ways, particularly as a tribunal having appellant jurisdiction: Resolved" &c.

Five of the members were ordered to meet at Mt. Car mel meeting house, Tenn. on the 1st Tuesday of the ensuing August, to constitute the Elk Presbytery, and four others were appointed to constitute the Logan Presbytery, on the 5th Tuesday of the same month, at Red River meeting house, Ky. These Presbyteries were directed to meet the Cumberland Presbytery on the 5th of the next Oct. at the Beach meeting house, Tenn. to constitute the Cumberland Synod, which was done accordingly.

Soon after the close of the late war, the tide of emigration began to flow rapidly westward, which greatly multiplied demands for preaching; so that it seemed for a time, utterly impossible to meet them. The members of the church, however, were requested by Synod to observe the 4th Monday of May, 1817, as a day of fasting and prayer to Almighty God to revive his work and send forth more laborers into his vineyard. The Great Head of Zion evidently heard the cries of his people; the succeeding summer was a time of much interest to the church; and in the fall many young men of promising talents became candidates for the ministry. This added fresh life to the Body, and inspired new settlements of the West and South with a hope of yet being supplied with preaching. This hope was not disappointed. A goodly number of young laborers soon entered the field for the purpose of gathering up the scattered disciples of Christ, and to call guilty multitudes to repentance. The consequence was, those that had been sighing in the wilderness and weeping by the water courses, because there was none to break to them the bread of life, were made to cry out how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth. Stupid sinners were also awakened, and many precious revivals of religion immediately commenced.

Here was discovered more clearly than ever, the providence of God in raising up the Cumberland Presbyterians. A large portion of the western population were partial to the Presbyterian form of church government, though they could not receive all their doctrinal sentiments. But had the Presbyterian sentiments been generally embraced, still

they were at that time, comparatively without funds to educate ministers, or to send them into the field after they were educated, and there were no prospects of salaries from the frontiers; therefore, but few of their clergymen were to be found in the whitened harvest of the West. It is also true, that the peculiarities of the Methodists and Baptists were thought by many to be unsup ported by the word of God; consequently they were unwilling to place themselves and families under the ministry of either denomination. At this important crisis, the Lord of the harvest was pleased to raise up the Cumberland Presbyterians, and direct them to take a midway stand between Calvinism and Armenianism; and to open a school for the purpose of qualifying men for the ministry that had been previously unknown in the Presbyterian church, viz. an itinerant school. In this seminary, scores of young heralds of the cross were fitted for the sacred desk, and strange as it may appear, many of them far surpassed the College missionaries of the East. While some were waiting for Education Societies to open the door for them into the ministry, and others who had already entered, were waiting for Missionary Societies to send them into the field, these Cumberland Pioneers, moved on with the tide of emigration, submitting to all the privations and hardships peculiar to new settlements, with but little prospect of any reward in this life, except the pleasure of saving souls. Upon the whole, I firmly believe, that thousands are now in heaven, and others are on their way thither, who never would have been saved, had it not been for the labors of Cumberland Presbyterians, and that God has yet an important part for them to act in spreading the con quests of the Redeemer's Cross.

The following brief sketch of the constitution of the sev eral Presbyteries, will show the rapid growth of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, in the course of the last twelve years.

At Sugg's Creek, Tenn. Oct. 22, 1819, the McGee Presbytery was stricken off from the Logan Presbytery, by an order of Synod, and ordered to be constituted in Missouri, (then a Territory,) on the 4th Tuesday of May following. The Synod in session at Russellville, Oct. 18, 1821, divided the Elk Presbytery, and directed two new Presby feries to be constituted-one to be known by the name of

the Alabama, and the other the Tennessee Presbytery. At this Synod, also, the Anderson Presbytery was stricken off from the Logan Presbytery, and the Lebanon from the Nashville Presbytery.

By an order of Synod, at the Beach meeting house, Tenn. Oct. 16, 1822, the Illinois Presbytery was stricken off from Anderson and McGee Presbyteries.

On 24th Oct. 1823, by the authority of Synod, at Russellville, the Alabama Presbytery, owing to the remote situation of its members from each other, the difficulty of meeting in time of high water, &c. was dissolved and a part of its members, with two from the Tennessee Presbytery, were appointed to constitute the Bigby Presbytery. The balance of the members of Alabama were attached to the Tennessee Presbytery. At this same Synod, the McGee Presbytery was divided for the purpose of constituting the Arkansas Presbytery.

At Cane Creek meeting house, Oct. 22, 1824, owing to additions to the ministry, change of residence, &c. preachers were appointed by Synod to re-organize the Alabama. Presbytery. At this session, the Hopewell Presbytery was also stricken off from the Nashville Presbytery. It was moreover deemed indispensible, either to divide the Synod and form a General Assembly, or revise the Constitution of the church, so as to admit of a delegated Synod. The question was therefore submitted to the consideration of the several Presbyteries.

At the Synod at Princeton, Ky. Oct. 25, 1825, the Anderson Presbytery was divided, and the Indiana Presbyfery required to be constituted.

A constitutional majority of the Presbyteries reported to this Synod in favor of a General Assembly.

After discussing the question at some length, by mutual consent, a decision was postponed till another meeting of the Synod.

At this session, Commissioners were appointed to select a site for Cumberland College. They met in January following, and, after examining several places, decided in favor of the vicinity of Princeton. The institution went into practical operation on the first day of the ensuing March, on the manuel labor plan. It now numbers about sixty students, and is in a tolerably flourishing condition. No new Presbyteries were formed in 1826.

The Barnett and Knoxville Presbyteries were appointed to be constituted, by order of Synod in session at Russellville, Ky. Nov. 21, 1827.-The former was taken from the McGee and the latter from the Lebanon Presbyteries.

Oct. 21, 1828, the Synod at Franklin, Tenn. ordered the St. Louis Presbytery to be constituted, and to be taken from the Arkansas Presbytery. Also Princeton Presbytery was stricken from Anderson and the Sangamon from Illinois Presbyteries.

The subject of Temperance was discussed at this session of Synod, and the following resolution unanimously adopted

"Resolved, that the preachers belonging to the Cumberland Presbyterian church, both ordained and licensed and likewise the different members, be requested to unite in discountenancing the unnecessary use of ardent spirits in their several congregations and families, and where ever else their influence may extend."

Pursuant to this resolution, Temperance Associations have been formed throughout the bounds of the church, and hundreds and thousands have been induced to abandon entirely the use of the intoxicating fluid.

The subject of a General Assembly was again brought before the Synod, while in session at Franklin, and after considerable discussion, it was resolved to come to a decision on this important matter. Before the vote was taken, an aged member arose and recited the solemn manner in which the first Presbytery was constituted. The fear of God seemed to fall on every mind, and breathless silence pervaded the house for several minutes. It was then pro

posed that the oldest preacher present, should implore direction from heaven. The Rev. Jas. B. Porter, being the oldest member present, was called on to discharge this duty. Before prayer, he recurred in a brief, but feeling manner, to the difficulties through which Cumberland Presbyterians had already passed, and to the kind providence of God, that had been displayed in their protection. During prayer, much access seemed to be enjoyed to a throne of grace; and every member of the house appeared to realize his responsibility to the Great Head of the church, for the part he was about to act. The votes were

then called for when it appeared a large majority were in favor of a General Assembly.

The Cumberland Synod was then, by mutual consent divided, and the four following Synods ordered to be constituted, viz. The Missouri Synod, embracing the McGee, Barnett, Illinois, St. Louis, Sangamon and Arkansas Presbyteries: the Green River Synod, composed of the Logan, Anderson, Indiana and Princeton Presbyteries: the Franklin Synod, embracing the Nashville, Lebanon, Knoxville and Hopewell Prosbyteries: the Columbia Synod, consisting of the Elk, Tennessee, Bigby and Alabama Presbyte

ries.

The bounds of these Synods have been much enlarged since they were constituted, and the following new Presbyteries formed, viz. Within the limits of the Green River Synod, the Kentucky, Washington and Wabash Presbyteries: in Franklin Synod, the Forked-Deer and Hatchey Presbyteries: and in the Columbia Synod, the Elyton and Mississippi Presbyteries.

It will be seen from this brief sketch, that Cumberland Presbyterians have, at present, twenty-five Presbyteries, four Synods, and a General Assembly.

Their number of preachers is thought to be near four hundred, besides many candidates for the ministry. But in as much as a statistical account of their congregations and ministers has never yet been made out, their numerical strength cannot at this time be certainly known. Some have expressed surprise that this should have been neglected until so late a period. It is in my view, however, very far from being a censurable omission. Too frequent a display of numbers has always seemed to me to savour of ostentation; and I have thought such conduct was apt to beget an undue and unsanctified cagerness for the procurement of numbers. Nevertheless, as there appears to be so much anxiety among other denominations, to know the number of members, in the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and some very inaccurate conjectures have recently been published on this subject, it is probable their statistics will be shortly submitted to the public.

The operations of Cumberland Presbyterians have heretofore been principally confined to the following portion of the valley of the Mississippi, viz. The States of Kentucky, Tennessee. Alabama, Mississippi. Louisiana, Illinois, Indi