658 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



tions to amend, coming from individuals, were 

 proper or ought to be transmitted for action 

 by the presbyteries. It therefore announced 

 it expedient to act adversely upon all propo- 

 sitions coming from individuals, believing it 

 more desirable to await expressions from the 

 presbyteries, if any of them should desire to 

 make suggestions. A committee which had 

 been appointed by the previous General As- 

 sembly to consider the subject of union with 

 the General Synod of the Lutheran Church, 

 reported that it was not best to urge positive 

 action now, while the Confession of Faith was 

 undergoing revision ; and that there was a 

 growing feeling in some parts of the Church in 

 favor of the union suggested, and a strong de- 

 sire in every part of the Church for a closer 

 fellowship with the Lutheran, and, in fact, 

 with all evangelical churches. The prevail- 

 ing impression among the members of the 

 committees of the two churches, as represented 

 in the minutes of correspondence adopted as a 

 part of the committees' report, appeared to be 

 in favor of a closer and more hearty fraternal 

 union of the Cumberland Presbyterian and 

 evangelical Lutheran churches; but the dif- 

 ficulties in the way of organic union at present 

 existing were deemed to be insurmountable. 

 Unless there existed a perfectly unanimous 

 consent on the part of all the churches, on each 

 side, the union would produce an additional 

 number of factions. Neither body seemed to 

 be u in a condition of gospel grace that quali- 

 fies them for organic union into one body." 

 It was also held " that as matters in Christen- 

 dom now stand, denominationalism is far more 

 desirable than ecclesiastical concentration ; that 

 no one existing denomination is worthy of the 

 high honor of absorbing into itself all the 

 others." A committee was appointed to draw 

 up a paper explaining the doctrinal status 

 of the denomination, to be presented to the 

 council of the Presbyterian Alliance which was 

 appointed to be held in Belfast, Ireland, in 

 1884. Its report, which was adopted by the 

 Assembly, embodies the following statement : 



To the General Presbyterian Alliance, in session at 

 Belfast, Ireland, 1884. 



DEAR BRETHREN IN THE LORD : We of the Cumber- 

 land Presbyterian Church in the United States of 

 America rejoice with you that God, by his gracious 

 providence, seems to indicate that it is pleasing to 

 him that the various families of the Presbyterian 

 Church should come together for fraternal counsel as 

 to the interests of his kingdom. 



Claiming to be one of these families which God has 

 raised up for the spread of the gospel of his dear Son, 

 and having approved the Constitution of the Alliance 

 (see Minutes of our General Assembly, 1881, page 34 ; 

 and 1882, page 18), we send brethren bearing commis- 

 sions with the signature of our Moderator and Clerk, 

 as delegates to your body, and through them said 

 Minutes and our Confession of Faith and Govern- 

 ment, that by reference thereto you may decide wheth- 

 er we come within the pale of the consensus of the 

 doctrines of the Reformed Churches. 



In our Confession of Faith you will find our doc- 

 trines stated in the following order : 



The Holy Scriptures, the Holy Trinity, the Decrees 

 of God, Creation, Providence, the Fall of Man, God's 



Covenant with Man, Christ the Mediator, Free- Will, 

 Divine Influence, Eepentance unto Life, Saving Faith, 

 Justification, Regeneration, Adoption, Sanctification, 

 Growth in Grace, Good Works, Preservation of Be- 

 lievers, Christian Assurance, the Law of God, Chris- 

 tian Liberty, Religious Worship, Sabbath-Day, Law- 

 ful Oaths and Vows, Civil Government, Marriage and 

 Divorce, the Church, Christian Communion, the Sac- 

 raments, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, Church Au- 

 thority, Church Courts, Death and the Resurrection, 

 and the Judgment. 



It is well known to the religious world that our 

 Confession of Faith and Catechism are revisions of 

 the Westminster Confession of Faith and Shorter 

 Catechism, expressing our understanding of the teach- 

 ings of God's Word. 



Now, dear brethren, if the difference between our 

 statements of doctrine and those of the Westminster 

 .Confession of Faith is inconsistent with our being 

 represented in your body, you will so decide. 



A memorial was presented asking that steps 

 be taken toward a reunion with the Cumber- 

 land Presbyterian Church (colored) ; to which 

 the Assembly replied that as the organization 

 of the colored Cumberland Presbyterian Church 

 had been made at the request of a convention 

 of colored ministers, it would not be equitable, 

 while they were free to move in such a matter, 

 for the present Assembly to move first. More- 

 over, the experience of those churches that 

 had most largely succeeded among the colored 

 people justified the conviction that a greater 

 success could be reached by an independent 

 organization. The memorial was not granted, 

 but the sympathy of the Assembly was tend- 

 ered and all assistance in its power was prom- 

 ised to aid and encourage the colored breth- 

 ren in their work, especially in that of an edu- 

 cational character. Attention was called to 

 the increasing desecration of the Sabbath, and 

 prompt discipline was recommended to be ad- 

 ministered to all church-members offending in 

 this matter. The Assembly's Board of Trus- 

 tees reported that a bequest of $17,000 from 

 John P. Finley, and a bequest of $10,000 from 

 John A. Dougherty, were available. The money 

 was devoted to the cause of ministerial educa- 

 tion. A fraternal letter was received from the 

 Evangelical Union of Scotland in which was a 

 clause congratulating the Assembly upon the 

 success of its revision of the Confession of 

 Faith, and the thoroughness with which "'West- 

 minsterism 'to borrow the somewhat novel 

 and expressive term of the revisers has been 

 eliminated by the Revising Committee." 



VII. Presbyterian Church in Canada. The fol- 

 lowing is a summary of the statistics of this 

 Church as they were presented to the General 

 Assembly in June : Number of pastoral charges, 

 799; of congregations and stations, 1,011; of 

 churches, stations, and mission-stations sup- 

 plied by pastors, 1,714; .of families connected 

 with the Church, 69,507; of communicants, 

 119,603; of sittings in churches, 350,432; total 

 amount of stipends paid, $553,393; total amount 

 raised for the schemes of the Church, $167,384 ; 

 total income of the Church, $1,422,783. 



The Committee on Home Missions reported 

 to the General Assembly that its receipts for 



