USA > Pennsylvania > Huntingdon County > Huntingdon > History of the Presbytery of Huntingdon > Part 10
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Rev. GEORGE D. PORTER died a few years ago the pastor of a church in Iowa.
The last record of the doings of the Presbytery this ecclesiastical year, is somewhat remarkable. We give the record as found in the Minutes, Vol. II, p. 51: "The clerk was directed to write to the Board of Missions respecting Mr. ROBERT THOMPSON, who had been laboring within our bounds, requesting that he be not reappointed to our bounds, as he has advanced very erroneous sentiments in a con- versation with one of our members."
The erroneous sentiments advanced are not stated, or the member of Presbytery to whom they were disclosed, but it is reasonable to suppose that they were of the most serious character, and that the Presbytery had full confidence in the correctness of the report, but it may be doubted whether this was altogether a fair course to pursue towards the brother. Somehow or other he ought to have had an op -. portunity to explain his views before the Presbytery openly. He was not connected with the Presbytery otherwise than laboring as a missionary within their bounds, they could not cite him to appear, and to answer to formal charges of heresy presented against him, but no doubt he would on the statement of charge or charges made to Presbytery, have voluntarily appeared and admitted the facts, or en- deavored to explain. Perhaps he was invited to meet with Presby- tery for this purpose, and declined to appear, but if so the fact ought to have been recorded, so as to justify the action of Presbytery in his case. "Doth our law condemn any one unheard?" Perhaps there may have been some misunderstanding. To be charged with teaching erroneous sentiments by such men as then composed the Presbytery of Huntingdon, was sufficient to fix the man's character as to ortho- doxy in the church forever! If indeed he had embraced and uttered erroneous sentiments, by a friendly Christian conference, they might have been the means of recovering him out of the snare of the devil,
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and have "taught him the way of God more perfectly." Yet their fidelity in endeavoring to protect their churches from the propagators of heresy is to be commended. But what an irreparable injury done to the young man (for we suppose him to have been young) if there was any misapprehension, or mistake in regard to his true sentiments. We think a better, at least, a safer course might have been pursued, and we think so because of our great veneration for the members of Presbytery then acting.
At the meeting of the Presbytery at Little Valley, April 7, 1830, Mr. BRITTON E. COLLINS, a licentiate of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, was received, and at the adjourned meeting in June following, was ordained an Evangelist, having for a time labored and being expected to continue his labors in a destitute portion of the Presbytery. In the free conversation on the state of religion, it appeared that the purchase and sale of lottery tickets was countenanced, and perhaps practised by members of the church, the following resolution was adopted by the Presbytery :
"Resolved, That Presbytery consider the disposition to speculate in the sale and purchase of lottery tickets, a species of gambling much to be de- pricated, and they do carnestly warn all their church members against encouraging it directly or indirectly, and they further urge all their Ses- sions to be watchful in the exercise of discipline in the case."-Vol. II, p. 52, Minutes.
At the fall meeting of the Presbytery in this year, the Rev. DAVID MCKINNEY of the Presbytery of Erie, was received as a member of the Presbytery. Calls were presented by the congregations of Little Valley and West Kishacoquillas, for the pastoral services of the Rev. WILLIAM ANNAN. Mr. ANNAN had been supplying these congrega- tions for some time previously, but not having obtained his dismis- sion from the Presbytery of Baltimore, of which he was a member, they could not then be put into his hand. At a subsequent meet- ing, he having received his certificate of dismission from the Pres- bytery of Baltimore, was received and installed pastor of the above congregations.
Mr. JOSEPH B. ADAMS, a licentiate, being employed as an agent of the American Sunday School Union, requested ordination as an Evan- gelist, that he might be more useful and efficient in his work; the Presbytery concurring with him in this view of the matter, after the usual examinations and parts of trial, proceeded to ordain him as an Evangelist. In which service Dr. MCKINNEY preached the ordination
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sermon from Ezek. 33:7, 8, 9, and Dr. Woops presided and proposed the constitutional questions, and gave the charge to the Evangelist.
This ecclesiastical year closed with the announcement of the death of the Rev. JAMES THOMPSON, pastor of the Alexandria congregation, on the 8th of October; and steps were immediately taken to reunite the separate parts of old Hart's Log congregation. In a former part of this history some account has been given of the separation, and the causes leading thereto. God in his providence removed by death the Rev. JAMES THOMPSON, a man greatly respected by his brethren of the Presbytery, and beloved by his congregatson; and thus the way was opened for the reunion of the people of Hart's Log and Alexan- dria congregations. The Rev. JOHN PEEBLES was then pastor of Hun- tingdon and Hart's Log. To the former he gave two-thirds of his time, and to the latter the other third. He was one of the most amiable, excellent and godly of ministers, beloved by all who knew him. At once, upon the death of Mr. THOMPSON, with a magnanimity and self-abnegation, which has few parallels, even among ministers, in this selfish world, he proposed to his congregation to unite again the severed parts of old Hart's Log; and to this end announced his pur- pose to resign his charge of Hart's Log, and confine his labors altogether to Huntingdon, at the sacrifice of one-third of his salary. And, further, he informed the congregation, that in case they refused to unite, he would serve them no longer as their pastor. The people of the congregation joined with him in the application for the dissolu- tion of his pastoral relation ; and the people of the two congregations were immediately reunited under the style and title of Alexandria and Hart's Log congregation.
At the meeting of the Presbytery, April 5th, 1831, a call was pre- sented from the congregation of East Kishacoquillas for Rev. JAMES NOURSE, a member of the Presbytery of Philadelphia. Mr. N. was present, by invitation sitting as a corresponding member; but not having received his dismission from the Presbytery, the call could not be put into his hands at that meeting, therefore an adjourned meeting was appointed to be held at East Kishacoquillas, on the 2d Wednes- day of June, for the purpose of receiving Mr. NOURSE, and installing him, if the way should be clear. At the adjourned meeting, Mr. N. presented to Presbytery a certificate of dismission, and of good stand- ing, from the Presbytery of Philadelphia, to connect himself with this Presbytery ; and he was received without objection from any member
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of the Presbytery, so far as appears from the records. But upon the motion to put the call into his hands, considerable discussion arose, from a suspicion that Mr. NOURSE endorsed the objectionable doctrinal statements of Rev. ALBERT BARNES, in a published sermon of his entitled "The Way of Salvation." The whole case is stated very plainly, but suscinctly, in the minutes of the Presbytery, which we copy ver- batim, as follows :
" The Presbytery then proceeded to the main design of their meeting, namely, the call to Mr. NOURSE and his installation. The question being under consideration whether the call should be put into his hands, a copy of the sermon on the way of salvation, by the Rev. ALBERT BARNES, was laid before Presbytery by a member of the congregation. This sermon Mr. NOURSE had sent to a member of the Session some time previously, with a note written on it with his own hand respecting the contents of the sermon. Some of the congregation inferred from it that he had embraced all the sentiments expressed in the sermon, and in this case they object to receiving him as their minister. The note was in the following words :
' This is the celebrated discourse, which has caused so great discussion in the Philadelphia Presbytery and elsewhere. There are some things in it exceptionable, but the main statement of facts is correct, the mode of illus- tration incorrect. It can do you no harm .- J. N.' "
The Presbytery proposed to put some questions to him on the sub- jects noticed in the sermon. To this, he said he acceded, as a matter of courtesy, not that he considered Presbytery as having a right to pursue such a course. Reference was then had to what Presbytery considered the most objectionably parts of the sermon, such as the doctrine of imputation, and the nature and extent of the atonement, and he gave such answers as were satisfactory to Presbytery. The vote was then taken on the question of putting the call into his hands, and was decided in the affirmative. The congregation offering no objections, after the explanations given by Mr. NOURSE; the call was put into his hands, and he declared his acceptance of it. Presbytery then pro- ceeded to his installation. Mr. HILL preached a sermon from Rev. 3, 1 verse. Dr. LINN presided, proposed the constitutional questions, and gave the charge to pastor and people."-Min. Vol. II, p. p. 68, 69 and 70.
At the stated meeting of the Presbytery in October of this year, three elders only being present and one of these being of the church in which the meeting was held, the following resolution was passed :
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" The Presbytery having observed with deep regret that so few members of Session attend the meetings of the judicatories of the church, and being desirons of securing, if possible, a more full representation ;
Resolved, That it be recommended to the congregations under our care to bear the necessary expenses of the elders regularly appointed to attend the meetings of Presbytery and Synod."
At the same meeting Presbytery adopted the following resolution in regard to the observance of the Sabbath :
" Resolved, That from a consideration of the manner in which the Lord' Day is violated by the community generally, Presbytery recommended to all their members to preach on the subject of the Sabbath, on the last Lord's Day of the present year."
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CHAPTER VI.
FROM 1832 TO 1838.
Controversy between the New and Old Schools Beginning-Paper Introduced by Mr. Hutcheson -Pastoral Letter to the Churches-Paper Adopted on the Subject of Temperance-Mis- slonary Affairs-Mr. William Reed Ordained-Synodical Representation in the Assembly- Can Members Voluntarily Renounce their Church Membership-Constitutional Rule-Mr. Nourse and the Session of East Kishacoquillas-The Origin of the Board of Publication- Standing Rule in Regard to a Presbyterial Missionary Sermon-Yellow Creek-Mr. G. D. Porter Ordained an Evangelist-M. B. Hope and J. W. Coulter Licensed-The Death of Mr. Coulter-Rev. David. Sterritt-Rev. W. Stuart and Rev. G. Bishop Resign their Charges- Death of Rev. John Coulter-Resolutions on the Board of Education-Rev. John Hutche- son, S. C .- The Act and Testimony in the Presbytery-Pine Grove Church Organized-Com- mittee on Catechetical Instruction and Family Religion-Rev. James Galbraith's Pastoral Relation Dissolved-Rev. D. Mckinney and Rev. J. Nourse Receive Calls-Rev. Jas. M. Olm- stead-Death of Rev. William Reed-Rev. Joshua Moore Called and Installed-The Rev. McK. Williamson Called-Pittsburgh Convention-Report of Committee on the Minutes of the General Assembly-Unusual Case-1837, the year before the Great Division-Variety and Importance of the Business Transacted-Committee on Traveling Ministers and Licen- tiates-Committee on the Minutes of the General Assembly of 1837 Report-Order in Re- gard to Private Members Removing without Certificates.
P RESBYTERY met in the Spring of 1832 at Waynesburg, (Mc- Veytown.) Mr. ANNAN laid before Presbytery a resolution of the Session of West Kishacoquillas congregation, as follows :
"Resolved, That the Presbytery of Huntingdon be, and they hereby are respectfully requested, to express their opinion respecting the proceedings of Session in the above ease of discipline, against church members attend- ing daneing assemblies."
" The minutes of the proceedings of Session were then read, and Presby- tery having considered the ease did express their decided opinion, that they highly approve the determination of said Session to exercise the discipline of the church on their members who are disposed to indulge in attending on fashionable amusements."-Min. Vol. II, p. 77.
In regard to the case of discipline referred to in the above reference from the Session of West Kishacoquillas church, a complaint was pre- sented from the Session of Waynesburg church against the Session of West Keshacoquillas church, not calling in question the propriety or justice of their act of discipline in the case, but their authority to exercise discipline in regard to the subject of it. The Session of
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Waynesburg, claimed the subject of the discipline as being a member of their church, under their care and subject alone to their authority. The facts were as follows. Mr. A. OLIVER had three years before re- moved within the bounds of the congregation of West Kishacoquillas. but had never received, or asked for a certificate of membership or dismission from the Session of Waynesburg church, but had taken a pew, communed with and exercised an office of some sort (not stated) in the West Kishacoquillas congregation. But the Session of Waynes- burg still retained his name upon the roll of their members, and had actually dealt with him for a similar offense, one year previously. to the case coming before Presbytery. At first a motion was made not to sustain the complaint. This motion was negatived by a vote of five in the affirmative, and eight in the negative. Afterwards, the case was committed to a special committee of two, (one of whom had voted to dismiss the complaint, and the other to sustain it,) to bring in a minute expressive of the views of Presbytery in the case. As the matter involved is of constant practical importance, the report of the special committee is copied in full, as follows :
"1st Resolved, That in view of this Presbytery the Session of the church of West Kishacoquillas had strong reasons for supposing that Mr. A. W. OLIVER was under their watch and care from these facts : Mr. OLIVER had resided three years in their bounds, held a pew and exercised an office in the congregation, had regularly communed with the church, and when admonished and finally brought to trial, did not plead his connection with another church. But still the Session of the church of Waynesburg, hav- ing never dismissed Mr. OLIVER, and having still exercised a watchful care over him, Presbytery still consider him as belonging to the church of Waynesburg.
Resolved further, That in view of the above case, Presbytery consider it a matter of great importance that church Sessions be careful always to give and demand written certificates of regular dismission of church mem- bers leaving their bounds, or removing (coming) within their bounds. respectively, and that in neighboring congregations, where change of resi- dence and intercommunion are very common, church Sessions should be careful to let each other know whom they claim as under their watch and care, and especially to communicate any information which may tend to the harmony and purity of the church."
We have now come to that point in the history of the Presbytery. when the troubles and the conflicts between the New and the Old School began to effect the Presbyteries in Central Pennsylvania. The storm had been gathering for some years previous, and the first break- ing forth of it had fallen upon the Presbytery of Philadelphia. The
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publication of the sermon of Mr. BARNES, on "The Way of Salvatien," and his call to the First Presbyterian Church of the City of Philadelphia, which necessitated his application to be received as a member of that Presbytery, was the occasion of drawing the line of demarkation between the friends and the opposers of the New Theology, and their sympathizers. There was not in the Presbytery of Huntingdon one minister who embraced the views, or what were believed to be the views, of the leaders of the New School, or even sympathized with them, on the supposition that they held the errors that were attrib- uted to them. But there were some who were slow to believe that any considerable number of the ministers or members of the Presby- terian church embraced views radically in conflict with the standards of the church. But suspicions were abroad, and for the purpose of sustaining and encouraging the decided friends of the standards, as well as showing their own sentiments, and as a protection against future contingencies, the following paper was brought before Presby- . tery by the Rev. JOHN HUTCHESON of Mifflintown.
" WHEREAS, The present perturbed state of the Presbyterian Church renders it necessary that great care and watchfulness be exercised by the officers of the church, and by all who desire the peace and prosperity of Zion ; Whereas, this Presbytery deem it important in the present alarming crisis of our ecclesiastie affairs, to adopt every precautionary measure to prevent the introduction and spread of erroneous doctrines in this section of the Presbyterian Church ; And whereas, the great end and design of church government is to promote the purity, peace, and prosperity of the church ; therefore,
Resolved, 1st. That this Presbytery consider it an imperious duty to em- ploy ecclesiastie government for the purpose of preserving the purity, peace, and prosperity of the Presbyterian Church, while they fervently supplicate the blessings of Zion's King to render their efforts successful.
Resolved, 2d. That this Presbytery claim the right, and consider them- {selves invested with authority by the constitution of the church, to examine ordained ministers, coming from another Presbytery to settle within their bounds.
Resolved, 3d. That this Presbytery cordially approve the government of the Presbyterian Church, and the Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, which in their view contain the doctrines of the Bible."
Immediately after the adoption of the above, Mr. COULTER, from a committee appointed for that purpose, read a pastoral letter to the churches, which was approved and committed to Mr. HUTCHESON to be published, and sent to the ministers, and to the sessions of the
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vacant congregations within the bounds of the Presbytery. The pas- toral letter may be supposed to have relation principally to troubles and controversies by which the church was now agitated. There were present at the Presbytery by which the above resolutions were adopt- ed, eleven ministers and nine elders; one minister and one elder had left before the resolutions were presented. They appear to have been adopted by a unanimous vote, at least no negative is recorded. Four ministers belonging to the Presbytery were absent, but had they been present it would only have strengthened the vote.
. Thus early the Presbytery deemed it necessary to show on which side they would be found in the fierce doctrinal controversies that were then raging in other parts of the church, and finally resulted in the division. There was no ordained minister in the Presbytery that went with the New School division, and no organized congregation within the bounds of the Presbytery, till after the division had actual- " ly taken place, and then only two very small congregations were gathered out of two large congregations in Centre county, which were never able to support a pastor without help from abroad after their organization.
At the meeting of Presbytery in the Fall of this year, (1832,) the Rev. ALEXANDER McKEENAN was received from the Presbytery of Carlisle, Mr. SAMUEL WILSON, a licentiate of the Presbytery, received a call from Alexandria and Hart's Log congregation, and was ordained and installed pastor on the second Wednesday of November. Rev. B. E. COLLINS was called to Millerstown, and Messrs. WooDs and NOURSE were appointed a committee to install him.
Messrs. JAMES W. COULTER and MATTHEW B. HOPE, were received under the care of Presbytery as candidates for the ministry, and Messrs. J. FLEMING, G. D). PORTER and WILLIAM REED, were licensed to preach the gospel. Mr. FLEMING having offered himself to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, to go as a missionary among the Creek Indians, west of the Mississippi, and be- ing accepted, Presbytery ordained him in view of his mission at an adjourned meeting held at Lewistown, on the 24th of October.
At the stated meeting of the Presbytery, October 3, Mr. NOURSE offered the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted :
" WHEREAS, intemperance is a great and deplorable evil, and efforts have already been extensively made by good men to correct it; And whereas, the practice of distilling is the prime cause of this grievous curse, and the Gen-
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eral Assembly of the Presbyterian Church has already expressed its decided disapprobation of such a practice ; therefore, it is by this Presbytery
Resolved, That we will hereafter consider it an act of immorality in any elder or member of the church, under our care, to continue in this practice, or to distribute distilled spirits for a drink."
A special meeting of the Presbytery was held at Lewistown, Januay 9, 1833, at the call of the moderator. The object was to consult about missionary affairs, particularly foreign missions. A very considerable missionary zeal had been aroused throughout the Presby- tery, by the fact that three young men, licensed by the Presbytery and reared within its bounds, were about to go forth as foreign missionaries, viz : Messrs. REED, FLEMING and HOPE. After consulta- tion, and much deliberation, the following paper was introduced and adopted :
" WHEREAS, from the spirit manifested by the different congregations that have been consulted on the subject, it appears that there is a willing- ness to engage in this labor of love, this Presbytery considers itself warranted to assume the responsibility of supporting one missionary in a foreign land ; therefore,
Resolved, That in reliance on divine aid, and on the liberality of the churches under our care, we do now assume the expense of supporting Mr. WILLIAM REED as a missionary in a foreign land, under the direction of the Western Foreign Missionary Society."
At the stated meeting of the Presbytery, held in April following, the Presbytery made arrangements for the ordination of Mr. REED ; . which took place at an adjourned meeting, held in the church of East Kishacoquillas, on the Ist of May following. In which service Mr. COULTER preached from 2 Cor. 5:20; Mr. LINN presided and gave the charge; and the Rev. Dr. E. P. SWIFT, corresponding secretary of the Western Foreign Missionary Society, being present, addressed the congregation on the importance of the missionary cause, and the duty of christians in relation to it.
In this year an overture was sent down to the Presbyteries with regard to the mode and ratio of representation in the Assembly. It seems that so early the change from presbyterial representation to synodical was agitated. The Presbytery were then unanimous in opposition to synodical representation.' The change then proposed, continued to be agitated from time to time up to the present time, and was proposed in the report of a committee to the late General Assem- bly. It has never met with any general favor from the Presbyteries.
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But at the time above referred to the ratio of represention by Presby- teries was adopted, which has continued up to the present time.
At this session of the Presbytery, (April, 1833,) Mr. ANNAN, in behalf of the session of West Kishacoquillas, desired to have the explicit views of the Presbytery on the question : "Whether persons are to be considered members of the church, and subject to her watch- ful care and discipline, notwithstanding their neglect of gospel ordi- dances, and their declarations that they have withdrawn ?"
Presbytery were unanimously of the opinion, that the connection of church members is not dissolved merely 'by absenting themselves from public worship, and saying that they had withdrawn; nor can it in® ordinary cases be dissolved, without the consent of the session ; and Presbytery further give it as their opinion, that habitual neglect to attend upon the ordinances of the gospel without good reason, subjects such persons to the special cognizance and discipline of the church.
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