The General Assembly [pp. 545-580]

The General Assembly.
the Synod elect the Trustees. If, therefore, the Assembly
elect annually the Directors of a Seminary, renewing the whole
Board year by year, or as now, in the course of three years, the
control would remain with the Assembly. A motion to this
effect was presented by Dr. Murray to the previous Assembly,
at the close of its sessions, but not discussed for want of time.
There are grave considerations both for and against the proposed alteration, and it is desirable that the attention of the
Church should be seriously turned to the subject before any
decisive steps are taken in the matter.
J,udicial Case.
The Judicial Committee reported the case of the complaint
of the Session of the church of Wooster, against a decision of
the Synod of Ohio.
The facts in this case appeared to be substantially these:Dr. Day, a member of the church at Wooster, having married
a lady belonging to the Baptist denomination, their children,
out of deference to her feelings, were not baptized. Notwithstanding this fact, Dr. Day was elected an elder in that congregation, and served in that capacity for some years. The Session of the church becoming dissatisfied with this state of things,
presented the question in thesi to the Presbytery of Wooster,
whether a man who neglected to present his children for baptism,
ought to be permitted to act as a ruling elder in any of our
churches. The Presbytery answered the question in the negative, and gave a deliverance on the importance of infant baptism.
In consequence of this action of the Presbytery, Dr. Day resigned
his office as elder, and his name was omitted from the roll of the
Session. After a time, however, he wished to resume his office,
and the Presbytery not having contemplated his special case in
their action, recalled their deliverance on baptism, and ordered
the Session to restore Dr. Day to the Session. The case being
carried to the Synod of Ohio, the action of the Presbytery was
sustained. From the Synod, it came by complaint to the Assembly. The Assembly sustained the complaint, and adopted
the following minute as expressing their judgment in the premises:
Whereas, It appears from the record that Dr. Day was re
1854.]
571