until she has extended, with more or less effect, the enlightening, the elevating and saving influence of her ministrations over many millions of our population. Among the several denominations of American Christians, there was none which seemed to possess so many and so great facilities of usefulness. The total number of her communicants, as reported in the Minutes of the General Assembly of 1837, was 220,557, and the number of her ministers and licentiates, 2,420; and there probably does not exist on the face of the earth a denomination of Christians equally numerous and extended, among whom there prevails a greater uniformity of doctrinal belief. The differences which exist in this respect, excepting a few individual instances, are all of minor importance, and such as had ever been regarded, in this and in other denominations, as quite consistent with the preservation of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Differences equally great, and in some cases the same, have prevailed in the Presbyterian church from her beginning, and have been tolerated through the whole progress of her history, excepting the period of her lamented division, from 1741 to 1758, at the close of which, by mutual concessions, the two Synods were happily united," though "there is not the least reason to believe that the members of either party really entertained essentially different opinions, on any important points, when they effected a union in 1758, from those which they entertained at the date of their schism in 1741.”* There was,

therefore, no sufficient reason for the existing division of the church, on the ground of differences of doctrinal belief, and no sufficient reason now exists, on this account, for the continuance of this division.

Eighteen months ago this noble and delightful communion was ONE. She had arisen from small beginnings in the infancy of the country, and had held on her way, with occasional interruptions, and through many trials for a century and a half. Many of her little ones, which had risen up in rapid succession, in the new settlements, had become thousands. The sphere of her direct ministrations, mingled with those of other denominations, had been extended over four fifths of the nation, and many of her ministers and members were foremost among American Christians, in their individual and associated efforts to promote those great objects of catholic christian benevolence, which have been prosecuted, with manifold blessings on our country

See Miller's Letters to Presbyterians, p. 11.

and the world, by the American Bible, Tract, Sunday School, Education, Home and Foreign Missionary and other benevolent societies.

While she was thus watering others, and associating her influences with those of Christians of all other names, in the promotion of knowledge and religion, her own numbers were greatly multiplied by the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon many of her congregations. Her character and influence, with the exception of those internal conflicts which had begun to disturb and pervert the action of some of her judicatories, were admired and emulated by other denominations. Had she preserved her integrity and continued to cherish and exhibit the evangelical and catholic spirit, which had marked her proceedings in former years, she might have maintained in perpetuity, an influence for good on the cause of universal philanthropy, unequalled by that of any other single denomination of Christians. This was perceived and acknowledged by her most intelligent friends; and a great majority of her members, no doubt, on both sides of the existing division, deeply felt both the importance and the responsibility of preserving the unity of the church entire and unbroken. But the accuser of the brethren had entered her judicatories. Whisperings and surmises against prominent individuals were spread among her members. Newspapers, which had been established for the purpose of circulating religious intelligence among the people, became the vehicles of attack upon personal character. Excitement and alarm were thus produced, and prosecutions for alleged heresy followed in their train; parties were formed, and the higher and lower judicatories were, in several instances, arrayed against each other.

In this state of things the prevailing plans of promoting religious benevolence by Voluntary Societies were supposed to be favorable to the increase and prosperity of one of the parties. These, therefore, were assailed by the other party, as dangerous and inexpedient, and organizations were suggested and adopted by several judicatories, to counteract the influence of Voluntary Societies, and to prosecute the various objects of christian benevolence in a manner better suited to promote the interests and increase of the party adopting these organizations. One of these, "the Board of Missions of the General Assembly," was at length, in 1828, allowed the sanction of the highest judicatory of the church. Subsequently a similar organiza

tion was adopted in regard to the education of candidates for the ministry. These gave ubiquity to a controversy which had been commenced on other grounds, and had hitherto been confined to certain sections of the church. The friends of Voluntary, Catholic Societies, on the one hand, and of Ecclesiastical, Sectarian Boards, on the other, were now, everywhere, urged to take their sides. Discussion on these topics became rife in the newspapers and periodicals. The results of these public appeals, and of the agencies employed, were every year reported to the General Assembly, and were there the occasions of arraying the parties against each other, till, at length, that judicatory, which had already consented to adopt sectarian organizations for Domestic Missions and Education, was strenuously urged in 1835 and 1836, to adopt another for Foreign Missions. It now became apparent also that the leading friends of this measure desired and designed, as soon as practicable, to supercede the action of all Voluntary Societies in the Presbyterian church by the organization of sectarian Boards for the prosecution of every object of christian benevolence. These efforts, though unavailing in the Assemblies of those years, were not without their effect in giving new vigor to the controversy which had already been waged in every section of the church. Yet, as we have said, The church was one. Her form, though marred, was not broken. Her representatives in the General Assembly of 1837 met as the judicatory of a united body. But they brought with them the elements of disruption. Measures had been previously concerted in a confidential " Convention" of one of the parties, and were carried in the Assembly, which, whatever may have been their design, have resulted in a formal division of the church, and have brought into question, before the civil tribunals of the country, the rights of two bodies, each representing, as far as yet appears, about equal portions of what was "the Presbyterian church in the United States," and each claiming to be the General Assembly of the same.

We will now state the grounds on which this division has been effected, or rather, on which that body, which, for the sake of distinction, is now currently denominated the " Constitutional General Assembly," has been organized. This we will do principally by quotations from the pamphlet before us, which, though they may fail to do justice to the strength of our author's continuous argument in support of the principles he advances, will place before the reader the principal points on which the

action of the Assembly turned. We cannot deny ourselves the pleasure, however, of first presenting the rapid sketch, by our author, of the history and progress of the Presbyterian church from its beginning, to the meeting of the General Assembly of 1837.

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Presbyterians were among the first of those who sought, in our country, entire religious freedom. The organization of the Church, in its present form, however, is only coeval with the constitution of the United States. In 1788, there were but one Synod and seventeen Presbyteries in the country. The highest assembly in the Church, was the Synod of New-York and Philadelphia. This was so large, that it was decided to divide it into four Synods, and to form a new judicatory, to be composed of delegates from all the Presbyteries in the United States. This was done in that year, and thus a purely representative body-the highest Council, and the Court of last resort,—was created, and called, The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. The powers and duties of all the courts and councils, were at this time prescribed and defined in a written constitution, which, by alterations and amendments, has become the present constitution.

Every body knows how the spirit of our free institutions was the breath of a new life to our country, and how, after the adoption of the federal constitution in 1788, the nation spread onward into the wilderness. So, too, our Church, organized in the republican simplicity and equality of the New Testament, and recognizing and adopting the immutable principles of human rights, grew with the country, and spread onward and around, as the receding forests opened new regions to be christianized. As the Church grew, its Courts and Councils were multiplied. The growth was in the churches, by the mere addition of individual members. The multiplication of the judicatories, was by the totally different, but simple process of sub-division. Members were received into the churches by the sessions, and in this manner alone the Church grew. As the members increased, and emigrants settled in neighborhoods, separate churches were formed, and new pastors settled. The Presbyteries were thus enlarged, and parts were organized into new Presbyteries. The Synods, too, became inconveniently large, and parts were formed into separate Synods. Thus, not by the introduction of new elements, but by a continued division of the genuine old Presbyterian judicatories, the little assembly that met in apostolic harmony in 1789, grew into the great and discordant politico-religious multitude of 1837.

"While the Church was thus spreading over our vast territory, the VOL. XII. No. 31.

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State of Connecticut was the hive, from which swarms of emigrants went to the fertile regions of the frontier. Our borders were principally occupied by Congregationalists, in connexion with the General Association of Connecticut, and by Presbyterians, in connection with the General Assembly. As for their common interest, they banded together against the savage and the wild beast, and joined hands in throwing up their dwellings and fortresses, without disputing about the fashion of either; so, for their common faith and worship, they were willing to make common cause in building up churches, and securing and sustaining the protecting institutions of religion, without regard to the minor points of church government. Each yielded a little, that both might enjoy together, what neither could enjoy alone, the stated ministration of the gospel. To remove all objections, however, which might arise in any minds, to this noble, evangelizing spirit of charity, the highest Ecclesiastical Councils of the two sects, corresponded on the subject, and in 1801, only eleven years after the formation of the constitution, united in recommending a plan, by which the Congregationalist from Connecticut, and the Presbyterian in the new settlements, might unite in supporting the gospel. Its object was to prevent alienation, and to promote union and harmony. It enjoined on all the missionaries of both parties, the promotion of mutual forbearance and accommodation between the two sects. It recommended, in case of minister and people belonging to different sects, that all should maintain their respective forms of government and discipline, and preserve their ecclesiastical connection, settling their difficulties, between minister and people, by a sort of arbitration, or council, composed of half of each sect, unless all could agree to submit to the forms of the sect to which the minister should belong. In case of a mixture of Presbyterians and Congregationalists, in the same settlement, it recommended their uniting in one church, administering discipline by a committee from the communicants, with a right of appeal to the Presbytery or the Church, as the ac cused should be of one or the other sect. This was the "Plan of Union," and by its operation, the churches were rapidly extended. The stated ministrations of the Gospel, brought forth its appropriate fruits, and the plan of union remained undisturbed till 1837, a period of thirty-six years, during which time the "new settlements" of 1801, had become the populous cities-the rich and flourishing counties and States of 1837.

"During the last few years, various causes have operated in each General Assembly, to produce discord and contention. A large party, of great respectability, have been desirous of carrying certain measures, but being in the minority, have been, of course, defeated. They have not concealed their chagrin, and, finally, they attempted a system of party organization. They called a Convention to concert measures by which a majority might be secured in the