PRESBYTERIx\NS. 



577 



may of his own, nor the woman of her hus- 

 band's kindred nearer in blood than of her 

 own" should be repealed. 



The Assembly reviewed the testimony of the 

 Church against secret societies. A vote of 

 thanks was offered to his Highness the Maha- 

 rajah Duleep Singh, for the interest which he 

 has taken in the missions of the Church. The 

 progress of the China mission is impeded by 

 the death of Mrs. McKelvey, and the purpose 

 of Mr. Nevin to return to this country for 

 his health. The Assembly resolved to with- 

 draw its force from that field, unless Mr. Nevin 

 should announce his firm purpose to return, in 

 which case it is pledged to sustain him. 



The following are the statistics of the United 

 Presbyterian Church : Number of pastors, 401 ; 

 without charge, 164; licentiates, 43; students 

 of theology, 45 ; congregations, 726 ; mission 

 stations, 44; members, 65,624; increase by 

 profession, 4,121; by certificate, 3,998; de- 

 crease, 5,059; infant baptisms, 4,171; adult 

 baptisms, 504; number of Sunday-schools, 555 ; 

 teachers employed, 6,068; scholars, 43,806; 

 contributions by Sunday-schools, $19,133. 



The total of contributions to the Boards was 

 $138,588, or $21,000 less than the previous 

 year. The amount paid to pastors was $318,- 

 374. The receipts for home missions were 

 $35,270.72 ; seventy-nine missionaries are em- 

 ployed in this work. The missions to the 

 freedmen have 2,334 pupils in day-schools, and 

 2,821 in Sunday-schools. The receipts for 

 foreign missions were $50,624.52. There are 

 five missions in Syria, India, Egypt, China, 

 and Italy with 11 stations and 33 out-stations, 

 with a missionary force of 26 Americans and 

 seventy natives. There are 40 mission-schools, 

 with about 1,080 scholars. 



Monmouth College, Monmouth, 111., has 368 

 students. "Westminster College is also sup- 

 ported by this Church. 



The General Synod of the Reformed Pres- 

 lyterian Church met at Cedar ville, O., on the 

 19th of May. The action of the previous Gen- 

 eral Synod in the case of George H. Stuart was 

 reaffirmed by the action of the Synod toward 

 certain Presbyteries. A Philadelphia Pres- 

 bytery, which had protested against the action 

 toward Mr. Stuart, was not recognized, and 

 another Presbytery was declared in its place. 

 The Presbytery of Alleghany, which had also 

 offered a protest, was pronouncod out of the 

 communion of the Church, and the Presbytery 

 of Saharunpur, in India, was declared in seces- 

 sion for having suspended relations with the 

 General Synod, in consequence of disapproval 

 of its action in reference to Mr. Stuart. Never- 

 theless, the Synod took measures to retain its 

 hold on the mission at Saharunpur. The com- 

 mission for the arrangement of terras of union 

 with the United Presbyterian Church reported 

 substantially the basis which is given below, 

 and was continued. The Synod reiterated its 

 approval of the proposed amendment to the 

 Constitution of the United States, which has 

 VOL. ix. 37. A 



for its end the formal recognition of the Chris- 

 tian religion. 



The joint committee from the United Pres- 

 byterian General Assembly and the Reformed 

 Presbyterian General Synod met in Pittsburg, 

 Pa., on the 10th of November, and agreed up- 

 on the following plan for the union of those 

 two bodies : 



Whereas, An organic union between the General 

 Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church and 

 the General Synod of the Eeformed Presbyterian 

 Church is most desirable and of the utmost impor- 

 tance to the maintenance and more general diffusion 

 of the principles which are held in common : there- 

 fore 



Resolved, That these churches agree to form an or- 

 ganic union on the basis of the principles embraced 

 in their respective "Testimonies,'' and the other sub- 

 ordinate standards which they hold in common. 



Resolved. That these churches, when united, shall 

 be called the United Presbyterian Church, consisting 

 of the Kefprmed Presbyterian Church and the United 

 Presbyterian Churches, and that the United Supreme 

 Judicatory of the United Church shall be called 

 the " General Assembly of the United Presbyterian 

 Church of North America." 



Resolved, That the different boards and institutions 

 of the respective churches shall not be affected by 

 this union, but shall have the control of their funds, 

 and retain all their corporate or other rights and privi- 

 leges, until the interests of the Church shall require 

 a change. 



The Synod of the Eeformed Presbyterian 

 Church (O. S.), which met at Newburg, N. Y., 

 on the 26th of May, adopted a resolution, de- 

 ploring the irreligious character of the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States. It declared that 

 irreligion found expression in the Constitution 

 of the United States, that fundamental law 

 leaving the Government, which establishes it, 

 "destitute of all constitutional warrant for 

 worshipping God, and with no constitutional 

 obligation to abstain from violating His law." 

 It assumed that such a Constitution could not 

 be accepted and approved by a Christian people 

 without sin, and that it was a duty of citizens 

 to refuse to cooperate with a government thus 

 constituted. It concluded by approval of the 

 efforts which have been made by Christians of 

 all denominations "in behalf of certain proposed 

 amendments to the national Constitution." 



The Synod established a fund for the benefit 

 of superannuated ministers and the needy fam- 

 ilies of deceased ministers ; determined to es- 

 tablish a new missionary post at Killis, in Syria ; 

 to cooperate with the Synod of Ireland in 

 the foreign missionary field ; and to continue 

 the prosecution of missionary work among the 

 freedmen in Washington. The educational 

 interests of this Church are represented by a 

 theological seminary, and Northwood College, 

 in Ohio, where colored students are educated. 

 It also cooperates with the trustees of Mon- 

 mouth College. The Synod declined to partici- 

 pate in the National Council of Evangelical 

 Churches, which was called by the Eeformed 

 Church. 



III. CUMBERLANT) PRESBYTERIANS. The Gen- 

 eral Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian 

 Church met at Murfreesborough, Tenn., May 



