestly require adjustment on the coming 

 together of two bodies which have so long acted sep- 

 arately, and concerning some of which matters it is 

 highly desirable that there should be a previous good 

 understanding, the two Assemblies agree to adopt the 

 following declarations, not as articles of compact or 

 covenant, but as in their judgment proper and equi- 

 table arrangements, to wit : 



1. All the ministers and churches embraced in the 

 two bodies should be admitted to the same standing, 

 in the united body, which they may have held in 

 their respective connections, up to the consummation 

 of the union. 



2. Imperfectly organized churches are counselled 

 and expected to become thoroughly Presbyterian, as 

 early within the period of five years as may be per- 

 mitted by the highest interests to be consulted ; and 

 no other such churches shall be hereafter received. 



3. The boundaries of the several Presbyteries and 

 Synods should be adjusted by the General Assembly 

 of the united Church. 



4. The official records of the two branches of the 

 Church for the period of separation should be pre- 

 served, and held as making up the one history of the 

 Church ; and no rule or precedent, which does not 

 stand approved by both the bodies, should be of any 

 authority until reestablished in the united body, ex- 

 cept in so far as such rule or precedent may affect 

 the rights of property founded thereon. 



5. The corporate rights now held by the two 

 General Assemblies, and by the Boards and Commit- 

 tee, should, as far as practicable, be consolidated, and 

 applied for their several objects, as defined by law. 



6. There should be one set of Committees or Boards 

 for Home and Foreign Missions and the other reli- 

 gious enterprises of the Church, which the churches 

 should be encouraged to sustain, though free to cast 

 their contributions into other channels if they desire 

 to do so. 



7. As soon as practicable after the union shall have 

 been effected, the General Assembly should recon- 

 struct and consolidate the several Permanent Commit- 

 tees and Boards which now belong to the two Assem- 

 blies, so as to represent, as far as possible, with im- 

 partiality, the views and wishes of the two bodies 

 constituting the united Church. 



8. The publications of the Board of Publication 

 and of the Publication Committee should continue to 

 be issued as at present, leaving it to the Board of 

 Publication of the united Church to revise these 

 issues and perfect a catalogue for the united Church, 

 so as to exclude invidious references to past contro- 

 versies. 



9. In order to a uniform system of ecclesiastical 

 supervision, those theological seminaries that are 

 now under Assembly control may, if their boards 

 of direction so elect, be transferred to the watch and 

 care of one or more of the adjacent Synods ; and the 

 other seminaries are advised to introduce, as far as 

 may be, into their constitutions, the principle of 

 synodical or Assembly supervision; in which case 

 they shall be entitled to an official recognition and 

 approbation on the part of the General Assembly. 



10. It should be regarded as the duty of all our 

 judicatories, ministers, and people in the united 

 Church, to study the things which make for peace, 

 and to guard against all needless and offensive refer- 

 ences to the causes that have divided us ; and, in order 

 to avoid the revival of past issues by the continuance 

 of any usage, in either branch of the Church, that has 

 grown out of former conflicts^ it is earnestly recom- 

 mended to the lower judicatories of the Church that 

 they conform their practice in relation to all such 

 usages, as far as is consistent with their convictions 

 of duty, to the general custom of the Church prior to 

 the controversies that resulted in the separation. 



III. RECOMMENDATION OF A DAY OF PRAYER. 



That the counsels of Infinite Wisdom may guide 

 our decisions, and the blessing of the Great Head of 

 the Church, rest upon the results of our efforts for 

 reunion, it is earnestly recommended to the churches 

 throughout both branches ot the Presbyterian Church, 

 that they observe the second Sabbath of September, 

 1869, as a day of fervent and united prayer to Al- 

 mighty God, that He would grant unto us all " the 

 spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge 

 and of the fear of the Lord," and, in the new rela- 

 tions now contemplated, enable us to " to keep the 

 unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace." 



Suitable action was taken to communicate 

 the result of these proceedings to the Presby- 

 teries, and for the taking and reception of their 

 votes upon them. 



The committee which had been appointed to 

 confer with similar committees to consult upon 

 a plan of reunion of all Presbyterian bodies, as 

 proposed by the Philadelphia "Union Con- 

 vention " of 186V, reported progress. The sub- 

 ject of reunion with the Southern Presbyterian 

 Church was considered. No definite conclusion 

 was arrived at, since, in the frame of mind of the 

 Southern people, the prospect of such reunion 

 did not seem promising. The Assembly reiter- 

 ated its hope of last year, that a more favor- 

 able time would come. The Board of Publica- 

 tion were instructed to enter upon the prepa- 

 ration of books in the Spanish and Portuguese 

 languages. 



The increase in the contributions of the 

 Church was reported not to be in proportion 

 to the growth in the wants of benevolent and 

 missionary enterprises. Authority was given 

 for the preparation of a statement exhibiting 

 to each Presbytery and Synod the propor- 

 tional amount which it seemed desirable it 

 should contribute. Increased interest was re- 

 reported in Sunday-schools, baptisms, benevo- 

 lence, missions, and in all things tending to 

 the increased prosperity and spirituality of the 

 Church. Measures were taken to protect the 

 property interests of the Church against ad- 

 verse decisions of the Kentucky courts, which 

 go to place the churches in that State under 

 the control of the " Declaration and Testimony 

 Secession." The Supreme Court of the United 

 States is to be appealed to. 



The Board of Foreign Missions employs 82 

 missionaries, 13 ordained native preachers, 10 

 native licentiates, 86 assistant missionaries, and 

 193 native helpers. The number of churches 

 is 48 ; of communicants, 1,833 ; of children in 

 Sunday-schools, 7,400. Two new missions 

 have been established among the Winnebago 



