The Rev. Horace Galpin, of the Presbytery of Newton, appeared in the Assembly, and his commission being read, he took his seat as a member. The following resolution, viz. "Resolved, that the committee for printing the Minutes of the Assembly be instructed to publish the whole of the minutes, without any omission," was submitted to the Assembly, and, after some discussion, the further consideration of it, was made the order of the day for to-morrow morning. Resolved, That Messrs. Culbertson, Reid and Vowel, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of Geneva; That Messrs. Robertson, Dewitt, and Leonard Smith, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of Albany; That Messrs. White, Keller, and Ross, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of New York and New Jersey; That Messrs. Brace, Truair, and Hyde, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of Philadelphia; That Messrs. Kerr, M'Clelland, and Sample be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of Pittsburgh; That Messrs. Baldwin, Harris, and Snowden, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of Virginia. That Messrs. Vandoren, Post, and Nassau, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of Kentucky; That Messrs Davidson, Galbreath, and Simkins, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of Ohio; That Dr Porter, and Messrs. Dean and Lenox, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of Tennessee; That Messrs Chester, Hutchinson, and Obadiah Woodruff, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of North Carolina; And that Messrs. Wylie, Baker, and Platt, be a committee to examine the records of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia. Messrs. Strong and Wm. Williams were appointed a committee to receive an account of the distances travelled by the commissioners in coming to the Assembly; and to make a distribution of the Commissioners' Fund, agreeably to a standing rule on the subject. The Presbyteries were called upon to report their several decisions on the revised form of government and forms of process sent down by the last Assembly, and their reports being read, were committed to Dr M'Dowell and Mr Chester to ascertain precisely the decisions of the several Presbyteries on the subject, and report their decision to this Assembly. An attested paper from the Presbytery of Washington was received, and being read, was referred to the Judicial Committee Reports from the Presbyteries on the subject of educating poor and pious youth for the gospel ministry, were called for; and Messrs. Herron and Reid were appointed a committee to prepare a statement, exhibiting a view of the reports received, and the decisions made by the Assembly upon them severally. After considerable progress had been made in receiving and reading these reports, the Assembly Adjourned till 4 o'clock P. M. Concluded with prayer. Four o'clock P. M. the Assembly met and was constituted by prayer. The minutes of the last session were read. The Rev. Sereno E. Dwight, delegate from the General Association of Massachusetts, appeared in the Assembly; his certificate being read, he took his seat as a member. The Rev. Ebenezer Everett, commissioner from the Presbytery of Rochester; the Rev. William M. Adams, from the Presbytery of Cayuga; the Rev. Shepard K. Kollock, from the Presbytery of Orange: Mr. Henry Southard, ruling elder from the Presbytery of Newton; Mr. Jesse Hickok, ruling elder from the Presbytery of Cayuga; appeared in the Assembly; and their commissions being read, they took their seats as members. Mr. Chandler resigned his seat to the Rev. James P. Wilson, D. 1). the principal mention. ed in their commission; and Mr. Weed resigned his seat to the Rev. Stephen N. Rowan, the principal mentioned in their commission; and Dr. Wilson and Mr. Rowan being present, took their seats. The business left unfinished in the morning, viz. receiving reports from the Presbyteries on the subject of educating poor and pious youth for the gospel ministry, was resumed and finished. The committee appointed to ascertain the decisions of the several Presbyteries on the subject of the revised form of government, and forms of process, and the amendments to the directory, sent down by the last Assembly reported, and their report being read, was adopted, and is as follows, viz. That there are connected with this Assembly, sixty-two Presbyteries; that, therefore, the affirmative vote of thirty-two Presbyteries is necessary to make any one article binding; that forty-five Presbyteries have reported to the Assembly their decisions on each chapter, sec tion, and article; that from these reports it appears that the most of the articles have been adopted unanimously, and that every chapter, section, and article, has been adopted by a majority of the whole number of Presbyteries; that the smallest number of votes given for any one article, is thirty-seven; that, therefore, the whole of the proposed amendments sent down by the last Assembly to the Presbyteries is ratified, and becomes a part of the constitution. Drs. Blatchford, M'Dowell and Wilson, and Messrs. Herron and William Williams, were appointed a committee to determine upon the plan of printing a new edition of the Confession of Faith, and Constitution of the Church. The receiving of the Synodical and Presbyterial reports was made the order of the day for to-morrow morning. The delegate appointed by the last Assembly to attend the general Association of New Hampshire, and the General Convention of Vermont, reported that he had attended. One hundred and fifty copies of the printed extracts of the minutes of the General Associa tion of New Hampshire, were presented to the Assembly. Resolved, that each member of the Assembly be allowed to take a copy of these extracts. Resolved, That one copy of the Digest be presented to each of the Ecclesiastical bodies connected with this Assembly. It was determined by a vote of reconsideration, to receive the Synodical and Presbyterial reports; and Messrs. Barnes and William D. Snodgrass, were appointed a committee to receive the reports, and after accurate examination of them, to read to the Assembly those parts of them which they may think necessary to be read for the information of the Assembly; and also to prepare a statement to be transcribed into the compendious view. After some progress had been made in receiving these reports, the Assembly Adjourned till 9 o'clock to-morrow morning. Concluded with prayer. May 19th, 9 o'clock, A. M. the Assembly met, and was constituted by prayer. The Rev. Aaron Condit, commissioner from the Presbytery of Jersey, the Rev. Marcus Ford, from the Presbytery of Cayuga, and the Rev. Thomas H. Steward, from the Presbytery of Huntingdon, appeared in the Assembly, and their commissions having been read, they took their seats as members. It being the order of the day, the consideration of the following resolution was resumed, and after some discussion, it was amended and adopted, and is as follows, viz. Resolved, That the committee for printing the minutes of the Assembly, be instructed to publish the whole of the minutes without any omission, except so much as shall be restricted by a vote of the Assembly. A number of overtures were brought in by the committee of bills and overtures, and were put upon the docket. The unfinished business of yesterday, viz. the receiving of the Presbyterial and Synodical reports, was resumed and finished. An overture from the Synod of North Carolina, was received and read, and is as follows: Whereas the General Assembly is the highest and most important judicatory of the Presbyterian church; and whereas, to obtain the Divine blessing on that judicatory, must appear to every christian of our denomination, to be a matter of the utmost moment: therefore Resolved, That this Synod do respectfully suggest to the General Assembly, the propriety of recommending to all the churches under their care, to observe annually, the afternoon or evening previous to the meeting of that body, as a season of special prayer to Almighty God for his blessing; that he would of his infinite mercy condescend to superintend and direct all their measures, deliberations and decisions; so that all may redound to the promotion of His own glory, and the general prosperity of that particular church to which we belong. After some discussion, the above overture was adopted. The following overture from the Presbytery of Baltimore, was received and read, viz, "That after the 12th article of the 10th chapter of the Revised Form of Government, the following be added: XIII. Every Presbytery shall judge of the qualifications of its own members." On motion, resolved, that it is inexpedient to grant the request contained in this overture, or to make any new alterations at present, in the book of Discipline. The committee appointed to make a statement to the Assembly of the attention which the several Presbyteries had paid to the education of poor and pious youth, from their reports upon the subject, made the following report, which was read, amended, and adopted, viz. That the Presbyteries of Ontario, Geneva, Cayuga, Onondaga, Otsego, Columbia, Troy, Oneida, Londonderry, Albany, North River, Hudson, Long Island, New York, Jersey, Newton, New Brunswick, Philadelphia, New Castle, Carlisle, Northumberland, Redstone, Ohio, Portage, Washington, (Pa.) Steubenville, Erie, Grand River, Baltimore, Winchester, Lexington, Hanover, West Lexington, Transylvania, Ebenezer, Lancaster, Washington, (Ohio) Miami, Missouri, Orange, and Fayetteville, have complied with the rule of the Assembly. That the Presbyteries of Genessee, Rochester, St. Lawrence, Huntingdon, Allegheny, Con cord, Harmony, and South Carolina, have not complied; but having offered satisfactory rea sons, were excused. From the Presbyteries of Niagara, Champlain, Hartford, Richland, Union, West Tennessee, Abingdon, Hopewell, Shiloh, Alabama, and Mississippi, no reports have been received. The committee further report, that from all the communications which have been received, it appears that there are seventy-three young men in different stages of education, under the care of the several Presbyteries. The committee regret that the several Presbyteries have not in all cases complied with the former request of the General Assembly, by sending up their reports in writing. An overture from the Synod of Philadelphia, requesting the General Assembly so to regulate the future elections for members of the Board of Education, and for Directors and Professors of the Theological Seminary, that no person can be chosen but by a majority of all the votes, was received and read; whereupon, resolved that it is inexpedient to grant the request contained in this overture. An overture was received from the Presbytery of Orange, requesting the opinion of the General Assembly on the question whether it be proper to ordain licentiates to the office of the gospel ministry on the Sabbath day. The General Assembly think it would not be for edification to adopt a uniform rule on the subject. In general they think it is not expedient that ordinations should take place on the Sabbath; yet that there may be cases in which urgent or peculiar circumstances may demand them. The Assembly, therefore, judged it best to leave it to the Presbyteries to act, in this concern, as they may judge that their duty requires. The Assembly were informed that the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, had resolved to endow a professorship in the Theological Seminary, with a capital of $30,000; and that the Synod of New York and New Jersey, and the Synod of Philadelphia, have each resolved to endow a professorship in the Theological Seminary, with a capital of $25,000. The above com. munications were committed to Dr. M'Dowell and Mr. Woodhull. On motion, the stated clerk was directed to furnish the Synod of the Associate Reformed Church, with twenty copies of the printed extracts of the Assembly for the last year, if so many could be spared. Mr. Latta and Mr. M'Calla, obtained leave of absence until Monday morning. The committee, which, by the General Assembly of the last year, were authorized to employ two or more agents to solicit contributions for the Theological Seminary, reported as follows, viz. "That they early attended to the duty assigned them, and commissioned two agents, viz. the Rev. Dr. M'Dowell, of Elizabethtown, and Dr. Neill, of Philadelphia. It is known to your committee that Dr. M'Dowell, and Dr. Neill, have done something in the business of their agency, which it is presumed they will report to the Assembly." The above report being read, was on motion adopted. Resolved, That hearing the report of the directors of the Theological Seminary, be the order of the day for Tuesday morning. Adjourned till 9 o'clock, on Monday morning. Concluded with prayer. May 21, 1821, 9 o'clock, A. M. the Assembly met, and was constituted by prayer. One hundred and fifty copies of the printed Extracts of the Minutes of the General Association of Massachusetts were received, and one copy was given to each member. It being the order of the day, the Assembly proceeded to receive communications on the state of religion; and Messrs. Rowan, Truair, Post, Kollock and Fisk, were appointed a committee to prepare a connected narrative on the subject, and submit it to the Assembly. After some progress had been made in the business, it was suspended to attend to the fol lowing resolution, which being read, was unanimously adopted, viz. Whereas the Associate Reformed church and the Presbyterian church in the United States of America, are one in their Confession of Faith and Form of Government; and whereas this Assembly knows of no reason why these two ecclesiastical bodies should not become visibly one church, as we trust we are one in Christ Jesus to the glory of God: Therefore, resolved, that Dr. Green, Dr. Blatchford, Dr. M'Dowell, Mr. B. Strong, and Mr. Henry Southard, be a committee to confer on this subject, with a similar committee from the Associate Reformed Synod, now in session in this city, if they shall see fit to appoint one; and that said committee report the result of their conference, as soon as convenient. The order of the day was resumed, and after further progress had been made, the Assembly Adjourned till 4 o'clock, P. M. Concluded with prayer. 4 o'clock, P. M. the Assembly met, and was constituted by prayer. The minutes of the last session were read. Mr. Samuel Bradley, ruling elder from the Presbytery of Niagara, appeared in the Assembly, and, his commission being read, he took his seat as a member. The business left unfinished in the morning, viz. receiving communications on the state of religion, was resumed, and nearly finished. Resolved, That hearing the report of the Board of Missions be the order of the day for to-morrow morning at 10 o'clock. Adjourned, till 9 o'clock to-morrow morning. Concluded with prayer. May 22, 9 o'clock, A. M. the Assembly met, and was constituted by prayer. Mr. Woodhull resigned his seat to the Rev. Samuel Miller, D D. the principal mentioned in their commission, and Mr. Janvier resigned his seat to the Rev. Ezra S. Ely, D. D. the alternate mentioned in their commission, and Drs. Miller and Ely, being present, took their seats. Resolved, That the Board of Missions be requested to present the thanks of this Assembly to the Rev. William Hill, D. D. for the missionary sermon which, by their appointment, he had preached last evening. The committee to which was referred an extract from the minutes of the Synod of North Carolina, in which that " Synod respectfully suggest to the General Assembly the propriety of adopting it as a standing rule of that body-that no Professor of the Theological Seminary be appointed, unless a resolution specifying the time of such appointment be passed at a previous meeting of the Assembly, and made known to the churches through the printed Extracts of the General Assembly"-reported, and their report being read, was adopted, and is as follows, viz. That your committee recommend that, on the suggestion of the Synod of North Carolina, as specified above, the General Assembly adopt the following resolution, viz. Resolved, That the General Assembly highly approve of the solicitude manifested by the Synod of North Carolina to prevent haste, partiality, or error, in a concern so deeply interesting to the church as the appointment of a Professor in the Theological Seminary, and recognize the high importance of using all practicable means to ensure, in every election of a theo logical professor, the choice of a teacher who will not only be able to communicate knowledge, but be solicitous to preserve the purity of the church, and a strict adherence to its standards in doctrine and in government; yet that the Assembly judge, that the measure suggested by the Synod of North Carolina would not, if adopted, be the best calculated to promote the design intended; and therefore, that it will remain for the Assembly to guard against the evil contemplated, by other provisions, more practicable in their nature and efficient in their tendency. The business left unfinished yesterday afternoon, viz. receiving communications on the state of religion, was resumed and finished. Two overtures were reported by the committee of bills and overtures, and were put on the docket. It being the order of the day to hear the Report of the Board of the Directors of the Theological Seminary, they reported; and their report being read, was committed to Messrs. Freeman, Spear, Nevins, Platt and Nassau. Mr. Chester obtained leave of absence, during the remaining of the sessions of this Assembly. In answer to a communication made yesterday by the Assembly to the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Church, the following communication was received and read, viz. "In general Synod of the Associate Reformed Church, "Resolved, That the Rev. Dr. Mason, the Rev. Messrs. Dickey and Lind, together with Messrs. Cushing and Wilson, Elders, be appointed a committee, to confer with the committee appointed by the General Asssembly, on the subject of the union of the two churches. By order of the General Synod, "Philadelphia, May 22, 1821. "JOHN LIND, Moderator. "R. M'CARTEE, Clerk General Synod." It being the order of the day for 10 o'clock, the Board of Missions read their Annual Report, and it was committed to Messrs. Wylie and Herron, to report to the Assembly the several particulars in the report, which require the attention of the Assembly. The judicial committee brought into the Assembly a number of appeals and complaints, which, it was agreed, should be taken up at such times as the Assembly might think proper. The following appeal was then taken up, viz. the appeal of William Vance from the decision of the Presbytery of Washington affirming the judgment of the Session of Cross Creek, which pronounces his marriage with his deceased wife's sister to be incestuous. After the documents on the subject, and Mr. Vance's defence had been read, the Assembly Adjourned till 4 o'clock, P. M. Concluded with prayer. 4 o'clock, P. M. the Assembly met, and was constituted by prayer. The minutes of the last session were read. Mr. Galpin resigned his seat to the Rev. Halloway W. Hunt, the Principal mentioned in their commission, and Mr. White resigned his seat to the Rev. Elkanah K. Dare, and Messrs. Hunt and Dare being present, took their seats. The business left unfinished in the morning, viz. the consideration of the appeal of William Vance from the decision of the Presbytery of Washington, affirming a judgment of the session ན of Cross Creek, which pronounces his marriage with his deceased wife's sister to be incestuous, was resumed. After a long discussion of a motion to affirm the decision of the Presbytery, and also of a motion to refer the case to the Session of Cross Creek, the subject was committed to Drs. Miller, Robert G. Wilson, and James P. Wilson, to report to the Assembly such a decision as they may think ought to be adopted in the case. Adjourned till 9 o'clock to-morrow morning. Concluded with prayer. May 23, 9 o'clock, A. M. The Assembly met, and was constituted by prayer. The minutes of the last session were read. The committee appointed to examine the records of the Synod of Kentucky, reported, and their report being read, was re-committed to the same committee. The committee to which the Synodical and Presbyterial Reports had been referred, submitted their report to the Assembly, and being read, it was re-committed to the same committee to select and prepare a part of it for publication. The committee appointed to confer with a committee from the Associate Reformed Synod, presented as their report the following minutes of proceedings, viz. "The committee appointed by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, and the committee appointed by the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Church, to confer with respect to an union of the two bodies, met at the house of Jonathan Smith, Esq. The Rev. Dr. Green was chosen chairman of the meeting, and the Rev. John Lind secretary. The business was introduced with prayer by Dr. Green. On motion of Dr. Blatchford, seconded by Dr. Mason, it was resolved, unanimously, as the judgment of the conferring committees, that an union of the two churches is both desirable and practicable. The following articles were then proposed, and unanimously approved as the basis of such an union: 1. The different Presbyteries of the Associate Reformed Church, shall either retain their separate organization, or shall be amalgamated with those of the General Assembly, at their own choice. In the former case, they shall have as full powers and privileges as any other Presbyteries in the united body, and shall attach themselves to the synods most convenient. 2. The Theological Seminary at Princeton, under the care of the General Assembly, and the Theological Seminary of the Associate Reformed Church, shall be consolidated. 3. Whereas monies to the amount of between nine and ten thousand dollars, which were given to the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Church, and of which the interest or product only was to be applied to the support of a Theological Seminary, were necessarily used in the current expenses thereof; which monies so expended were assumed by the Synod as its own debt, at an interest of seven per cent. ; the united body agree to make a joint effort repay the same, and will apply the interest accruing thereon to the maintenance of a Professorship of Biblical Literature, in the Seminary at Princeton, analogous to that which now exists in the Associate Reformed Church: and until such professorship shall be established, the said interest or product shall be used for the general purposes of the Seminary. to 4. The Theological Library and Funds belonging to the Associate Reformed Church, shall be transferred, and belong to the Seminary at Princeton. These articles having been approved, were ordered to be transcribed and signed, and a copy of them transmitted to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, and the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Church, respectively. The meeting was closed with prayer by the Rev. Ebenezer Dickey. All which is respectfully submitted. ASHBEL GREEN, SAMUEL BLATCIFORD, JOHN M'DOWELL, HENRY SOUTHARD, BENJAMIN STRONG, J. M. MASON, EBENEZER DICKEY, JOHN LIND, WILLIAM WILSON, JOSEPH CUSHING." The foregoing report having been read, and duly considered, was unanimously adopted. Ordered, that the committee of conference on this subject, wait on the Synod of the Associate Reformed Church, and inform them of the adoption of the articles of union on the part of this General Assembly. The committee appointed to examine the records of the Synod of Ohio, reported, and the book was approved to page 127. The committee appointed to examine the records of the Synod of Pittsburgh, reported, and the book was approved to page 113. The committee reported a reference to the General Assembly, contained in this book, in pages 108--9. The committee appointed to examine the records of the Synod of Geneva, reported, and their report being read, was, after a discussion of considerable length, recommitted to the same committee, with the addition of Drs. Miller and Blatchford. The committee appointed to examine the records of the Synod of New York and New Jer sey, reported, and the book was approved to page 21. B |