154 Amevi,can lvtollgitviAn 0) notel}4 uangtlifit. THITRISPAT I , MAN 13. 1861. TORN W MEARa. EDITOR. ASSOCIAAD ALIMT BARNES, GEMS DUFFIELD, Js. THOMAS BRAINERD, I JOHN JENKINS, HENRY DARLING, THOMAS J. SHEPHERD THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. We ,publish so much of the proceedings as we have obtained information of, up to the hour of going to press. The Assembly showed much wis dom in the choice of a Moderator. In these days, it is a pleasure to find that real merit is appreci ated, even in a modest man. The principal mat terof business—the organization of the Assembly's (10KMMTEE OF HOME MISSIONS—was prompt ly brought before the body in a definite and ma nageable shape, by the report of the Committee appointed for this purpose last year. It was made, the order of the day for Monday afternoon last. We are glad to notice that our Assembly is spend ing a great deal of time in praying for the coun try. These prayer-meetings are remarkable in their character, as may be seen by the notice which we publish. The example is encouraging, and shows to what religious body the country may look with entire certainty for .sympathy and spi ritual aid in this crisis. Other evidence will, doubtless, be given by the Assembly of the un alterable fidelity of the true Presbyterianism of this country to the principles of '76, and of 1818. THE ASSEMBLY IN PHILADELPHIA. It is not a little remarkable that the Assembly now convened in the Seventh Church, formerly located in Ranstead Court, but now on Penn Square, should be called upon to witness and rea lize a practical sundering of their body by the act of Providence, as extensive as that which they accom plished by violence, in the same Seventh church, twenty-four years ago. The only way in which their church can now be saved from downright imme diate disruption, is by such humiliating concessions to the dictation of rebels in arms against the go vernment, as will crush them under the weight of the loyal public opinion of the North, and so work in another, and perhaps slower way, their over throw. Whichever course they take, their glory as a great, imposing, national church, is departed. Their great artificial scheme of suppressing opinion in their ecclesiastical councils; their boundless concessions to the South for the sake of denomi national unity; their boastings of conservatism loudly re-echoed by secular journals who admired that trait—all these have not saved them from the deplorable fate of discovering within their no minal limits, members, officers, ministers of the gospel even, armed against each other, with the weapons of death; separated by the broad and impassable lines of rebellion and loyalty. So an porficial was the unity in which they gloried. And the Providence of God has brought them back to this Seventh Church to reveal it to them. The venerable Dr. Plutner, in his able and impressive, discourse on the Divine Government, delivered in this church last Sabbath afternoon, need not to have gone back as far as the case of Jacob pu nished for his fraud upon Esau, by the fraudulent substitution of Leah for Rachel, to illustrate the pregnant remark that the divine retribution often• overtakes us in the very form of our own sins. The most forcible illustration was around him—in the presence of but little over a score of Southern of mmissioners in that Assembly—in the ignoble avowal of one of their journals, the North Caroli na Presbyterian, that "there can be no surer me thod of dividing the church" than for this As sembly to pass resolutions in favor of the Union and the Constitution—in the resistance of these ft w Southern commissioners, aided by such men as Dr. Hodge, to any, the least, approach to an expression of loyalty, sought by Dr. Spring and a hundred others. He might have drawn other very recent illustrations from the enthusiasm of Prince ton students for the Star Spangled Banner reviled by the Old School papers in the South—in the recent manly resignation of Dr. Geo. Junkin from the Presidency of Washington College, Virginia, rather than teach under a rebel banner, and the military rage of President Atkinson and Dr. Dab ney, of the same State and the same church, thrusting themselves forward to the command of companies, eager to shed their blood for the supre macy of that very flag. It is a sad, and yet wholesome spectacle. Per haps Dr. Pru'mer and his associates are learning some new lessons in theology, even,—to use ano ther of his illustrations in the same magnificent sermon—as Adonibezek did after losing his own thumbs and great toes; leading him to say, "As I have done, so bath God requited me." The peaceful, harmonious, and patriotic attitude of our own church in its present councils at Syra cuse, is but the legitimate result of an early and faithful adherence to Scriptural principles, and to the genuine spirit of Presbyterianism, at all ha zards. Our church members are not in arms against each other, but are inflamed with a una nimous and ardent mutual affection, and an un bounded devotion to that which it has ever been the glory of 'Presbyterianism to uphold, at any and every cost—just laws and a righteous govern ment. We would rejoice to recognise our brethren of the other branch, as fairly and ecclesiastically upon the same high ground with ourselves. Mul titudes of them are there as individuals. We hope Dr. Spring will yet be able to carry the Assembly irith him. Meanwhile, we would suggest to this Assem bly, that common fame charges upon a large number of Synods, and whole sections of their church, the gravest infractions of duty to the rightful authorities of this country, including the violation of oaths and covenant obligations, the bearing of arms against the government, and the persistent and wanton incitement of their fellow citizens thereto; also, that the extent to which these pernicious sentiments have seized upon the church in those sections, renders it impossible that proper discipline should be ad ministered in the constitutional way; whence it might be desirable for the Assembly itself, ra ther than tolerate so great a scandal,' and in order to conserve the imperilled purity and good name of the church, promptly to cut of the of fending Synods, and enact that no representa tive from their constituent Presbyteries be I,ll lowed a seat in . future Assemblies, without first taking the oath of allegiance to our Gonern ment. This might seem a little revolutionary; but the place in which the body is now meeting, to say nothing of the extraordinary exigencies of the case, the enormity of, the , offences, and the brazen boldness of the offenders, would mate- rially aid the successors of the men of II and '3B in overcoming , any constitutional scruples they might cherish on the' subject. Certainly, the excision of the rebellious Synods of '6l would be a far clearer vindication of the loyalty of the church to the Oovernmeut, than the ex cision of the Four Synoilsin '37 was of loyalty to the Confession of Faith. LITTLE DELAWARE. The "Diamond State" covered herself with lustre in the times of the Revolution. Her single regiment, officered by Presbyterian Elders,—one of whom, Col. John Haslett, fell at the battle of Princeton, and for a long time 'slept in the burial ground of the First Church in this city—bore an honorable part in some of the most memorable and bloody struggles of that period, and received the name of " the gallant Delaware Regiment" from its uniform bravery; it never turned its back upon tho'foe. It more than once disproved the vaunt of our enemy, that the undisciplined Americans would never stand the bayonets of the British veterans. More than one-seventh of the entire population of the state bore arms during the struggle. We are glad to see that the attitude of this State in the present struggle, is such as will still further vindicate her claim to the proud title she already bears. There were traitors and tories within her borders, as everywhere else, during the Revolution; but even in the region where, in De laware, they were then most numerous and trouble some, it would seem there will be no chance for their ignoble successors in these times to lift up their heads. We learn that an immense mass meeting was recently held in Georgetown, Sussex Co., the southernmost of the State, to set forth the attachment of the people, without distinction of party, to our Federal Union. A patriotic letter to that meeting, from the pen of the Hon. John W. Houston, formerly member of Congress, now of Milford, and connected with one of the oldest Presbyterian families of the State, has appeared in the Delaware Journal and Statesman, from which we make the following extract, to show the spirit which animates the true men of the south ern portion of the State: For my own part, gentlemen, I have no hesi tation in saying, Go no where. Stay at home in the Union where you are till the crack of doom, or until it goes to pieces, if go to pieces it. must, and we are left standing solitary and alone with our feet planted firmly on the rock of the Consti tution and with dying grasp still hugging to our breast the flag of our country, with its motto re versed in sense at least, as the last survivor of that once glorious confederation of American States, which it has long been our boast, we were the first to enter and would be the last to leave. These concluding words refer to the fact that Delaware was the first State which formally rati fied the federal Constitution. The memorial atone contributed to the Washington monument, con tains an inscription certifying this fact, and add ing that Delaware will be the last to abandon the Union. This is the traditional feeling and the sacred instinct of her• people, and her governor has done well in paying so much respect to it as to respond loyally to the call of the President. The Delaware regiment again exists, drawn from all parts bf the' State, and the proud distinction belongs to the Diamond commonwealth of being the only thoroughly loyal State of the South; • • Faithful found- Among the faithless—faithful only she. The honorable contrast will be sure to mark all her history. Beside proud, imbecile, shuffling, demoralized Virginia, her diminutive proportions will be forgotten. We are reminded by, the re lative attitude of these two States, of an incident of Revolutionary times, given in the "Lives of the Signers" under the sketch of the life of Ca3sar Rodney, who was one of the three Signers of the Declaration of Independence from Delaware. It is in substance as follows: In the Federal Congress the Virginia members were accustomed to v aunt the resources of their own State at the expense of the others, and to indulge themselves in high-wrought eulogies and gratu lations, which sometimes nettled the representa tives of other States, who styled this spirit of self laudation among the Virginians, "dominionism." But when the enemy actually approached their borders, the change in the style of their remarks was as obvious as it was , mortifying. They in troduced a demand for supplies of arms, troops, and assistance of every kind, declaring their State to be destitute in every particular! When their speaker eat down, a moment of surprised silence ensued. It was broken by the shrill voice and the tall figure of Rodney. In a style of sarcastic raillery, peculiar to himself, be deplored the me lancholy and prostrate condition of his neigh bour—the extensive and hitherto powerful State of Virginia. "But," said he, raising his voice, "let her be of good cheer; she has a friend in need; DELAWARE will take her under its protec tion, and ensure her safety !" THE WAXES NOT FORTH-COMING. We have in vain called on the Christian Ob server to produce the name of a single minister of our Synod, or of a respectable layman of our church in this vicinity, as sustaining it in its pre sent attitude towards the Government: It claims to be loyal: if the claim is good, there need be no hesitancy in producing the names; their absence is ominous. Bluster and asseveration will not make amends. Even if it were true that some half-a-dozen of the original eorporators of this paper had complained of us 'to the Observer—as that paper, in its last issue, tried to insinuate—it by no means follows that they sustain the Observer in its present attitude. But the impression sought to be made, is false. No half-a-dozen men, in any way concerned with this paper, have com plained of us to the Christian. Observer, or its friends, since the day when it became necessary for patriots and loyal men to choose their position apart from traitors. We doubt whether six re spectable men could be found—we will not say of the sixty corporatora of this paper, or of the six thousand members of our churches in this city; but of the six hundred thousand inhabitants of this loyal community—who would undertake such a base and shameful errand as to carry a complaint of a loyal, true and patriotic journal, to one whose partiality for traitors sticks to it like the fatal shirt of Nessus, muzzling its Editorial pen and giving to its whole sheet the contorted and humiliating appearance of a struggle to adapt itself to traitors and patriots, law-givers and law breakers, Eastern Virginians and Pennsylvanians, at one and the same time! A SENTIMENT MOM MOTLEY.—There was never peace well made without a mighty war pre ceding, and always the sword in hand is the best pen to write the conditions of peace. --.Atelt.hurat to Queen . Elizabeth. Auttriran fflttioli#ttrian a and 6tntrat (frangtliot, For the American Presbyterian. LETTER FROM GENERAL ASSEMBLY. Syracuse, N. Y., May 18, 1861. We are now in full operation. There are about 200 Ministers and Elders present. Dr. Condit, Professor at Auburn Theological Seminary, fills the Moderator's chair with dignity and grade, and" he dispatches "business with a promptitude 'and ease that quite refresh the members. We have quite a number of distinguished men among us— as, Dr. Cox; Pastor Fisch, of Lyons, France, re presenting the Evangelical Union of FraneeyDr. Waldo, formerly Chaplain in Congress, and before that a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and now in the 100th year of his age; and so on. The members of the Assembly are very youthful look ing men, although, here and there, a head of snowy whiteness lifts itself among the other mem bers, like the snow-clad pinnacles of the Alps above the surrounding forest trees, imparting beauty and glory to the scene, and lifting our thoughts Heavenward to that sublime world to which they point, and to which they are so near. This Assembly is characterized by energy, promptness, gravity, a remarkable harmony, a re markable spirit of brotherly love, and a truly wonderful spirit of prayer. Instead of the long and learned and sleep-in ducing sermons of the olden time, we here have prayer-meetings, prayer-meetings for the country, and glorious meetings they are. On the first evening of the Assembly, Thursday, there was a general prayer-meeting; on Friday evening there was another; this evening (Satur day) there is to be another. These meetings are. in the large and splendid church in which the Assembly is holding its present sessions, (Dr. Canfield's) and the building is filled to overflovving each evening, while prayers and addresses follow each other in quick succession, and, with each prayer and each address, the tone of feeling rises higher and yet higher, uritil all are bathed in an atmosphere of light and salvation; But: time presses, and I must bid you a hasty adieu. "THE SOLDIER'S FRIEND." MR. EDITOR :-I have just examined a small volume with the above title, prepared by Mr. Dulles, of this city, and I cannot refrain from calling the attention of Christians, who wish to do something for the spiritual interests of our volun teers, to the importance of placing this little book in their bands. • Twelve dollars,' I understand, will procure a hundred copies, enough to supply one company. Many have shown commendable zeal in aiding in the preparation of suitable clothing and food for those who are going at - the call of duty to protect the Capital of the nation, and to sustain its Constitutional authorities in enforcing the laws of the, land; and others have not been unmindful of their religious welfare. Bibles and Testaments have been distributed among them, and our Episcopalian friends have freely circulated their Prayer-Book. Now, I think the members of our church can not do a better work in behalf of our soldiers than to distribute among them, as widely as possible, "The Soldier's Friend." It is of a' convenient size, and free from sectarianism. It is not de signed to make the soldiers Presbyterians,,but to make them wise unto eternal life. It consists of a brief exposition of a verse of Scripture for each day of the month, thirty-one selections from the Psalms, and thirty-one hymns, with the Lord's Prayer and the Creed, and a few brief formEi of pryer. Every one of our , Sabbath.schools might procure a hundred copies of this little'book and present them to the members of some company. There are many of the. members of our church who could easily make such a donation, and, there are others, hi larger numbers, who might send to Charles S. Luther, No. 1334 Chestnut St, a small sum, from twenty-five cents to•one dollar each, that would constitute, in the aggregate, a. suffi cient fund to provide a large number of "The Sol dier's Friend" for our volunteers. Such a book distributed among our soldiers, with earnest prayer for the Divine blessing to accompany its perusal, could not fail to prove an everlasting good to many. Will not some of our Christian friends adopt this mode of commending Christ to men? L. M. [Our correspondent has made a contribution for this purpose. We shall be happy to be the me dium for any donations 'for this object.] - RECENT REViz wS. The delay of the appearance of the PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL QUARTERLY, is accounted for in the introductory remarks of the recent issue. It was designed to change to a weekly from the quarterly form,; but the plan encountered mnexpected dif ficulties, and the present number, which is very bulky, and stands for both January and April, pledges an adherence to the old form. In renew edly stating the principles on which the Periodi cal is ebnducted, the editors remark that they hold "Episcopacy to be necessary to the well-being, but not to the being of the church." The articles are clear, able, and interesting, the topics are ju diciously chosen, and the character of the work is such as to call for congratulations at the degree of prosperity it is represented as enjoying. The questions raised by the new Oxford. Essayists, are handled with, the thoroughness which we should expect in an evangelical organ . of the Episcopal March. Besides an article specially addressed to the object of exploring the true character of these pestiferous writings, they are alluded to in the introduction, in two other of the leading arti cles, and in the literary notices. What then is our surprise to find that in a notice of :a- recent volume, entitled «the Pulpit, and the American Revolution" the critic allowe himself in such absurd language as, the following : " What a mis take the Puritans made t If they had only bad the sense to receive the venerable man, (the Bi shop,) and grace enough to submit to his authority, New England might probably have been saved from her erratic career and endless agitation." This cant about the adaptedness of Prelacy as a conservator of orthodoxy, especially in reference to New England, has, we should think, had its day. The grand panacea has been proved utterly inadequate to such a result in the staid old mother country, why should it succeed any better in the new? What has issued from the'Unitarian Cam bridge of America, excelling in the intensity of its infidel tincture, the late issue of the prelatic and orthodox Oxfordl of England ? We pause for a reply. Mn. ZIEBER, the agent, No. 106 South Third Street, has handed us the April number' of BLACKWOOD, which opens with a remarkable ar tide on " Spontaneous Combustion of the Living Body." The writer recapitulates a number of supposed instances of this phenomenon, and then proceeds to argue against the existence of any such a process. So far as he knows, no one has ever seen its commencement, and therefore, no one is competent,. to testify to its entire spontaneity. A recent French work on Ad" is the topic of the second article. That famous country is no longer " the land of the dead," only. In an article on Americanisms, some' of the obsolete prejudice of educated Englismen towards a country which was believed to be in a semi-barbarous condition, is allowed to re-appear : you get the impression that our speech is overrun with vulgarisms,as the field of the slothful with thorns. Life in, Oen,tral Africa; The World of Weimar; General Pat rick Gordon, the PI'USSICIA Scat; The Punjaub ant 1857, fill out the entertaining and instructive Mis cellany. Published by L. SCOTT& CO, New York GENERAL A n SS R E I M AN t,I : Y on , O u P ite T l yE ,PRESBY- •The annual meetingeof this , • body commenced on' Thursday, the 16th,tat'Ai A. M. ' at .the First Church, Syracuse, N. y. After the singing of 'the anthem - -- "Glory -hettrGed-in the higheetin - -- ,.. N.' -- P by the oboir; Re* DrlOYkins offered prayer', ao;d: read the 48th and 80th psalms The psatm "God is the refuge of his saints," was then sung by theVongregation, and Re - v:Dr: A. D. Smith, of Neru York ; ,city,,offered, prayer, making special petition .fur this branch, of • the church, and for the ih4le nation •in its, present crisis of trouble.. . , •: The hymn "Happy the church; thou -saei.ed 'place," was then sung, after' iihidh the:last Moderator, Rev. T. A. Mills, D. D4t Newark; N. J., preached fr the opening sermon, 'the text, 1 Tini. iii. 14, 15--'These things I.write,unto thee, hoping to come'unto thee shortly, but if I tarry long, that thou reighte,st know'hoi thou °tightest to behave thyself in the church, Which is the household of the living God, the'pillar'ind ground of truth." The sermon was a carefully prepared and ela borate discussion of tha theme .suggested„ by the text, "The Church, the: 14014014:IfAlink. living God.” The preacher olettlyand' strOngly pre sented, first, the fact that is is Ifoikii institution, living and breathing , only in ; and 'through Him : and then urged the necessity of its seeking in this age a large outpouring ufain it of vital force from above. Raving discussed, -the' Abject this 'generally, the speaker applied it 0 body before:him, by urging the diligent cuittittlioit ifn active Chris tian _life through. alt th4ehurch, He-pointed to the danger of relying oAnatithtinps and etgan izations, instead of tlin,adiVe life of the Church. He applied the subject, direopytnthe varied fortis of Christian activity now PAsecuted by the Church, naming Ministerial Education, Church Extension, and Rome and Foreign‘Missionsdis torms of ac tive effort, all calling now ToI. 'the great increase of Christian life. iielkeichectthe results of ten years of increased. effort' on the Part ;Of this Gene ral Assembly, and the present position of its leatt ing interests, and briefi l i Alluding, to 'the solemn character of the present'age, When so'many' great events are oecurrineWid . mighty changes are in prospect over the whole 'World, he urged on 'the body the responsibilitinf the charge resting on them as a Church of theliving God. After the sermon, the-Assembly was constituted by prayer, led by , the lastjqederator, after which, on - Motion of Dr. A. o:Sinilh, an .. adjournment was made to .3 o'clock' ' Notice was given, t_ea,ch,.dey's session will be preceded by a prayer-meeting, and that all the sessions will be open-tot:re 4grE j it_ rifpm At 3 o'clock, Rev. Dr. Mills; the Moderator of the last Assembly, topk,the t chair, and, opened the meeting with prayer,: The names of 'tile .3 bli t tunisSioners" were theri. eallod and the roll 'correetbd,`after which the'As sembly proceededto the election Of a'Afilderator: Dr. Smith,' of New: Xork,:Dr. Condit,, of. An; burn, Dr. Nelson ' of 4t,,,,intis, ,Dr. Kendall, of Pittsburgh, and Dr. Jenkins, of Philadelphia,Were nominated. The first ballat'residtedliu3' follows: &filth, 62; Condit, 75; Nelson, 214 'Kendall, 3; Jenkins, 6 . No election , ~ • • • The second hallot,ennfirte4 , to the two.highest Candidates, resulted,ae'fellowsillev. J. S. Con dit, D. D., 106; Rev!. rAiirreSthith D. D. 68:: Dr. Condit was declared electedi:' • 1 • •' Rev. Dr. Nelson, of StAohisi.and , Rev. P: llovey,,of Kew YOrk, were appointed n cummittee to conduct him to the platform, where he was re ceived with a few appiopriatp remarks, by the re, tiring Moderator. - • Upon taking the.pyreDri Qigi'dit Said: My Christian Frilidtvlj-4-thanic you ` for `tfiis act of your kindness int.choosing me to fill this place, for whicli-Meil,inlyself unworthy;; .but I accept the trust'have,committed, to me. *I can only`promise to giVe'to the duties of this of fice my most careful attention and'all my`energy. While asking your indulgence I also solicit your earnest, : steadfast co-operation; but, in view of duties always deveiving on this body, sacred , re sponsibilities, wide-reaching in their consequences, but especially this - year; in view of interesting, momentous questions that will be subinitted to your deliberation and decision, let us unite, day by, day, in supplicating. the guidance of.the Holy Spirit, that the Moderator may be • directed in the discharge of his trust, and all here united in this Assembly may be enabled to' fulfil their responsi bility in the fear of God,iso that when we mile to the conclusion of this session, we Shall have reason to be grateful for all that. has been done, and for that kind Providence which has directed us. May the Lord'is presence be with na all! Rev. Messrs. A. K. Strong, of Michigan, and -E. Buckingham, of -low* were appointed tempo rary clerks, - . • The Second Pi,esbyterian Church; at _Cincin nati, was designated 'as the plate for the next meeting of the Assembly, and a committee was appointed to nominate a committee of arrange ments for that sesiion. Judge Spencer, bf Syracuse, from the committee of arrangements, reported in regard to the hours l le of meeting, and t Assembly decided to meet as follows:—Mornin , 9 to 12; Afternoon, 3 to sf; and evening exercises at 7f. The first half hour of the morning seiviees to be spent in devotional exercises. • ' - Rev. Dr. Kendall, of Pittsburgh, moved- the appointment of N eommittee.of five, to report a recommendation of what action it is meet for the Assembly to take,iiti view - of the present state of the country. [Probably adopted:- mir reports do lx not say anything f rther.] . Adjourned. , PRAYER-MEETING. A prayer and conference meeting was held in the evening, wi h trierence to the present condi tion-of the countryt: Rev. Asa Smith; D. D., of New York; lead• Ole 'exerciies, which were par ticipated in by many of the commissioners. The burden of the, prsyer was that God would inter= toreand re-tore peace and unity to our distracted cou try.' • The body of thl, spacious. ehurch'ivas full of members of the A ssembly and citizens, and the exercises :were highly interesting. SECOND DAY,---itIDAVMOENING: SESSION. The Asiembly niet at , 9 o'clock this forenoon, and spent a half( Our in clevotional exercises, whi:h were very iterestirig and edifying. The appointed,half ho having , passed, business was .1 ? . resumed, and'the 1 r II was called for revision and correction. Nine 'new: . members' appeared and were added to theist,_namely : , Rev. Samuel EyWishard, Pres. of Schuyler. Rev. H. A. Femiel, Pres of Troy: f Rev. Chas. S. lvester, Pres. of Columbia. Nilo Tuttle, it . of Ottawa., J. Milton Sinit Pres. of Brooklyn. ' Chas. T. Wilkie' ()Il i Fos River Prea. W Ziba hittleseY Pres. of Catskill. John C. Robb, i res. of Pennsylvania. ; ' Joseph A. Tyler' Pros. of Ithaca.' et i The Aloderatop 'o t ek, announced _the, following Standing C ount ii . ' . 1. JUDICIAL CORlilTTEF—AfinisterS—Asa D. Smith, 1). D.,Af oardman LaMbert, D. D., George N. Boarn Luiher Conklin. Elders —Hon. Israel Sf - enctir, Sada. M. Blatehlord i Hon. llenry D. do k. • ' - 2. BILLS AND O ERTURES--lifinisters--Henry Kendall, D. D., 1 110. tuieLoonsbury, D. D., James H. Johnston, Dor . e'gitton. Biders--Thomas Archer, Hon. bini 1 S. l -Baeen, L. It. Livin g ston. 3. POLITY OF 'l'll ClORoR—AtiniSterB-IYOS venor W. Ileacock, D: D., Lyman Gilbert, D. D., George Freeroln„,4 el Campbell. Elders--M%. Benjamin IV. RV, ond z Jacob J. Denman,,.. D., Franklin Willms. 4. FOREIGN M - "sroN.4.;'-'4llinisters—John Jen kins, D. D., Go don. AV. 'Noyes, Daniel Rice, Alexander Porte . `;Elders-=lsrael' - F. Terrill, t Frederick Starr, Samuel N. Kinney. • 5. OuURCH, ExTENsrorr--.Ministers—ilenry A. Nelson, D. D., J. Geddes Craighead, Augustus T. Norton, John M. Biehnp. :':Elders—John G. Parker, Hon. Augustus P. Hamall, Jacob, Jahn . son. 6. EDUCATION--Ministers--Henry Smith, D.P., Joseph B. Bittinger . , Nicholas W. Goertmer, D. D.; -. Y. - Parsois'adiey: Bitleri—William ChristiefE)mezer: . S; dg ett, James R. Sayre, 7. I.6moAirrbsr-:-:-Sli'muel H. Cox, 1). D., Thecidere L.'enyler„ George M. Maxwell, Marcus Hicks,. -RJlD4sey, Richard L. 'eele - y, Ingham Townsend'. 8. LEAVE oh`. AESENOE—Ministerslienry A. Riley, Asa Johnson, Nlisha B. Sherwood; William 13. Wastel. Elders- 7 -4s. M. ,ilaines, Aohn, Buckley, Elijah b. Kanouse: DEvoTiolvAi, ExunoriE isters.LißO bert Gregg, Sohn TV: Daiii; Abra ham K. Arming. Elders—Hon; Israel S. Spencer, •GeorgeN. Allen, William Webster - j : 10. MiLEAGE---Eoers- . ---Speneer 4ellogg, Am- Pease, - Jacob Aililiart. Rev. Paitoi• Fisch," was '.presented to. the . Assembly - as a delegate from the' Evart gelfeal - Uniop, of that country,' and. , aii appoint meet was gkade for ihim, to address ,the .A.sseatbly this, 'afternoon. , Tellers were appointed to'oollect Go narra tive and statistical repOrta from 'Presbyteries." Rev. Dr. Canfield, announced• that o vial reports of ,the,:kseeruhly would, appear In two of _the city. papers, the Joyrno,l,l4n, afternoon paper, and the Courier, a morning paper, 04011 bringing . the ?siloit - 1T to the latest moment be fore going:'tolpross.•• •" •*.` The Treasurer's report was read, and referred to,,ne,alditing-comprittee. •-•‘l.-1 reports wer . t 3 tpen i presented • from ,the folidWini r delegates from this bod4to,Other cc `elesia4tical Rev. W. Et.'lvieijnret, , Teletate .to the Chet berland Presbyterian. Church, tne't: Nesliville, Tennessee. Rev. 'R F, HatAeld, delegate tn pip Genertit Aesneiatidn Orlsitissiel isettn,meeting at Holliston: - :Rev. =Henry Llttle; delegate to the General ..Assoointion of:New Hampshire, meeting 'at ClaremOnt. , „ • Rev. 'George A. Howard, ,delegate to .the Ge 7 tieraf Conference of` l e atne, meeting' at B'angor. These' reports vier uittiCbptailorderedto be printed in :the appendix to the iiinnteS. • Rev. !I% D.4-Secretary of. the Com= fplt,te,.of the last Aesembly ; on, Herne Mitsions, Piiserited the Apqrt of that Committee. • The followint constitution and reinlutions, proposed-by th'e torninittee - weie ordered printed, and :the whole snbjeet was, made , -- the-'.order or the day for 3L P,I kt, Monday • _ , CONSTITUTION OF TEE PRESBYTERIAN' COMMITTEE ‘.` OF HOMES tIESSI6NS: - s."l - • _ I. r The ,Genoral Assembly, inlaccordance with the obvious indications of, Divine Providence anda - greeablyto the Constitution of the Church, (Form of Wm. : : asuines respon, sibilitY of Conductiig ' the work of 'ilbizteatis= sions , Within bonnds. • - ".r IL To this end,, the Assombly,hereby tntes a pet:itianent committee,. to be,. known as 'PRESBYTERIAN COMMITTEE;Or, 'HOME Mr rows; to -beilticated . iu the city of to consistof-fifteen meMbers, of whom not more than : eight be•mipisters of the Gospel, to ~arranied in the first _instance into three clisses, to mire one, and three years re spectively, and-their snecessors to serve for years, to be appointed by the'A's - seMbly,' five - of them, to be a quorum for ordinary :business, and a majority for, the election, of officers and the determination of their salaries. , 111. The committee Shall elect annually a ge neral secretary, a treaSurer; , and such other offi cers and agents . ' as may be reqiiisite for the'sue cessful prosecution of the Work. They shall have. power to fill, until the meeting of,next As sembly, their own vacancies, to, appoint their own `meetiPis,'fo i Aeterminii,thespecifie duties of their' officers,'and 'Mike their own ' 4 14-lairs, subject to lihe.xevision of the Assembly IV; They shall:undertake the work of aiding such congregations as. are , unable to support, in whole or in , part, the stated preaching of the gospel ; and of sending missionaries to the des titute in our own land. They shall appoint - the missionaries;, give them all needful' instructions as to the place and character of their labors, taking care to appoint no one, unacceptable to the Presbytery in whose bounds he is to labor; securing and regarding, as far Ps practidable, the advice and endorsement of 'Presbytery as to the selection and location:oflaborers, and their remuneration. They, shall make the necessary appropriations to congregations, exploring mis sionaries, and agents; and take measures to se cure the efficient agency of the Synods, Presby teries, and churches, in the work'of exploration in securing missionaries, and in Obtaining funds for , the common treasury.. They shall keep a faithful record of 'their proCeedings, and make au Annual Report 'of their operations to the Assembly. • V. The Treasurer shalll take Charge of the moneys contributed to the cause; shall disburse them only upon the - duly certified order of the committee, to whom he shall make report of the state of the treasury at such times as they shall direct, and give bonds annually for the faithful discharge of his trusts, to such an amount as the committee may determine. VI. As it is not the design of the General Assembly to supersede the different ecclesiasti cal bodies connected with it, but to give unity and efficiency to their actions, so as to bring out the full adaptation and force of the Presbyterian system in Home Missions; the Presbyteries are recommended to appoint a standing Committee of Home Missions to explore their destitutions, and to select and designate missionaries, to re commend the amount of their compensations, to secure an annual contribution to the cause from each of their churches, and furnish annually to the Permanent Committee, on or before the 15th of April, a detailed statement of the Home Missionary work within their bounds. , , The Committee, also recommend to the Gene ral Assembly the adoption of the following re solutions, for the guidance of the Presbyterian Committee of Home Missions and the Presby teries,: 1. Resolved, That the condition of the Home Missionary work throughout the Church, at the present time, calls for a reconsideration and re adjustment of many of its arrangements, so as to give it, in its new relations, the greatest sta. billy and efficiency. 2. Resolved, That the aim should be, to. esta blish churches which have the prospect of reach ing, at no distant day, a self-sustaining condi tion, and not such as will; nevitably remain rin prolonged or perpetual dependence; and that the attention, of Presbyteries be directed to this point, in asking appropriations for churches al ready existing, and in planting others, so that the bounty of, the whole church < may be dis pensed so as to secure the earliest and most beneficial returns. 3. Beso/ve4, That the Presbyteries should Carefully weigh the relative claims of old orga , - nizationa and of new enterprises, that one may not, be sacrificed for the other; that as to the former, they should ascertain if any ought to be discontinued, if several may.not be united under one missionary, what may be done to sti mulate them to greater efforts for self-support, and if apprOpritttions to decidedly unprOmising ones should notbe curtailed ; anti as to the lat ter, they should then only be undertaken where the providential indications point out their ne cessity, and never to establish denominational interests where there is really no call nor room for them; the general principle being that we should hold only •that which is :worth holding, and , advance no farther than can be done effect 4. Resolved, That applications from the Pres byteries should state all the facts which the Committee should know.in order to form a•cor rect judgment in the case, such as—the location of the church; its positive and relative, its pre- , sent and prospective iinportance; its age ;' num hers ; pecuniary ability; necessities; length of • time during which it has been receiving a ssist once' the prospect of its ceasingltoinecd a ssist uric etc., etc. And that no church should be teeonimended for an appropriation-which* dives not make all reasonable exertions to sustain the preaching of the gospel; make an annual con tribution to the general treasury;, and satisfy „ , Itielrreib'ytery that it — lies - complied with engagements to its minister... i* 5. Resolved, That ap,propriatiOns Would) be made with reference to the necessities and pros pects of congregations,ratherahan in view of the wants of missionaries; , the support of the ministry being regarded chiefly as nmeans of ; building up the church. • • :6. Resolved, That, as the funds of,the church mint be limited in comparison with the very ex tensive field to be supplied,'a careful economy should be regarded in allapproPriations, and strenuous efforts should be made to increase the contributions to the general treasury, from year to year. , • 'I. Resolved, That in planting new churches, the unity of the body of Christ should ,be, sore cognised, that where another denomination, of like general faith and order, is in possessiiin of. afield, and is doing all that may be fairly needed to supply it with the gospel, presently or pros pectively, missionaries should not be sent to that field, but to more destitute regions. , S. Resolved, That itinerating missionary la bor should be employed wherever the wants of any particular region :may demand it, and'the the disposal of the Committee will ;al low; and that, great care should be taken to gather up . and perpetuate the results of Snell itineranctes, so that the energies and Meatis of the church may , not be wasted in fruitless expe :9:..4e,solved,. That the , Con2mittee pu Church Extension, established in 1855, having satisfac toillY fulfilled its course', as a supplementary - firrangeinent, and its separate continuance be ing -rendered unnecessary by the establishment of the ..Presbyterian Committee of Home Mis- sions, it shallbe,merged into hat Committee, which is declared to be the, legal successor to all its reationsibilities rights and claims; and P that When the Presby' ibrian'Committeepnylome Missions becomes organiWed; the funds; recbrds; claims, and responsibilities of said Church Ex tenaion'Committee shall.be transferred to that "Ceminittee. ffeiolved, That tice Perinanent Commit tee.oti Home Missions, establi'shecl in 1858, be discontinued,: . 1L Resolved, That the General Assembly te gulfs it of the utmostimportEnce that uniform PresbYterial system should be adopted, as soon and_ as far as practicable;' and`it `earnestly re= Corninende all its ecclesiastical bodies actini in eonnectionlirith , other organizations, ah hoon as it can heldpneiwithout sacrifice to exihting in. terests, to conforni themselves to the Assembly's plan. 12. Resolved, That the Presbyterian Com mittee of Home Missions - be directed 6.a:ppli to the Legislatute of for 'an Act of: In= corporation. •, • 13—Rcsolued, That the Presbyterian Com- mittee of Mime Missions be directed to hold its first' meeting' in - 'on the day 'or —, and the , Stated Clerk of the Assembly notify in due time, the inemberi3, of the time and place of meeting. Dr. Wallace, of Philadelphia, read the report of the trustees of the .Presbyterian House, which Was referred tO'the Committee on Publication., . . The same gentleman presented the report of the Church Extension Committee. ..it appears from this that great progre-ss :has been ,made; in the work of Home Missions in the Church. The receipts were upwards of $21,000; the number Of missionaries, 88; boxes of clothing for mission.: cries, 40; legacies, $25,000. The report, was ferred to the Church Extension Committee. Thp hour of 12 having arrived, the Assembly, took a recess till 3 P. M. Both, on Thursday and Friday evenings, meet.: ings were held on the state of the'emintry. The church, which is a very laige one, was filled with meiibers of the Assettibly'and. citizens and ladies of Syrachte. AddresSes delifered; inter spersed with singing and prayer. Among others who spoke, were Dr. Cox, Pastor. Fisch, Bra. jerk., kin's and Darling, of Philadelphia; Mr. Emerson, of Delaware, and otliera. Rev. Mr. Waldo;'ever ninety years of age, 'who enlisted in the Revolu tionary war at sixteen years of .age, made an teresting address. 'The spirit of patriotism mounts very high. The exercises for this (Friday) even ing were concluded by singing, amidst great en thusiasm], of . the Star Spangled Rattner. The Geeeral ASsemblY are' to a man in favor of the Union. Strong.resolutions sustaining the.govern nient will be adopted. The hospitality of the citizens of Syracuse t o . wards the Aasernbly is unbounded. SECOND DAY - ---AFTEDNOON SESSION. 'At three o'clock the Assembly was opened with prayer by Rev. Dr. Cox. The &Rowing Commis sione.rs were announced, and their names were added to - the roll: Joseph Allison, , 3d.Presbytery of Philadelphia;, Reuben S. Ragan, .Presbytery of Green Castle. Rev. Daniel G. Mallory, 4th Presbytery of Phi ladelphia. • . On motion; of Dr. A.- D. Smith, 10 :.o'clock; Monday morning, was ,appointed for hearing ad 7 dresses fi.om delegates to this body from corre sponding bodies. Rev. VA: Mills, D, D., read - report of his reception by 'the General: Association of Con . necticut, as delegate from this body: , The -re port was accepted, and, ordered to be printed with the others. At the suggestion of Dr., Cox', ladies were • in vited to take seats ia the : front wall slips on either side' of the church; Committees. Were appointed to nominate dele gates to corresponding bodies and, a preacher on Home Missions in 1862. The report 'on statistical 'returns was' read` by Rev. A. K. Strong, for E. F. Hatfield, D. D. and H. Darling, Committee.. They recommended the idoption of no new methcd.s,, but only careful and accurate compliance with the , methods already in dicated by the As.lembly. Some discussion fol.; lowed,'in the course of which it-Was explained that new blanks for returns have been prepared for the use of the churches in reporting to Eresby tEries. The report •was accepted, adopted, and ordered printed in the minutes. The following committee was announced to re port delegates to foreign bodies Ref. Jas. Knox, Rev. Moses B. Gelston, Rev. Joseph T. Willet, Rev. Theodore S,,Brown, Rev. Benjamin Graves. The foll Owing committee.was announced to name a preacher on home Missions: Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, Rev.lAndrew J. Fennel, Rev. Oliver N: Chapin. `. - It was moved to appoint the usual days of fast ing and prayer, 'the first. Monday in January and the lase Thursday in .I*ebruary, but objection was made to the first Monday in January, as a season, for various: reasons, unfavorable for the purpose. Many short speeehei were made for and against the .observanee of the first Monday in January. The original motion prevailed. ADDRESS BY REV. G. FISCH. The hour having arrived for it, Rev. Pastor Fisch, of France, was presented to the Assembly, and made a very feeling address. • lie considered it a great priVilege toltave re mained in this country lon&enough'to attend this General Assembly. It-had been his great desire, and its accomplishment atoned to him for his stay in tie country. In the name of his French bre- Oren, he expressed the deepest sympathy for this nation in its present eircutustaneei. 'French Pro testants, and especially those of the Free Church, look to America, and sometimes are accused of an Antericpmania. At a distance the little,defieien cs'are lost from sight. They .look at America across the ocean, and everything, except one thing, which le would not nientieni seemed to them ad mirable. • They feel that" their own destiny in France is _at stake, in our crisis. t The-Protestants of France are very, liberal. The Roman Catholic ehurchis on the -side of ,every kind of human slavery of mind; so, at the preSent"titne,'Fieneli Protestants feel that our destinies and struggles _ I ,; are theirs, and on triumph : l . 7M be theirs also, ani they'expectAhatoir'ertsoetrieonner than many t.x. peet r this natioriwillhain assumed in the gen ,,, ai estimation of nationsi.p,ositibiliven higher tha n it tool some twenty years ago. Mr. Fisch describe& the progreas of Protestant_ ism in France. Paris;Witlfits 1,800,000 inha. fully Lia r leferigiouTt effort. 50, 0 , 4 ., are u t tiW 14 7 2 , ''paldt„'n'esh4retsberrresP4becnogmuinpg afsaVlo'yrabej; k eb n an ovr t n in . ° khey were once not distinguished Ir on , infidels,,and ha himself, .after preaching in the, . south of France, had once been asked to vi s i t a man who he was owed was a perfect Calvicic t for he believed neither in God nor Devil. I t now realized, that‘Protestants believe in both, a n q that if thge,is hope ef. safety.for the French tion, it kiiiivangelicarteligion. lir:Tisch =hoped a:deputation would be s ent from this body to.the •French Synod meeting next year at La Force. • The pastor of that aura, most excellent Man, had from the F rn _ nt i i Academy the rare distin'ction of thepriz de t ot „ , the prize of moral eicellinee, conferred on him at the instance, of Mr. itemusat, one of the Cabin et Ministers Of Napoleon I L,. an eminent Catholic, He begged the remembrance of the member , of the Assembly in their . prayers. France shr,nl,l be remembered by American' Christians. Th e stronghold of the enemy should be aimed at. It would have been wise for the enemies of this vernixient to' have seized Washington while they could. France is the spiritual Washington of th e great adversary— She claims aid from us. If she has not invented telegraphs, or steamboats, or railroads?-she invented Presbyterianism, for Joh n Calvin was a Frenchman. t The Mnderator,, taking Dr. Fiseh's band, cor dially responded to his address in the following wards:-- , Let mein ono word, sir, respond to your 1.. n• gunge of hearty sympathy with us. For one, am not surprised to find the French heart beating as your'n"does to.day.' I cannot forbear to allude to scenes revived in memory; one Saturday e ve . nine, eight4en years ago, going to a prayer -meet ing conducted.byilonod, and afterwards led by a stranger going to the chapel of the beloved past or at LyonsOrhere r l. heard a sermon from the test, "Therefore being justified by faith," &e., and when he prayed. for the American ministers pre sent his voice trembled and ceased in the fulness of emotion. -We rejoice in your sympathy. We have learned, "Put not your, trust in princes;" we trust in God, but it is grateful to have the tender of sympathizing friends, and the assurance of the prayers of our Christian brethren on the other side of the sea. We believe we shall come threrigh'this trial and that one blessing shall be the result of it, putting to the test, as it has not been for along time, .PRINGIPLE in this country, and that it "PIN strengthened and brought out in a vigo,r, such as has not been seen in this coun try. :Ivray God's' Blessing go with you, my bro ther!". ' Dr. Cox,-after Mr. Fisch had closed his remarks, offered a resolution of cordial sympathy for him and his fellow, Christians and pastors in France, which he accompanied with a very spirited address. The lesblition was unanimously adopted. The Moderator theft called on Mr. Fisch to relate the conversion of a Professor of the Sorbonne, which he did in a very affecting manner, and in much extremely interesting detail. The srePort of the 'Church Erection and Church Eitension Committee was read by Rev. B. J. Wallace, and appropriately= referred. Dr. Jenkins, of 'Philadelphia; was appointed leader of the, evening , prayer,meeting, and the Assembly then took a - recess till 9A. M. Prayer was' offered by'Dr. Gilbert. EBTRE I D - iY—SATIITIDA--..itoltiiiNCl SESSION The Assembly met at nine this morning, and passed the usual Fhalfhour in devotional exercise. IBl:witless-being resumed,' the following new CoulNiksignert were annettneed:—. 9,, B. Stevens,-Presbytery of Lake Supe rior: Rev ~P 6. Wisner,' D D., Presbytery of Nia- Ceplias,Arms, Preekterynf Knox. James A. Bell, Presbytery _of Watertown. REPORT ON 'DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES The Corlimittee'on Devotional Exercises made a report of appointments' for - the Sabbath and coming week:— Thursday, 3 P.M.—The .Communion of the Lord's Slipper will be ; administered in this house. The Moderator of . the Assembly to preside. Rev. pr Jenkins, of. Philadelphia, to adminis ter the'Slieranient. Thelollowing ruling eldetn to distribute the bread to the communicants": S. Spencer; Spencer Kelogg, Esq ; lion. D. S. Bacon; Ilan. Josepli W. Raymond; R. L. Sbeley; The'following -to dieeribute the'cup: Smith ()s -trut*. Esq.; :Bon. Samuel , M. Blatchford; lion. Augustus P. Mescal; L.' R.;;Livingston, Esq.; E. D. Kanonse, Es:q.; „Ebenezer Randolph, Esq. The annual address of the Presbyterian Eis tOrical: Seciky, on the . '" Ter Centenary of the meeting of 'Abe- Firit Genentl Assembly," takes place, toz.day,'(Thursday,) P. M., at-7i o'clock. Rev. J.:Marsh, D. D., Secretary of the Ameri can Temperance Union made,a brief address, and asked the passage of the following resolution: iMereas, In the Providence. of God our be loved country is in 'a state of very unusual excite ment and conflict, in' which there is danger of a great increase of intemperance, , Resolved, That the circumstance demands the special attention of the ministry and churches, and While we render thanks for - the preparation which has been made for these days of conflict by the 'treat temperance reformation ' we do earnestly ask for extraordinary prayer and labor, that oar noble.young men, who go in .the, spirit of Lexing ton and Bunker Bill to the defence of the Consti tution and laws, may be kept from the tempta tions of the camp and the field, that we may conic out of ; this war with far greater ability than we haie ever possessed, - to wage successful combat with intemperance and every other moral evil Which hinders the advent of the kingdom of Christ. Rev. T. Cuyler seconded the resolution in a few :remarks. Dr. Cox also favored it, but wished tobacco were included in the resolution and that is were more explicit against the license system. Dr. A. D. Smith said a few words in regard to the special dangers of young men in camp. The resolution was unanimously adopted. l'he permanent committees on Church Erection and . .Publication presented their xeports, which were read and referred tp the appropriate stand ing committees of the .Aasembly. The reports are long and we shall present an abstract of them in our next issue.l Rev. Mr. Emerson, ofDelaware, was appointed to lead the prayer meeting this evening. The special committee the State of the Union presented a very stirring and decided re port, which was. read; and slight objection having been made to some of the expressions, was recom mitted fortrevision. Thee - Aisenibly then adjourned to Monday, at .9, A. M; 'after prayer by the Moderator. ,EDITOR'S, TABLE. PAMPHLETS AND, PERIODICALS From W. B. ZIEBER, of this city, we have re ceived the . April issues of the WESTMINSTER and the LONDON QUARTERLY' REVIEWS. The articles in the WESTMINSTER are, Kingsley on History—Sicilian Revolution—Voltaire's Ro tnances—The Universities and, Scientific Educa tion—Early Intercourse of England and Germany —The Co4on,..lganufa&ture—Maine on Ancient Law — Eton-Austria and Iser Beforms--Con tem porary. Literatire. , 111 The f t osb3N QUARTERLY contains :• The Pearls and Mick : Pearls `of History—Euphuism—Lord Dundonald- 4 -Spiritual Destitution in the Metro- Polis---Germau,• Flemish and , Dtttch Art—African Discovery—,LOrd Stanhope's-Life of Pitt—lndian dUirency, Finance and Legislation—lron Manu facture. May 23
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