witnesses in ecclesi cannot be had." The brought to the atten of South Carolina, of joined upon him to b ject of the emancipati declared to be, in his counsel of God. The S deliberation, and endors advising him to be conte in private to open the of opinion that "to pre: present circumstances, a of every one to liberate t is that which would lead to great confusion." During the two follo strengthened by the acc bers. George Newton a ordained by the South C erratic but eloquent Willi that body. The Orange 1 list of members the name William Paisley, John Gil Robert Tate. It was under Paisley, the in the pastorate of Hawfiel 1802 commenced. For twe ful laborer in this field. Ta filled by MeAden, and und Keith, and Hopewell spran of the sanctuary to a large River congregation was long labors. Synod now, 180) en Presbytery of 3 tains, had been dried unt the new banan. South Carolina was most PG "EFM (S West of the mountains East le Presbytery of Greve we metes from the three ongina Presbyter bered twenty-eight ministers: creased to nearly seventy-sende doubling in the course of charteen years re than a quarter of a century d Hempstead had for many years a Hart, but after his connection were long vacant,-Hempstead William P. Kuypers, June 5, v the disastrous influence of the ts close, measures were taken tead church, ten members only munion administered by Burnet s Dr. Samuel Buell (1746-1798), Seecher in 1799-1810; at AquaSouthold), Benjamin Goldsmith gton, Nathan Woodhull (1785illiam Schenk (1793-1817); at Noah Wetmore (1786-1796), 1 Green; at South Haven (or (1765-1799); at Southampton, -1789), succeeded by Herman d David S. Bogart; at Bridgeorth (1787-1821); and at Westsell (1787-1789), succeeded by -1801). During nearly this whole period the montar V extended its field of effort we pr were formed out of it. Throughot, the Oscose pre- The leading members of the body da Di sbrink from the self-denying daty of Their names are repeatedly found veral other congregations had are of the Presbytery. Joseph t Southold, June 4, 1797; Daniel ere a feeble church had long ex97; Luther Gleson, successor of 7), at Smithtown and Islip, Sepan Woodhull, who had been pretington, at Newtown, which was from New York to Suffolk Presho labored here for twenty years. p. 283. rs did not begin till 1777. 2 Ibid. p. 262. witnesses in ecclesiastical judicatories, where others cannot be had." The case of James Gilliland was also brought to the attention of Synod. The Presbytery of South Carolina, of which he was a member, had enjoined upon him to be silent in the pulpit on the subject of the emancipation of slaves. This injunction he declared to be, in his apprehension, contrary to the counsel of God. The Synod took up his memorial for deliberation, and endorsed the action of the Presbytery, advising him to be content with using his utmost efforts in private to open the way for emancipation. It was of opinion that "to preach publicly against slavery, in present circumstances, and to lay it down as the duty of every one to liberate those who are under their care, is that which would lead to disorder and open the way to great confusion." During the two following years the Synod was strengthened by the accession of several new members. George Newton and Samuel Davis had been ordained by the South Carolina Presbytery, and the erratic but eloquent William C. Davis had united with that body. The Orange Presbytery had added to its list of members the names of William T. Thompson, William Paisley, John Gillespie, Samuel McAdow, and Robert Tate. It was under Paisley, the successor of William Hodge in the pastorate of Hawfields, that the great revival of 1802 commenced. For twenty years he was a successful laborer in this field. Tate occupied the sphere once filled by McAden, and under his ministry "Rockfish, Keith, and Hopewell sprang up, and opened the doors of the sanctuary to a large region of country." Black River congregation was long a sharer in his ministerial labors. The Synod now (1800) embraced seven Presbyteries. In 1797, the Presbytery of Abington, west of the moun tains, had been divided, and the new Presbytery of Union formed. The last consisted of but four members. That of Orange numbered fourteen, with four licentiates and eight candidates; that of Concord, fif teen ministers and one candidate. The Presbytery of South Carolina was most numerous, comprising eighteen ministers, three licentiates, and two candidates. In 1799, it was divided by the Synod, and out of it the First and Second Presbyteries of South Carolina were constituted. Broad River was made the dividing line. West of the mountains, in East Tennessee, the new Presbytery of Greenville was erected in 1800. The ministers composing it were George Newton, Samuel Davis, Hezekiah Balch, and John Cossan. Thus the Synod had increased, in the course of fifteen years, from the three original Presbyteries constituted of the members of the Presbytery of Orange, till it numbered seven. From the field occupied a half-century before by a single Presbyterian missionary, the bounds of the Church had been extended till they included the whole or portions of several States. In 1788, the Synod numbered twenty-eight ministers; in 1800, they had increased to nearly seventy,-considerably more than doubling in the course of thirteen years. During nearly this whole period the missionary work of the Synod had been prosecuted with a good degree of energy. One of its original Presbyteries was beyond the mountains in East Tennessee, and it had already extended its field of effort till two new Presbyteries were formed out of it. Throughout the destitute portions of North and South Carolina, in the northern part of Georgia, and in the Mississippi Valley, missionaries bearing the Synod's commission were to be found. The leading members of the body did not themselves shrink from the self-denying duty of itinerant labor. Their names are repeatedly found on the list of those appointed both to near and to distant fields. From 1794 to 1800, we find James Hall, S. C. Caldwell, John and James H. Bowman, Robert McCulloch, Robert Cunningham, John M. and Robert Wilson, John Robinson, and others, engaged in this arduous service. It was thus that the bounds of the Church were extended, and the reports of the missionaries reacted upon the Synod to encourage them to new effort. In some cases these annual reports were so extended as to cover sixteen folio pages. CHAPTER XVIII. NEW YORK, 1789-1800. AT the time of the organization of the first General Assembly, the Presbyterian congregations in the State of New York numbered less than forty: of these, eleven were on Long Island, in connection with the Presbytery of Suffolk; nine were under the care of the Presbytery of Dutchess County; and nineteen under the care of the Presbytery of New York. Besides these, Sampson Occum, a member of Suffolk Presbytery, had mission-stations among the Oneida Indians at New Stockbridge and Brotherton. Within the bounds of Suffolk Presbytery, the churches of Jamaica, Hempstead, and Smithtown were vacant. The first of these had been without a pastor since the dismission of Matthias Burnet (1785),' whose lack of patriotic zeal during the war had saved his church-edifice, but rendered him unacceptable to his parishioners. His successor, in 1789, was George Faitoute, whose min 1 Afterward settled at Norwalk, Conn. |