CHAPTER I. THE ECCLESIASTICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OLD AND NEW SCHOOL PRESBYTERIANS. The secession-Its causes-Changes in Church government and operations by the New School no improvement-Separation necessary to a refor mation. The divisions which exist between Old and New School Presbyterians, are calculated to produce any thing but pleasurable emotions in the bosoms of those who have been wont to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And whatever can be done to unite in one body, those who are already united in their views of church government and of doctrinal and experimental religion, ought to be done by the friends of Zion. The disowning act of 1837, has been extensively misunderstood. It has hitherto been represented, as an act by which four Synods were excommunicated for heresy, and that without a trial; when many individual ministers and churches and even whole Presbyteries, thus unjustly and summarily condemned, were sound in the faith. But when that act is carefully examined, it will be found that it excommunicated no one, and that it really separated no single Presbyterian minister or church from the General Assembly. While it disowned as unconstitutional, organizations compounded of Presbyterian and Congregational churches, it made provision for all who were truly Presbyterian, and gave them specific directions as to the course, which under their peculiar circumstances it was expedient for them to pursue. An act of dismemberment so suicidal as this is represented to have been, has no precedent in the history of the church. And while the desire of church extension remains so distinguishing an element in all denominational effort, it cannot be reasonably believed, that so large and respectable a body as the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, could so deliberately violate every principle of self love, and ecclesiastical policy, as is implied in this groundless imputation. The subsequent secession of a large and respectable body of ministers and churches; the organization of a New General Assembly; their claim to be the Constitutional General Assembly; the suit at law instituted by them to obtain the name and the funds of the church, and its final decision. against them, are events which belong to the history of past controversies and alienations, which, it is to be hoped, will never be renewed. The act of 1837, cannot be believed to have been the cause of that secession. Had there existed no other causes, this isolated act, even though regarded as unconstitutional, would never have formed in the minds of reasonable men, a justifiable foundation for a course so extraordinary. Had there been no other causes in operation, the secession, it is believed, would never have taken place: but such causes were in operation. These causes had embarrassed the church for years in all her assemblies and in all her efforts. The secesion was not impulsive but deliberate; men had grown weary of debate, and had become chilled and alienated in their affections, by serious differences in ecclesiastical policy and in doctrinal and practical christianity. The bond that united them to the Presbyterian Church was not of the heart, and could not be, while they entertained views fundamentally at variance with her standards and her interests, and which brought them in perpetual conflict with their brethren. This frail bond, therefore, was easily cast off, and that without regret, and for a very insufficient ostensible reason. A new organization has been the result. This new organization has termed itself triennial. It does not meet annually, as does the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, whose sessions have always been annual, and are found by long experience, not to be too frequent for a proper supervision of the churches, and for a vigorous and effective prosecution of the great work of education and missions. The seceders have at length discovered their error, and have endeavored to remedy it by annual conventions, and finally by an annual adjournment, which last step has involved them in controversy among themselves. While professing to improve by introducing a new order of things, they have found that change is not improvement. Their assembly is not an appellate court; and the case of the Rev. Mr. Graham, who appeared before them for the redress of grievances, at their late meetings at Philadelphia and at Cincinnatti, has discovered the imbecility of a body, which could not do what it was so desirable and proper it should have done it having formally abandoned so excellent a provision of the constitution. The man who ought to have had the judgment of the whole church in her collective wisdom on his case, was compelled, either to be condemned by one court, and justified by another of the same grade, or to abandon an organization which contained in itself the elements of its own dissolution. The great head of the church has committed to her, in her organized capacity, the solemn and momentous work of evangelizing the world. "Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Go ye therefore, into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." And the church can never cast off this obligation, by committing the high and sacred trust to voluntary associations, which have neither ecclesiastical existence or responsibility, and which are to take the whole work out of her hands and to do it for her. These views have been opposed by the New School, and they could not be satisfied until they had made experiments on a different plan. The American Board, through which their charities have hitherto flowed, belongs no more to them than to us; and as they have no organizations of their own, and do next to nothing in their own appropriate capacity as a church of Jesus Christ to spread the gospel; and as they witness among themselves, a growing apathy on the subject of missions, and are feeling the fatal drain from surrounding and enterprising denominations, they are beginning to think soberly of a change, and will probably ere long, retract all they have ever said against ecclesiastical organizations. The recent attack of some of their leading bodies on the American Tract Society, for mutilating the works of Dr. D' Aubigne, had no other origin in the judgment of many, than a desire to cover their retreat, and to create at once, organizations of their own. One of their leading men said to me not long since, "The Old School on this subject were right, and we were wrong." This opinion must ultimately prevail among them, or their growth and success is at an end. The American Board is falling back for support on the New England churches, where it originated and where it belongs.— The Presbyterian Church is increasing in her efforts and contributions, in a degree wholly unprecedented in any former period of her existence. Other denominations, by appealing to the just attachments of their own communicants to their own principles, are increasing in strength and effort; and unless the New School, abandon their position on this ques tion, they will gradually weaken their own denominational bonds, and ultimately dissolve them altogether. Mutual affinities, social and religious, require to be cherished and strengthened by opening for them their natural and appropriate channel. What, then, after a fair and unmolested experiment of ten |