USA > Pennsylvania > Huntingdon County > Huntingdon > History of the Presbytery of Huntingdon > Part 12
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The writer well remembers the grief and despondency excited throughout the Old School portion of the Presbyterian Church on account of the removal by death of Mr. REED and his missionary com- panion, the Rev. MATTHEW LAIRD, the first missionaries of the Western Foreign Missionary Society, within the first year of their entering upon their missionary field. The providence seemed to be mysterious and discouraging ; but the issue has proved that God only intended to prove the faith of his people; and instead of discour- aging, served to increase the missionary zeal of the churches. Soon
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others came forward to take their places, and no missions since that time have been more successful than the missions of the Presbyterian Church.
At this meeting a call was presented from East Kishacoquillas con- gregation for the pastoral services of the Rev. JOSHUA MOORE, a mem- ber of the Presbytery of Philadelphia. Mr. M. was present as a corresponding member, but not having his certificate of dismission from his Presbytery it could not be put into his hands at the time. At a subsequent meeting, held June 16, Mr. M. was received as a member of the Presbytery, and the next day installed pastor of East Kishacoquillas congregation.
The Rev. McKNIGIIT WILLIAMSON was also received from the Pres- bytery of Carlisle; a call from the congregation of Lower Tuscarora for two-thirds of his time put into his hands, accepted, and a commit- tee appointed to install him on the following Tuesday.
A convention of ministers and elders was called on the part of those who were afterwards called "The Old School," to be held in the City of Pittsburgh the week before the meeting of the General Assem- bly in the same city, for the purpose of consultation on the state of the Church. The Presbytery resolved to send delegates to said con- vention, a small minority dissenting. The Rev. JOHN HUTCHESON and Mr. JONATHAN MCWILLIAMS, ruling elder of the congregation of Spruce Creek, were appointed the delegates; with Rev. SAMUEL WIL- sox and Mr. HENRY LONG, alternates.
A committee appointed to examine the minutes of the General Assembly of 1834, and report such items as may require the action of Presbytery, reported that resolutions 2, 7 and 8, on the 26th page of the printed minutes, require the particular consideration of the Pres- bytery ; whereupon Rev. Messrs. LINN and WILSON were appointed a committte to draft a memorial to the General Assembly on the subject of those resolutions. Subsequently the committee reported the fol- lowing paper, which was accepted and adopted :
" The Presbytery of Huntingdon, being met at Alexandria on the 9th of April, 1835, would very respectfully present to the General Assembly the following memorial :
While the Presbytery are disposed to regard the General Assembly as the highest judicatory of the Presbyterian Church, and to respect it as exer- cising a jurisdiction over the whole body, they feel it their privilege, according to the Confession of Faith, to present their views on any subject which may come before the General Assembly.
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1st. Presbytery request very respectfully that the General Assembly would dissolve the union which has subsisted between the Presbyterian Church and the Congregational Churches, adopted in 1801 for new settle- ments ; and that the members of those bodies be considered and treated in the same way as foreign ministers are to be treated according to the resolu- tion of the Assembly. We apprehend that evil rather than good has been the result of the union which has existed ; provided that the friendly cor- respondence be kept up by an exchange of commissioners to the respective judicatories as heretofore.
2d. We request further, that the General Assembly rescind the 7th reso- lution on the 26th page of printed minutes of the last year, as we think Presbyteries have the right to judge of the qualifications of their own members, and to deprive Presbytery of this is an infringement of their con- stitutional right. We think that while no evil can result from the prudent exercise of the right of examing persons coming from other Presbyteries. much evil may result from the contrary course.
3d. We also request that the Assembly would so qualify and alter the 8th resolution on the same page, that the Presbytery may not be prevented from deciding in their judicial capacity on books teaching heresies, where the authors are not subject to their control, or so far removed from their local situation, that they cannot be reached without very great difficulty. While we would acknowledge that the most correct mode of procedure in the case of those who publish heresy, is to arraign and try the authors themselves, according to the evidence which their books present, we think there are many cases which may be supposed, in which it is not practicable for an ecclesiastical judicatory to lay their hands on the authors. We think it a right which should be allowed to the inferior judicatories to express their opinion on them, that the people may be put on their guard against the errors published in such books."
The Rev. S. WILSON was appointed to organize a church at Martins- burg, Bedford county, at the request of the people in that place and vicinity, and Mr. HILL to organize a church at Birmingham, Hunting- don county, by request of the people. Mr. HILL requested that his pastoral relation to the congregation of Sinking Valley be dissolved, and at the adjourned meeting in June following, his request was granted, the congregation consenting. Mr. THOMAS J. KEATING, a candidate under the care of the Presbytery was licensed to preach the gospel, April 9, 1835.
The following resolution was adopted, the last item of business transacted at this regular Spring meeting of the Presbytery :
" Resolved, That whereas the Rev. WILLIAM REED, our missionary to Northern India, has been removed by death, Presbytery would renew their purpose in reliance on Divine aid, and the Christian liberality of our
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churches to support another missionary in the foreign field, under the direc- tion of the W. F. Missionary Society."
The most important items'in the proceedings of the Presbytery during the latter part of the ecclesiastical year of 1835, were the re- leasing of so many of the pastors from their charges, and their dis- mission to other Presbyteries. The Rev. JAMES GALBRAITH was dis- missed to the Presbytery of Nashville, the Rev. GARRY Bisnor to the Presbytery of Allegheny, the Rev. WILLIAM ANNAN to the Presbytery of Redstone, and the Rev. GEORGE D. PORTER to the Presbytery of Ohio. Thus six churches were left vacant, and one missionary district to be supplied.
The Revs. D. MCKINNEY and S. WILSON having expressed their willingness to perform a month or six weeks missionary labor within the bounds of Presbytery, were appointed to this service, provision being made by Presbytery for the supply of their pulpits during their absence. They spent the time principally in Clearfield county. Upon their report of their missionary tour, and no doubt at their sugges- tion, the Presbytery divided the churches in the county into two missionary districts. Mount Pleasant, Fruit Hill, Cherry-tree, and the neighboring places, to be considered a missionary district. And Clearfieldtown, Pike, Brady, and adjoining places, be considered another district, and that application be made to the Board of Mis- sions for aid for these missionary districts.
At an adjourned meeting of the Presbytery, held October 30th, at York, Pa., during the sessions of the Synod, Mr. ROBERT C. GALBRAITH, eldest son of Rev. JAMES GALBRAITHI, was taken under the care of Presbytery as a candidate for the ministry.
The ecclesiastical year 1836 is barren of any particular incident in the history of the Presbytery of Huntingdon. The Rev. MATTHEW B. HOPE was ordained to the gospel ministry, with a view to laboring as a missionary in foreign lands, which he afterwards did for several years, till failing health compelled him to return home. After his return he regained in a measure his, health, lived for several years, and occupied some important stations in the church.
At the stated meeting of the Presbytery in October of this year, (1836,) an unusual case was brought to the notice of Presbytery, namely, that of an elder, who had left his own church in which he had been installed, without a dismission, and was elected and installed an elder in another church, and then returned and officiated in the church with which he was first connected. The Presbytery by a
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formal resolution, pronounced the procedure on the part of the elder, irregular and contrary to a decision of the General Assembly.
At this meeting of the Presbytery, Mr. ROBERT C. GALBRAITH, a student of theology under the care of Presbytery, was licensed to preach the gospel.
At a pro re nata meeting of the Presbytery, held at East Kishaco- quillas, on the 27th of January, 1837, the Rev. JAMES M. OLMSTEAD was released from the charge of Middle Tuscarora congregation, and dismissed to the Presbytery of Newton.
At the stated Spring meeting, April 4, 1837, the Rev. JAMES S. 8 Woons was called by the congregation of Lewistown for the whole of his time. Heretofore he had served as pastor both Lewistown and Waynesburg, dividing his time equally between them.
Mr. MOSES FLOYD, a licentiate, of the Presbytery of Philadelphia. was received at this meeting of the Presbytery, and calls were pre- sented for his pastoral services from the congregations of West Kisha- coquillas and Little Valley. These calls were accepted by him, and he was ordained and installed at an adjourned meeting of the Presby- tery, held at Little Valley in June following. At this meeting, also, the Rev. S. WILSON requested, on account of impaired health, that the pastoral relation between him and Alexandria and Hart's Log be dis- solved. It appearing that the congregation concurred, but with much regret at the necessity, his request was granted, and the congregation declared vacant. About this time the congregation of Logan's Valley was organized by Rev. S. HILL.
The meetings of the Presbytery this year were exceedingly impor- tant and interesting, because of the variety and importance of the business transacted, especially at the Fall meeting. The Presbytery of Huntingdon had always, by a large and increasing majority, sustained the General Assembly in all its measures tending to maintain the orthodoxy of the Church, and the integrity of the standards. This was the year immediately preceding the actual and formal division of the Church. At the Assembly of 1837, those measures were inagu- rated, which resulted the next year in the retirement of the New School portion of the General Assembly, and their organization into a separate Assembly. By this time the small division of sentiment that appeared in Presbytery in regard to the necessity of measures adopted in the earlier stages of the controversy, had almost entirely disppeared.
ยท There was not a minister in the Presbytery who really sympathized with the new Assembly in what was believed to be their doctrinal
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views, so far as they varied from the doctrines of the Confession of Faith. The only difference in Presbytery was, that a few of the mem- bers were slow to believe that the causes of difference were so impor- tant, or so widely extended, as to call for the decisive measures that were afterwards adopted. But their views gradually changed, as the views and plans of the leaders of the defection began as gradually to be developed; and at the time of the actual division, there was not a member of the Presbytery that took sides with the new party, nor a whole congregation within the bounds of the Presbytery. But did not the coming together of the separated parts of the Church, a little over a quarter of a century after the division, prove that those were right who deprecated division in the first instance, supposing that there were no such radical causes existing at the time to justify it ? By no means. Within the thirty years succeeding the division great changes had taken place in the character and policy of the New School. Their whole policy as to irresponsible voluntary associations for the carrying on of Church work was entirely changed; they had proven, by experience, the evils resulting to Presbyterianism from such voluntary associations; the downward tendency to fundamental error was arrested by the division; and there was a gradual return- ing to the landmarks of the Church-the old wine was proven to be better than the new-and the parties were prepared to come together on the simple, honest and common sense interpretation of the doc- trines of the Confession of Faith. If this be not so our reunion is a deception and a cheat. Our decided opinion is, that the original divi- sion was as good for the New Side as for the Old School.
But to proceed with the narration of the doings of the Presbytery in order as they occurred during the last half of the year 1837. The first item of business, after the organization of Presbytery, was the reception of Mr. JOHN DUNLAP, a licentiate of the Presbytery of New Castle, who had been supplying the congregation of Frankstown (Hol- lidaysburg) for some months previously. A call had been prepared for him and presented to Presbytery at this meeting, but was declined because it was not unanimous, a minority being in opposition. Mr. DUNLAP asked and obtained leave to travel without the bounds of the Presbytery, and was called and settled in a congregation in the Pres- bytery of Marion, Ohio.
Messrs. MOORE, MCKINNEY and BANKS, elder, were appointed to ex- amine the Minutes of the Assembly, and report such items as may
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require the action of Presbytery. Also, Messrs. MCKINNEY, LINN and BANKS were appointed to report relative to ministers and licentiates coming to preach within the bounds of Presbytery. This committee reported the next day, as follows :
" The committee relative to traveling ministers and licentiates made report, which was amended and adopted, and is as follows :
1. Resolved, That Messrs. WOODS, LINN, MOORE, HUTCHESON and BANKS be a committee to examine the credentials of ministers and licentiates from other Presbyteries, between the stated meetings of Presbytery.
2. Resolved, That it be the duty of this committee, or any three of them, on being satisfied of the authority to preach, of the soundness in the faith, and of the attachment to the order of the Presbyterian Church, of any minister or licentiate, to give him an introductory letter to our churches, authorizing them to receive him until the next stated meeting of the Pres- bytery. .
3. Resolved, That in case of any doubts existing in the mind of any member of the committee, it shall be his duty to inform the chairman, whose duty it shall be to call a meeting of the committee to decide on the case.
4. Resolved, That it shall be the duty of this committee to report its doings to Presbytery at each stated meeting, and also to inform Presbytery . of any minister or licentiate who may preach within their bounds without the approbation of the committee; and also to inform Presbytery of any church or churches which may employ a man to preach to them statedly, without the approbation of Presbytery, or during the recess of Presbytery, without the approbation of the committee.
5. Resolved, That a due regard to Presbyterial order makes it incumbent on the churches, not to employ any one to preach to them statedly, without having first consulted the Presbytery.
6. Resolved, That Presbyterial order in like manner requires that every minister and licentiate coming within the bounds of a Presbytery, report to them and obtain permission to preach in vacant churches ; or during the recess of Presbytery, to obtain permission of the Presbytery's committee.
7. Resolved, That it be enjoined on the members of Presbytery, and on the Sessions of vacant churches, to have this minute read in their respective congregations."
The following order was passed, which has never been repealed, and the observance of which in all cases might be of great benefit :
"Resolved, That it shall be the duty of the Session of any of our churches from which any member may remove without obtaining a certificate of their church-membership, to ascertain, if possible, the residence of such member, and write to the Session of the Church into whose bounds he or she may have removed, apprising them of the fact."
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The committee on the minutes of the last General Assembly made a report, which was accepted and adopted, and is as follows :
" The Presbytery of Huntingdon in considering the doings of the late General Assembly, express their satisfaction that by their decisive action an end has at last been put to the great and growing evils which, for a series of years, had been sapping the root of our church's prosperity. We had long witnessed with pain the progress of error in doctrine, extravagance in measures, and looseness of discipline, by which the cause of Christ within the bounds of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America had been so mournfully dishonored and reproach- ed, and were sensible that a crisis had at last been reached to decide for future generations the fate of our beloved Zion, and we desire gratefully to acknowledge the manifest interposition of our covenant God in averting, by a summary process, the alarming inroads of the adversary. And as no alter- native remained to the Assembly in the circumstances of the case, because formal discipline, and amicable division were unattainable, it was incum- bent on the Assembly to have recourse to the measures finally adopted by them. Therefore, in view of the whole case, as now issued, be it resolved as the sense of this Presbytery : That the General Assembly be fully sustain- ed in all its measures of reform connected with the abrogation of the plan of union formed by it with the Congregational Association of Connecticut in 1801, because that plan was wholly unconstitutional, should therefore never have been formed, and ought long since to have been abrogated, as each successive Assembly was fully empowered to annul it, and. as the late General Assembly did, and therefore no more than what preceding Assem- blies left undone, to the manifest disadvantage of the Presbyterian Church.
Be it therefore further resolved : That the plan of union formed in New York, A. D. 1808, being essentially the same with the aforesaid plan of 1801, the abrogation of the latter is an abrogation of the former, for stand- ing on the same foundation, they fall together. Again,
Resolved, That the declaration of the General Assembly, that the Synods of the Western Reserve, Utica, Geneva, and Genesee, are no part of the Presbyterian Church, was a declaration founded in truth, the churches of which those Synods are composed being organized generally on congrega- tional principles, and without adopting our Confession of Faith.
Resolved, That as the churches composing those Synods have been the receptacles, or the originators of much error, disorder, and fanaticism, it was wise and proper in the late General Assembly to pass the declarative act referred to, and thus prevent those Synods from exerting their influence to spread corruption through the church, to the paralyzing our discipline. the wasting of our energies and the destruction of our peace.
Resolved, That the American Home Missionary Society, and the Ameri- can Education Society are not Presbyterian institutions ; that they have placed themselves in the attitude of hostility to the institutions of our Church; that their action within our bounds has been found to be produc-
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tive of much evil; and that therefore the General Assembly was bound to reeall its recommendation of these societies, and to advise a withdrawal of their operations from within our bounds.
Resolved, That the General Assembly has no power either to create or dissolve a Presbytery; but having unconstitutionally formed one, it was bound to dissolve it. The dissolution of the Third Presbytery of Philadel- phia was therefore incumbent on the Assembly. And as there was suffi- cient reason to believe that that Presbytery was formed to shield and propa- gate error, and as it had shown itself, in at least some cases, the patron of error and disorder ; therefore its members should not be received into anoth- er Presbytery without examination ; and therefore the General Assembly did right in not attaching its members by enactment to other Presbyteries. It was proper to direct its members to make application to the Presbyteries that they might be received on examination ; this being a door of entrance to which no sound Presbyterian ought to object.
Resolved, That the Presbytery will endeavor to carry out the measures of the late General Assembly by all constitutional means; and that we humbly and devoutedly look to the Great Head of the Church for his bless- ing upon the labors of the friends of truth.
Resolved, That we greatly regret, that any should resist the lawful au- thorities of the Church in their regular action, and do all in their power to perpetuate strife; but that it is our part meekly to endure reproach, and firmly to resist aggression, and while we " earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints," not to use earnal weapons, but to use those which are spiritual and mighty to the pulling down of strong holds.
Signed, JOSHUA MOORE, Chairman of the Committee. October 4, 1837.
An adjourned meeting of Presbytery was held at Alexandria on the 7th and 8th of November, at which the Rev. ALEXANDER PORTER WAS received from the Presbytery of Wilmington; and at the request of the congregation of Waynesburg (McVeytown), was permitted to sup- ply them till the next stated meeting. And Mr. THOMAS J. KEATING, a licentiate of the Presbytery, was ordained sine titulo.
CHAPTER VII.
FROM 1838 TO 1845.
Death of Mr. Keating-Overture from the General Assembly on the Issuing of Appeals-Con- gregation of Newton Hamilton Organized-Rev. John McKinney Called to Alexandria and Rev. W. J. Gibson to Hollidaysburg-Report of the Committee on the State of the Church- Mr. Benjamin Carrell Called to McVeytown and Newton Hamilton-Mr. S. Bryson Restored to the Communion . of the Church-April, 1839, Rev. John Hutcheson Resigned as Stated Clerk, and the Rev. Joshua Moore Appointed-Missionary Paper Offered and Passed-Re- port in Reference to Family Religion-Sabbath Desecration on our Public Highways- Messrs. Cooper and Betts Licensed April, 1840-Order in Regard to Settlement of Pastors Salaries-Fast-Day Recommended-Deacons-Books of the Board of Publication-Rev. Thos. P. Hunt Invited to Visit and Lecture on Temperance-Intermediate Meetings of Presby- tery-Mission Boards under Control of the Church Preferred-Rev. William Adam-Rev. A. McKechan's Affliction-The Marriage of a Divorced Woman-Marriage Celebrated by a Licentiate-Question of the Division of the Synod-Temperance Resolution-Ministers Re- ceived and others Dismissed-Resolution on Popery-Additions to the Churches-Rev. Dr. M. Brown-Systematic Benevolence-Rev. Joshua Moore Resigns as Stated Cleck-Mr. John Lloyd Ordained May 7, 1844 -- Mr. Thos. C. Porter Licensed-Committee on Temperance- Board of Publication.
ITTHE stated Spring meeting of the Presbytery was held at Spring Creek, April 10, 1838. After the making up of the roll, the death of the Rev. THOMAS J. KEATING was announced, who had been ordained to the gospel ministry only at their last meeting. Mr. KEAT- ING died on the 15th of February preceding.
An overture sent down by the General Assembly on the issuing of appeals in Synod, in certain cases, was at this meeting considered and negatived.
A petition from a part of the congregation of McVeytown, living in and around the village of Newton Hamilton, asking to be organized into a separate congregation, was presented, and the request granted ; and Messrs. PEEBLES and WOODS were appointed a committee to organ- ize the Church.
The Rev. JOHN MCKINNEY was received from the Presbytery of Richland; and calls being presented for him from the congregations of Alexandria and Sinking Valley, and being accepted, Messrs. DAVID MCKINNEY and D. STERRETT were appointed a committee to install in the early part of May following.
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A call from the congregation of Hollidaysburg for the Rev. WIL- LIAM J. GIBSON, was presented and read ; and leave was granted to the congregation to prosecute the call before the second Presbytery of Philadelphia, of which he was then a member.
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