3ilitritint PttZiiistitiatt, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1869 REV. JOHN W. MEADS, D. D., Editor. No. 1334 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. UNION. Continued from Page 362. sistent and loving remembrance of our Lord. Amusements that undermine the health and waste vitality ; amusements by which the weak and the fame are so often turned out of the way only to eitinlible and perish; amusements that make it ap pear as if God's children were as eager after, and as intent upon, the gayeties and fesivities of the world as the children of the world themselves ; amusements making it essential for Christians to take positions that ought to bring, if they do not bring the blood to their faces; amusements that compel Christians to witness scenes and hear quips and jests soiling their spirits with suggested unclean ness,—these all, and all like these, are branded with condemnation by this divine precept. No true disciple of Christ can give himself to such amuse ments "in the name of the Lord Jesus." We close as we began. This whole question must be taken out of the domain of abstract casuis try. It is not so much a question of absolute right and wrong, as of conscience and charity. The spirit of our life is far more important than the let ter of our law. The rule *of love is higher than the law of liberty. Christianity antagonizes worldli ness ; it does not conform to it. The Church should deal with it not so much by the axe of discipline as by the sword of the spirit. Yet, without a dotibt, the very law of love may sometimes require a kind, considerate, thougtful exercise of the disci plinary power of the Church ; but our chief appeal should be to the conscience. Our main reliance must be on the spirit and the life demanded by a whole-hearted surrender and commitment to the Lord Jesus. Those who are constrained by the love of Christ, canpearcely allow themslves indul gence in any business or recreation, any work or play, into which and through which and out of which they cannot consistently go with ever pres ent and affectionate remembrance of Him " who gave 'Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a pecu liar people, zealous of good works." {HERRICK JOHNSON, Committee, ‘Vm. E. MOORE, ALEX. WHILLDIN. GENERAL ASSEMBLY-SECOND DAY After devotional 'exercises, led by Rev. W. E. Moore, the Assembly was called to order. New arrivals of delegates have brought the number pres ent to 206. The Moderator announced the Committee on Members of the Assembly deceased since May : Rev. John Waugh, Rev. A. Parsons, Rev. A. Luce. THE STATE LEGISLATURES AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Dr. Darling said there,is one subject to which I desire to invite the special attention of the-mem bers of the General Assembly, and if I need any apology for presenting this subject it must- be found in the fact that in the providence of God, I am exercising my ministry in the capi tal of one of our States, and I cannot, perhaps, bet. ter introduce the paper which I propose to read, t .an by, making a very brief statement to the As sembly. Last winter in the. Senate of New York there was introduced by a distinguished Senator, a bill— asking the unanimous consent of the Senate to its introduction. That consent was granted,, and the bill was passed to its third reading without a single member of the Senate: knowing what was the spirit and intent of the bill. Just before its third reading the purpose of the bill was discov• erect, and one of the members of the Senate person ally called upon several of the ministers of that city, requesting they should immediately meet and issue a protest against the passage of that bill. The bill was exceedingly well framed, so as to con-' ceal its purpose, but the object was to appropriate from the State sufficient funds to support every Roman Catholic school in the Commonwealth. The protest of these ministers was published, and I think that did as much as anything else to pre vent the passage of that bill, and just before I came to this General Assembly, I was called upon by one of the prominent politicians, with an earnest request that all our ecclesiastical bodies should issue some kind of a decided expression of opinion with reference to this movement. It is not a ques tion that is peculiar to the State of New York, but I have in my possession a bill of substantially the same purport, which I am assured will be pressed during this comintr ° winter, before every Legisla ture in this country, in . which there is the slight. est prospect of success. It is with these convictions that I propose to read a paper, not for the adoption of the Assembly, for it is too important a matter to be thus hastily acted upon., But after I shall have read the paper, I shall move it be referred either to a special committee, or to the Standing Committee on Bills and Overtures; who can consder, whether' it is the duty of the Assembly to take action, and if they do so, to act wisely. Perhaps the paper, that shall finally pass' should be more than the one I have hurriedly sketched be• 2 fore the meeting of the Assembly:this mornin g . Dr. Darling then read the following paper: b The General Assembly, observing with the pro - foundest concern the attempts that are now being made in various portions of our country, not only to remove the Bible from the place that it hereto fore, generally, has had in our common schools, but also to secure from the State the pecuniary sup port of sectarian schools—schools under the exclu sive control of a Church, and designed to teach the peculiar tenets of its theology, and ecclesiasticism desires to draw to these facts the special attention of its constituency. Should this movement; be successful, it must ob viously ultimate in the'eomplete disintegration and final destruction of our present admirable system of common school instruction—a system that is the glory of our land, and that has already broUght to it inestimable blessings. Moreover as this move ment is entirely in the interest of_Rothanism t it will, if successful, be so far a virtual, establishment of that religion as the State religion of our land, securing from the public treasury to which all our citizens contribute, the religious as well as the semi lar.education of all its south. The Assembly would, therefore, earnestly request of its constituency to employ all the instrumental ity whin their reach to avert from our country so fearful a 'calamity. Through the pulpit and the presi, and by the presentation to our,. State Legis lature of petitions and remonstrances, let the voice of our people-be heard, on this great subject, so vital to the highest interests of Christianity and Rev. Mr. Chidlaw said : I feel this is an import ant question, and that the Presbyterian .church throughout the length and breadth of this land, shouldfeel a deep interest in the work that is now going-en. The Presbyterian Church has ever been the firm and earnest friend,of, our public schools and of popular education from Lll very be,ginning, and, .when that great. system which would educate egery•child in the l'add, is threatened, it is time fog. THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER is, 1869. us, as Christian men, and for the Presbyterian Church, in its power, to speak out in favor of popu lar education. We loathe the idea of Church and State united. A great demonstration should be made in behalf of popular education. The eflbrts made in the State of New York, and which we be lieve Will be made in very many of our States the coming winter, we ought to meet, and I hope the action of this and the other assembly Will be de cided. After further discussion, on the disposal to be made of the paper, it was referred to a special com mittee, consisting of Drs Darling, Sunderland, Johnson, and Elders Massey and Burnham. COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN MISSIONS Dr. Booth read the following Communication from this Committee : At a meeting of the Permanent Committee of the General Asssembly for Foreign Missions, held at New York, November 4th, 1869, it was unani mously Resolved, That our Chairman, Rev. Dr. Booth, be requested respectfully to represent to the General Assembly at Pittsburgh, that the appropriations of the American Board to support the missionaries for the ensuing year have been made, relying on the contributions of our churches as heretofore, to enable the Board to meet their appropriations, and to suggest that the Assembly will instruct this committee to request our churches not to divert their accustomed contributions from that Board during itspresent financial year. [Attest.] WALTER S. GnirFrrii, Secretary. Dr. Booth added some remarks, explanatory of the position of the Board and Permanent Commit tee:• He said : It is not the object of the Commit tee or the American Board to dictate or forecast the future of the work of Foreign Missions, but it is our duty as the Committee to accept the situa tion, and whatever may be determined upon by in dividual churches or bodies of churches, and whatever may be our minds in view of the past, it is our desire as a Committee to carry out in the future earnestly the new principle that has been adopted; and I may say also, speaking as a mem ber of the Prudential Committee of the American Board, that so far as that Board is concerned, they have no desire to reach out their hands, and lay hold upon the churches of this body, and by that means retain them in their connection. They only desire to know what the churches are to do, and are also prepared to accept the situation. It is also possible that our churches in the state of sus pense between this point and the coming Assem bly, may become indifferent to the matter, and it is necessary that the Assembly should give authori tative utterance on that point, and as perhaps we take leave of that grand organization whose works have been so prc&ninently blessed among the mis sionary organizations of the world, we shall go out with flying colors, havin g discharged our obliga tions to the uttermost and leaving a grand record behind. I move you that this be referred to the Standing Committee of this Assembly on the American Board of Foreign Missions. Carried, and Rev. Dr. Booth was appointed on the Standing Committee on Foreign Missions, in place of Dr. Heacock. The Committee on Bills and Overtures reported a paper from Kansas Presbytery on the inadequate support of the ministry, and arguing for a Sustenta tion Fund. No action was taken, it teing regarded a matter for the consideration of the entire Church. The Presbytery of Dacotah was exempted from one half of its assessment, on account of the poverty of the churches and the inutility of the Indian elders attending the sessions of the Assembly, whose lan guage they could not understand. REPORT ON FOREIGN CHURCHES Dr. Booth made a partial report on the report of delegate to the Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland and Ireland. The 'Committee find in this paper several suggestions which they deem eminently worthy of the considera tion of the General Assembly, and which, in their opinion, are calculated, if carried into effect, to en large the influence and promote the prosperity of our branch of the Church. • The stiggestions referred to relate to the propriety of opening a correspondence with those branches of the Presbyterian family in Great Britain with which we have up to this time had no formal or official communication, and also they propose an inquiry as to' the wisdom of attempting to embody in our prac tical polity such institutions and customs as have been found useful and salutary among these sister churches. In reference to the propositions for an enlarged correspondence with the Presbyterian Assemblies of Great Britain, the committee would recommend that it be referred to the next General Assenibly, with re quest that such action shall be taken as will bring all these different branches of the Presbyterian family abroad into more intimate and regular intercourse with the Presbyterian Church in the United States, to the end that 'mutual sympathy may be . promoted, and that each' may, if possible, obtain increase of practical power and efficiency from the wisdom and experience of the other. Adopted. Action on the Memorial of the Presbyterian His torical Society was, on report of the committee to whom the matter had been referred, postponed. On Manses the following report was adopted : WHEREAS, The importance of securing manses or comfortable homes for Presbyterian ministers free of rent cannot be over-estimated; therefore, Resolved, That the Moderators of the Presbyteries under the care of the General Assembly be instructed to, inquire of the churches under their care what they have done or what they propose to do in order to se cure a manse for their minister, and the results of said inquiries be reported in the narrative of the state of religion to the next Assembly. An address on the subject was made by Mr. Wil son, of the Presbyterian Almanac. ARRANGEMENTS FOE THE. REUNION Rev. Dr. Adams, from the Committee on Union, gave the substance of the report, which is found in full in the afternoon proceedings, and moved that we have the meeting that has been recommended in the interest of Home Evangelization at the First Presby terian church. Carried. Also, that the Moderator of the Assembly be au thorized to appoint a Committee of Five from this body, to serve upon the Committee on •Reconstruc tion, to consider the subject of the boundaries of Sy nods, Presbyteries, etc.; and also that a similar com mittee be appointed in reference to evangelical ac tion; and that similar committees be appointed on each of the great causes of the Church, to provide for a consolidation of the various Boards and Committees. The motion did not prevail, on account of the infor mality of the Committee's report, but it was under stood the Moderator would act on the hint, Adjourned, SECOND DAY-AFTERNOON SESSION. AUTOGRAPH BOOR" Dr. R. K. Rodgers, of the other Assembly, was in troduced. He said: I feel greatly obliged for the privilege of saying a word to the brethren of the As sembly. I was not a member of the Assembly when the disruption took place. .But I was in Philadel phia. I was born in the Presbyterian Church, and I hope by the blessing of God to die in it. My father and grandfather were members of the Presbyterian Church. My grandfather was fcTtyyearipastOr of the first Presbyterian church in the city of 'New:York:— the founder of that over which the venerable ' Gar diner Spring has been pastor for almost sixty years. The lioderator—Dr. Rodgers will pen:Et me to say that his grandfather vras also the first Moderator of the General Assembly. Pr. Rodgers—He ryas, sir, the first Moderator of the General Assembly. [Applawtel My heart was sickened as I went home after the disruption, not knowing what was to befall our Church. But God has led us by his wonderful providence, and now, af ter wandering apart for thirty years, I bless God, as one of the s weetest recollections of my life, that I have been enabled to take part in this work of coming together. A hook has been provided, and has been presented to the other Assembly. I bring the book here to-day, that it may be laid upon your table, and it has been handed to your Moderator, and I hope the name of every officer and member of this Assem bly will be recorded in it. The other Assembly has commenced at this end of the book, and I pro pose this Assembly shall commence at the other, and that they go on and write and come together in the middle and become one [applause], that it may be known in time to come who the fathers were that consummated this - glorious work. I leave then, sir, this book to be filled up sq far as the members of the body will be pleased to add their names, in the hope that by and by we will be permitted to lithograph those names for this book, and it be placed among the records of the Presbyterian Historical Society. BIBLE IN THE CONLIfoN SCHOOLS Dr. Darling, Chairman, introduced the action he had proposed to the Assembly in The morning, as the report of the committee to whom it bad been re ferred. On the motion to adopt, Dr. Crosby proposed a division of the question, and desired a vote, not upim the question of retaining the Bible in the schools, on which, he said, evangelical men were di vided, but on that of distributing the public money to sustain schools. on which he did not believe one dissenting voice would be heard among the evangeli cal Christians of the country. • A debate arose, in which Dr. Crosby's motion met with little favor. But in view of the limited time for considering the matter, a member moved for a post ponement, when Judge Strong said he would consider it, most unfortunate, now that the subject was intro duced, if it was not adopted. He hoped the report would be adopted as presented. The report was unanimously adopted. FOREIGN MISSIONS The following report from the Standing Committee on Foreign Missions was presented: The Standing Committee on Foreign Missions would report upon the paper emanating from:the Permanent Committee of the Assembly, which was referred to them, as follows: That in view of the fact that appro priations of the American Board to the support of its missions have been made in advance for the year ending , September, 1870, and as not only a great em barrassment to the Prudential Committee, but also great injury to the cause of missions will result from a sudden contraction in the receipts of the Board, Therefore, Resolved, That the Permanent Committee be re quested to urge upon the churches, hitherto contri buting to the American Board, that they do not with hold their contributions from it during the present fiscal year. Resolved, 2d, That the Permanent Committee be also directed to call the attention of our churches to article six of the concurrent resolutions passed by the Assembly at the May meeting, which reads as follows: "There should be one set of committees or boards for Home and Foreign Missions, and the other religious enterprises of ,t•he Church, which the churches should be encolfraged to sustain, though free to cast their contributions into other channels if they desire to do so,"—since in this resolution the Assembly has represented its matured and well-ba lanced judgment in regard to the future relations of our churches to the method in which the work of Foreign Missions should be carried on. The-report was accepted and adopted. Dr. Booth from the Committee on Foreign Presby terian Churches reportelC the following questions, which on his motion were referred to the Joint Com mittee hereafter to be appointed, on promoting the ef ficiency of the United Church : 1. Is it practicable and would it be advantageous to introduce some new method which shall engage the whole Church in the effort to regulate the support of their ministers, and to provide, from a general fund, a sum which should be paid to each pastor as a maxi-. mum compensation for pastoral services ? 2. Would it be advantageous to originate some pro vision by means of which the Church properties should be controlled by the Church itself rather than by Boards of Trustees appbinted from the congrega tions? 3. Would it be desirable that measures be taken to secure unifortdity among all the Churches in the mode of admission to the fellowship of the Church, and in the administration of the ordinances, baptism and the Lord's supper? 4. Would it be desirable to have prepared special forms for use in the Marriage and burial services, which might be adopted by the ministry at their op tion as occasion may require? 5. Can any plan be suggested for increasing the ef fective participation of the membership of our churches in the different methods of Christian work which we have undertaken, -and more especially of increasing the system and thoroughness in benevo lent contributions to the objects recommended by the General Assembly ? . 6. Is it not desirable to adopt the rule of the Scotch churches, allowing only pastors and those engaged in the direct and immediate work of the Church, votes in Presbytery and rßpresentation in the General As sembly? GENERAL UNION OF PRESBYTERIANS Dr. Fisher presented the report of the Committee on the general union of the Presbyterian Church. He wished to state facts so that all would understand where the blame rested, if anywhere. During the 'summer, the Chairman of the Committee, Rev. Dr. Pressly, called a meeting of the Committee at this place. Many of the members of the Committee did not at tend it,, and the meeting, adjourned sine die. Subse quently Rev. Dr. Musgrave, who was Chairman of the Committee from the other branch, and the Chair man of this branch, united in a letter to Dr. Pressly, requesting him to call a meeting of the Joint Com mittee during the session of the General Assembly. He answereSthat, as the meeting had adjourned sine die, he did not feel authorized to call another meet ing. I propose to read the resolutions which were adopted - in the other Assembly: Resolved, That rejoicing, in the iqpnediate reunion of the Presbyterian bodies, SO lOng separated, we would gladly hail a Pan-Presbyterian union, em bracing all branches of the Presbyterian family hold ing to ,the same Confession of Faith and Form of Go vernment. • Resolved, That until such desirable union shall be accomplished, we will gladly welcome to our church connection all congregations, pastors and members who embrace the doctrines of the Confession of Faith and Form of Government. Resolved, That all uniting with us may freely en joy the privilege of using such songs of praise to Almighty God as their conscience7may dictate, as in deed is already allowed to, and variously enjoyed in and by, the several congregations now in our com munion. Dr. Fisher said the church was ready to receive them upon these terms, and give them a hearty wel come. The report was accepted. Dr. Crosby asked whether it was Pan-Presbyterian or Pam ? A•member said the church had been critized in the New Englander for using the word Pan. , ;The report was adopted, but afterwards on the urgeut representations of Dr. Taylor, of. Cincinnati, and ethers, the question was reconsidered, and the second resolution was stricken out, as lucking in cour tesy to thoi.i,c churches and likely to d. eat the object in \ ICW REF,I,IIT OF TELE COMMITTEE OF CONFERENCE ON UN lON Rev. Dr. Adams presented the report, which was being offered at the same time, in the other body, by Rev. Dr. John Hull. The Joint Committee of ConfPrence on Reunion, met on the 10th of November, 1869, at the Lecture room of the First Presbyterian Church. The following resolutions and plans of procedure for the consummation of the reunion of the churches were adopted and recommended as proper to be pass ed by the respective Assemblies. 1. That each Assembly should declare the vote of the Presbyteries in the following language: "This Assembly having received and examined the statements of the several Presbyteries on the basis of reunion of the two bodies now claiming the name and rights of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, which basis is in the words fol lowing: "'The reunion shall be effected on thedoctrinal and ecclesiastical basis of our common standards. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments shall be acknowledged to be the inspired word of God, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. The Con fession of Faith shall continue to be sincerely re ceived and adopted as containing the system of doc trine taught in the Holy Scriptures, and the govern ment and discipline of the Presbyterian Church in the United States shall be approved as containing the principles and rules of our polity.'" " Do hereby find and declare tnat the said basis of re union has been approved by more than two-thirds of the Presbyteries connected with this branch of the church. " And, whereas, the other branch of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, now sitting in the First Presbyterian Church, in the city of Pittsburg, has reported to this Assembly that said basis has been ap proved by more than two-thirds of the Presbyteries connected with that branch of the Church ;, now, therefore, we do solemnly declare that said basis of reunion is of binding force." 2. That this committee do recommend that a spe cial committee of five from each branch of the Church shall be appointed to take into consideration the af fairs of each of the Boards and Committees of both branches of the Church, to recommend to the As sembly of the United Church, next to be held, what changes are required in said Boards and Com mittees. 3. That each Assembly also pass the following: WrtEREAs, It is apparent from the size of the two Assemblies, that some changes must be made in the present, method of representation; therefore, Resolved, That each of the Assemblies of 1869 do appoint a committee of five, to constitute a joint committee of ten, whose duty it shall be to prepare and propose to the General Assembly_of the united Church a proper adjustment of the boundaries of the Presbyteries and Synods; and the ratio of representa tion, and any amendments of the constitution which they may . think necessary to secure efficiency and harmony in the administration of the church so greatly enlarged and so rapidly extending. 4. That the Assemblies do meet attune o'clock on Friday morning. next, and that the vote of the Pres byteries be declared in each Assembly at ten o'clock, and that each Assembly be then dissolved in the usual manner prescribed by the form of Government. That each Assembly do immediately repair to =, there to hold a joint meeting for prayer and praise, and that a joint communion service be held on the same day, at three o'clock in the afternoon. That all business before each Assembly be concluded on this (Thursday) evening, and no new business taken up. That a Committee of Arrangements, of two from each church, be appointed to decide upon the form, man ner and place of our •public meeting, and that a statement on the subject of . raising funds for the use of the church be also prepared for - said meeting by said Committee of Arrangements—the Rev. Samuel W. Fisher, D. D. Rev. A. G. Hall, D. D., Mr. Robert Carter, and the Hon. Wm. E. Dodge to be said com mittee. That the first meeting of the Assembly of the united Church be held in the First Presbyterian church, in the city of Philadelphia, on the third Tues day of May; 1870. That a committee of five from each branch of the Church be appointed. to take into consideration the subject of raising funds for the use of the united church, and - the best methods of doing the same, and the objects to which the same should be directed, and to report at the - next General Assembly. That a joint meeting on 'the subject of Home Mis sions be held, this evening at the First chtirch, and 'to-morrow evening in the Third church, on Foreign Missions, at half-past seven o'clock. Rev. Dr. S. W. Fisher reported PROGRAMME .FOR FRIDAY A Business meeting will be held by both branches at nine o'clock, A. M. The New School Assembly will close at ten o'clock, when the commissioners will form a procession, two and two, headed by the. Moderator, Clerks, and members of the Union Committee; proceed down Sixth avenue to the First Presbyterian Chnrch, forming a line on the opposite sidewalk, looking to Fifth avenue. The Old School Will adjourn at ten o'clock; and form a procession, two by two, headed by the Mod erator, Clerks and members of the Union Committee. They will . pass out of the church, turning to the left on the sidewalk, and proceeding towards Fifth avenue to a point sufficient for the entire line to , form from the church to thelloderator. The two lines being opposite each other the two Moderators will pass to the centre of the street, join arms and proceed up Fifth avenue followed by the procession, which will be formed by the two lines joining in the centre of the street, so that an Old School and New School companion will join, walking arm in arm. The line will pass up Fifth avenue into Smithfield street: thence into Sixth avenue, to the Third church, which will have been closed and kept empty till their arrival. After the platform shall hive been filled, the Commissioners will occupy the body of the house, filling the centre pews, each with seven, and the side pews, each with six, in order that there may be room. There will be no seats in the aisles, but gentlemen are requested to stand close in them, giving as much accommodation in the side pews to ladies as possible. Both these papers were unanimously adopted. Rev. Mr. Waugh, from the Committee, presented the following : REPORT 01, DECEASED MEMBERS The Committee appointed on Deceased Members would respectfully report : Since the meeting of this General Assemblyse in New York, in May last, the Great Head of the Church who says, "Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give unto every =anus his work shall be," has taken.from us three of those who par ticipated with us in that memorable. gathering: namely, Rev. F. R. Gallaher, of Coldwater Presby tery, Elder Dr. Horatio G. Tarbell, of Utica Presby tery, and Elder Loring Danforth, of Buffalo. Presby tery. While we remember that we are commanded not to sorrow for those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, we cannot but regret the withdrawal of such needful laborers from the Master's earthly work, never more inviting or needful than now—regret be cause they have not been permitted to witness that consummation of reunion, tor which they. prayed and voted; nevertheless .as we regard them as gathered to the reunion of all saints in glory, we would repress our tears,• and exprE‘ our sympathy for the dear relatives., they have left below deprived of their fel lowship and support,-and Fay that God would sus tain them-in their loss by His watching Providence an I paternal love, and maple all 11,, to ny.r, klihrcnt in the work lor which 11. , , rts. The. report was accorded and adopt, - -d. The reports of the delegates to 4_ , .. , rreppclndi r , : bodies were ordered to be printed in the appyndix the minutes. The minutes of this Assembly were ordered to be printed. Dr. Darling from the Committee on Church Politr read a paper from Ruling Elder H. Scott Howell, in the Church of Keokuk, asking advice as to the prop er manner in which an Old and New School church, each having a pastor and full board of elders, sh ou ld unite; and howdispose of their property. Hi s 1, 4 _ ter concludes as follows : "I hereby respectfully petition said body to recommend in all such eases that both pastors and all elders of both churches re sign and the united Church then choose a'pastor and elders whom they please, and that each, at the union surrender their property to the united Church." The Committee on Church Polity, reported on this paper: That no recommendation be made at this tim e b y this Assembly upon the subject presented, but that the subject be left for consideration of the Assembly of the united Church in 1870, and that in the mean time no action affecting the title to any of the prop erty of the churches be taken, except under the advice and with the consent of the Presbyteries with which churches taking such action are now con nected. The minutes of the proceedings of the Assembly were read and approved. Drs. H. Johnson, and Z. M. Humphrey, and Elder W. G. Crowell, were appointed a committee of arrange ments for the next meeting of the General Assembly, The Mileage Committee made a partial report, A vote of thanks to the citizens and the members of the Third church for the hospitality extended to the Assembly, to the choir, to the various railway companies and to the members of the press, was passed. Rev. F. A. Noble, pastor of the Third church, made the following response: Mr. Moderator and brethren :—At the moment the resolution was read extending thanks to this church, I did not catch it, and I have just this moment been told what the purport of the resolution was. Ido not rise now to make any special response to it. We have tried to make you feel. you were welcome in Pittsburgh. We have tried to open our houses in such a way to you, and spread our tables in such a way, and to look in your faces in such a way, and to grasp your hands in such a way, that you would feel in coming to Pittsburgh you were coming to one of your dear old homes in this land. A great deal of apprehension was expressed in private letters, and the same thing was expressed also in many of the papers in our connection lest we should feel in the peculiar circumstances of this autumn that we were overburdened. I have taken all the pains I could in private conversation, and also in -written communic t tions, to ascertain, and I can say we have not felt ourselves overburdened, but we thank the Lord that we have been enabled to entertain the American Board, and to now offer our church to the General Aisembly. The general Assembly that has come to us has . already brought us its blessings. We feel that God has been with you, that the Holy Spirit has been brooding over us, and what has taken place and is still to take place is to go out to be historic—one of the marked events of this year ; I trust it will be one of the marked events in the ecclesiastical history of this age, and it is our joy to have been witnesses to these proceedings. It is our joy at this time to have had with us the members of our General As sembly. Here it was that thirty years ago—a little over—the Presbyterian Church met not as two bodies, but as one, yet twain in heart and twain in thought, making under Providence preparations to be twain in ecclesiastical relations. Now you come as two bodies ; you go out as one. You come as two bodies but one in heart, one in spirit, one in purpose from the beginning, henceforth to be one in form. Our prayer is that God will bless this act. Our prayer is that great blessings may come down upon us because of what -our eyes have beholden here; because we have been able to share in these proceedings. Brethren you are welcome to come. Our only sorrow is, you go so soon, and here in behalf of this church and the other Churches represented by our faith in this city, I say to you in all sincerity and all earnestness, come again. [Applause.] COMMITTEES DISCHARGED The various standing committtees were dis charged. The Assembly adjourned, with prayer. THIRD DAX-REIINION ACCOMPLISHED. Friday, November 12th, 1569 The Assembly met at 9 o'clock, A. M., and opened with prayer by the Moderator. A deputation from the other Assembly, consisting of Rev. Dr. Milsgrave and Mr. Day, was introduced. Dr. Musgrave Said : I appear before you as a delegate from the General Assembly in session in the }irst church, to communicate to you specially the vote of our' Presbyteries on the subject of reunion. We have brought a certified copy of the vote; the majo rity has been much more than two-thirds—the num ber required, and the votes of your Presbyteries have been almost unanimous. F never discharged any duty in my life. with a greater pleasure than this - . I have had many duties during the course of my ministry that have _filled my heart with praise and thanksgiving to God, but I may say nothing has so excited my gratitude and joy as this. I believe it has been brought about by the Spirit and providence of God, and I firmly believe that He will continue to guide and bless us, and make this union a blessing to our land and our world. Mi. Day' then read the certified vote of the Old School Presbyteries on the overture of reunion. The reading of the vote was greeted with ap plause. Mr. Day said : , Brethren, I trust that perhaps at this very moment an overture or statement similar in character has gone forth from this Assembly to the Assembly from which we have come, and that it is, I trust, being read there at this very moment. These two churches, so long divided, are now united by the hand of God; and what God bath joined together, brethren, let, us never sunder. [Ap plause.] The Moderator—This General Assembly feel re newed within them the joy they experienced on being unofficially informed of the result of the vote in your Presbyteries, and we fully_ sympathizep with you in 'your hopes for the future. Bear to your Assembly the assurance that we are in full accord with them. [Applause.] JOINT COMMITTEES The Moderator then announced the following com mittees, as suggested by the Joint Committee of Re union. Similar committees were appointed M the Old School Assembly Committee on Reconstruction of Synods and Pres byteries and Change of Constitution—Revs. Drs. Fisher, Patterson, Hatfield, Wing and Tuttle. Committee on Church Work and Progress—Hon. Wm. E. Dodge, Hon. Wm. Strong, and Revs. Drs. Stearns, Goodrich and Hawley. Committee on Home Missions—Drs. Adams and Kendall, Arth.ur, Mitchell, H. W. Williams, LL. and Mr. Farrand. Committee on Church Erection—Elder George W. Lane, Drs. Ellinwood and Taylor, and 0. H. Lee and Samuel T. Bodine. Foreign Missions--Drs. Nelson and Booth, Rev. F. A. Noble, and elders A. Whilldin and T. P. Handy. On Publication—Drs. Humphrey, J. G. Butler, Dulles; and elders Brown and .Knight. , On Freedmen—Drs. Hopkins, Hatfield, H. Johnson, and elders Win. Thaw and J. W. Edwards. -
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