APPENDIX III.

atheninbondageisrecognizedbyGod.Whenthetardyprocessofthelawistoolonginredressingourgrievances,weattheSouthhaveadoptedthesummaryprocessofJudgeLynch." Themajorityofthecommitteeappointedmadeareportasfollows: "WhereasthesubjectofslaveryisinseparablyconnectedwiththelawsofmanyofthestatesinthisUnion,withwhichitisbynomeansproperforanecclesiasticaljudicaturetointerfere,andinvolvesmanyconsiderationsinregardtowhichgreatdiversityofopinionandintensityoffeelingareknowntoexistinthechurchesrepresentedinthisAssemblyandwhereasthereisgreatreasontobelievethatanyactiononthepartofthisAssembly,inreferencetothissubject,wouldtendtodistractanddivideourchurches,andwouldprobablyinnowisepromotethebenefitofthosewhosewelfareisimmediatelycontemplatedinthememorialsinquestion: "Therefore,Resolved, "1.ThatitisnotexpedientfortheAssemblytotakeanyfurtherorderinrelationtothissubject. "2.Thatasthenoteswhichhavebeenexpungedfromourpublicformularies,andwhichsomeofthememorialsreferredtothecommitteerequesttohaverestored,wereintroducedirregularly,neverhadthesanctionofthechurch,and,therefore,neverpossessedanyauthority,theGeneralAssemblyhasnopower,norwouldtheythinkitexpedient,toassignthemaplaceintheauthorizedstandardsofthechurch." Theminorityofthecommittee,theRev.Messrs.DickeyandBeman,reportedasfollows: "Resolved,1.Thatthebuying,selling,orholdingahumanbeingasproperty,isinthesightofGodaheinoussin,andoughttosubjectthedoerofittothecensuresofthechurch. "2.Thatitisthedutyofeveryone,andespeciallyofeveryChristian,whomaybeinvolvedinthissin,tofreehimselffromitsentanglementwithoutdelay. "3.Thatitisthedutyofeveryone,especiallyofeveryChristian,inthemeeknessandfirmnessoftheGospel,topleadthecauseofthepoorandneedy,bytestifyingagainsttheprincipleandpracticeofslaveholding,andtousehisbestendeavorstodeliverthechurchofGodfromtheevil,andtobringabouttheemancipationoftheslavesintheseUnitedStates,andthroughouttheworld." Theslaveholdingdelegates,tothenumberofforty-eight,metapart,andResolved, "ThatiftheGeneralAssemblyshallundertaketoexerciseauthorityonthesubjectofslavery,soastomakeitanimmorality,orshallinanywaydeclarethatChristiansarecriminalinholdingslaves,thatadeclarationshallbepresentedbytheSoutherndelegationdecliningtheirjurisdictioninthecase,andourdeterminationnottosubmittosuchdecision." Inviewoftheseconflictingreports,theAssemblyresolvedasfollows: "InasmuchastheconstitutionofthePresbyterianchurch,initspreliminaryandfundamentalprinciples,declaresthatnochurchjudicatoriesoughttopretendtomakelawstobindtheconscienceinvirtueoftheirownauthorityandastheurgencyofthebusinessoftheAssembly,andtheshortnessofthetimeduringwhichtheycancontinueinsession,renderitimpossibletodeliberateanddecidejudiciouslyonthesubjectofslaveryinitsrelationtothechurch,therefore,Resolved,thatthiswholesubjectbeindefinitelypostponed." Theamountoftheslave-tradeatthetimewhentheGeneralAssemblyrefusedtoactuponthesubjectofslaveryatallmaybeinferredfromthefollowingitems.TheVirginiaTimes,inanarticlepublishedinthisveryyearof1836,estimatedthenumberofslavesexportedforsalefromthatstatealone,duringthetwelvemonthspreceding,atfortythousand.TheNatchez(Miss.)CouriersaysthatinthesameyeartheStatesofAlabama,Missouri,andArkansasimportedtwohundredandfiftythousandslavesfromthemorenorthernstates.Ifwedeductfromtheseallwhomaybesupposedtohaveemigratedwiththeirmasters,stillwhatanimmensetradeishereindicated! Twoyearsafter,theGeneralAssembly,byasuddenandveryunexpectedmovement,passedavoteexscinding,withouttrial,fromthecommunionofthechurch,foursynods,comprisingthemostactiveanddecidedanti-slaveryportionsofthechurch,Thereasonsallegedwere,doctrinaldifferencesandecclesiasticalpracticesinconsistentwithPresbyterianism.BythisactaboutfivehundredministersandsixtythousandmemberswerecutofffromthePresbyterianchurch. ThatportionofthePresbyterianchurchcalledNewSchool,consideringthisactunjust,refusedtoassenttoit,joinedtheexscindedsynods,andformedthemselvesintotheNewSchoolGeneralAssembly.Inthiscommuniononlythreeslaveholdingpresbyteriesremainedintheoldtherewerebetweenthirtyandforty. ThecourseoftheOldSchoolAssembly,aftertheseparation,inrelationtothesubjectofslavery,maybebestexpressedbyquotingoneoftheirresolutions,passedin1845.Havingsomedecidedanti-slaverymembersinitsbody,andbeing,moreover,addressedonthesubjectofslaverybyassociatedbodies,theypresented,inthisyear,thefollowingdeliberatestatementoftheirpolicy.(Minutesfor1845,p.18.) "Resolved,1.ThattheGeneralAssemblyofthePresbyterianChurchintheUnitedStateswasoriginallyorganized,andhassincecontinuedthebondofunioninthechurch,upontheconcededprinciplethattheexistenceofdomesticslavery,underthecircumstancesinwhichitisfoundintheSouthernportionofthecountry,isnobartoChristiancommunion. "2.ThatthepetitionsthatasktheAssemblytomaketheholdingofslavesinitselfamatterofdisciplinedovirtuallyrequirethisjudicatorytodissolveitself,andabandontheorganizationunderwhich,bytheDivineblessing,ithassolongprospered.ThetendencyisevidentlytoseparatetheNorthernfromtheSouthernportionofthechurch—aresultwhicheverygoodChristianmustdeplore,astendingtothedissolutionoftheUnionofourbelovedcountry,andwhicheveryenlightenedChristianwilloppose,asbringingaboutaruinousandunnecessaryschismbetweenbrethrenwhomaintainacommonfaith. "Yeas,MinistersandElders,168. "Nays,MinistersandElders,13." Itisscarcelynecessarytoaddacommenttothisveryexplicitdeclaration.ItistheplainestpossibledisclaimerofanyprotestagainstslaverytheplainestpossiblestatementthattheexistenceoftheecclesiasticalorganizationisofmoreimportancethanallthemoralandsocialconsiderationswhichareinvolvedinafulldefenceandpracticeofAmericanslavery. Thenextyearalargenumberofpetitionsandremonstranceswerepresented,requestingtheAssemblytoutteradditionaltestimonyagainstslavery. Inreplytothepetitions,theGeneralAssemblyreaffirmedalltheirformertestimoniesonthesubjectofslaveryforsixtyyearsback,andalsoaffirmedthatthepreviousyear'sdeclarationmustnotbeunderstoodasaretractionofthattestimonyinotherwords,theyexpresseditastheiropinion,inthewordsof1818,thatslaveryis"whollyopposedtothelawofGod,"and"totallyirreconcilablewiththepreceptsoftheGospelofChrist"andyetthatthey"hadformedtheirchurchorganizationupontheconcededprinciplethattheexistenceofit,underthecircumstancesinwhichitisfoundintheSouthernStatesoftheUnion,isnobartoChristiancommunion." Somemembersprotestedagainstthisaction.(Minutes,1846.Overture,No.17.) GreathopeswereatfirstentertainedoftheNewSchoolbody.Asabody,itwascomposedmostlyofanti-slaverymen.Ithadinitthreesynodswhoseanti-slaveryopinionsandactionshadbeen,tosaytheleast,oneveryefficientcausefortheirexcisionfromtheChurch.IthadonlythreeslaveholdingPresbyteries.Thepowerwasallinitsownhand