In England, the rebellion was attributed especially to the Presbyterians. Walpole said in the English Parliament, °Cousin America has run off with a Presbyterian parson.° At the close of the Revolutionary War, the Synod of New York and Philadelphia met, May 1788, and revised the Confession of Faith and the Form of Government in some minor matters, which were required by the change of allegiance in civil affairs. At the same meeting it was re solved to create a General Assembly, in which all the presbyteries should be represented by their commissioners. This General Assembly held its first meeting in the Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, Thursday, 22 May 1789. At this time the church had 16 presbyteries, four synods, 177 ministers and 431 churches. Among the first acts of the General Assembly was one directing that efforts should be made to send missionaries to the frontier. Before the close of the century, numerous churches had been established in the West and South. To prevent collision with the missionaries who went out from the Congregationalists in New England, the General Assembly, in 1802, en tered into the Plan of Union with the associated churches of Connecticut, providing for the orderly organization of churches in mission fields. This Plan of Union continued in force until 1836, when it was abrogated by the Gen eral It provided, in brief, that Con gregational }lurches might settle Presbyterian ministers and the reverse; and that if a con gregation was composed partly of Congrega tionalists and partly of Presbyterians, this fact should be no obstacle to their uniting in one church and settling a minister; and that such a church, though not presbyterially organized, should have a representative in Presbytery. Its operation led to most favorable results in the extension of the church. The opening of the 19th century was a time of widespread religious revivals. ((The Great Awakenings began in Kentucky and it was attended there with some manifestations which met the disapproval of the more conservative element in the Church. In view of the great demand for ministers, some were authorized to preach who had not received a regular classical and theological education. There were also a few who held that the Con fession of Faith taught fatalism. This led to the withdrawal of the Cumberland Presbytery, from which has sprung a large and influential body of Presbyterians known as the Cumber land Presbyterian Church. This separation tookplace 1810. (See PRESBYTERIAN I S ) .
The first quarter of the century was one of rapid growth for the Church. The tide of emigration poured westward, and new set tlements and towns were founded. In all these, the missionaries of the Church found a hope ful and fruitful field for their labors. During this period, the Board of Home Missions was organized (1816). Theological Seminaries for the education of ministers were also estab lished; Princeton (1812 ) ; Auburn (1820) ; Western Theological Seminary, Allegheny, Pa. (1826) ; Union Seminary, Virginia (1828) • lumbia, South Carolina (1828) ; Lane (1434) ; Hanover, subsequently removed to New Albany, thence to Chicago and now known as McCor mick Theological Seminary (1829). In 1825 appeared the beginnings of a controversy which ultimately resulted in the disruption of the Church. Various causes led to the formation of two parties, known subsequently as the Old School and the New School. Chief among these causes was the spread of New Haven Theology, or Hopkinsianism, which was supposed to be contrary to the doctrine of the Confession of Faith. It was also charged that through the Plan of Union, Presbyterian order had been subverted and that innovations in worship, were permitted in certain parts of the Church. In 1836 Dr. Albert Barnes, who sympathized with the new theology, was tried for heresy before the General Assembly and acquitted. The pre vious year, Dr. Lyman Beecher, professor in Lane Theological Seminary, had been tried for heresy by the Presbytery of Cincinnati and ulti mately acquitted. All these things produced in tense excitement in the Church and widened the breach between the conservatives, and the lib erals. The Assembly of 1837, which met in Philadelphia, in response to a memorial signed by a lakge number of ministers and elders rep resenting the Old School party, dissolved the Plan of Union with the Congregational Church, and exscinded the synods of Western Reserve, Utica, Geneva and Genesee.
At the meeting of the Assembly in Phila delphia, 1838, the commissioners from the ex sanded synods presented themselves and asked to be enrolled; this being denied them, they with their friends proceeded to organize the Assembly and withdraw to hold its sessions in the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. With the Old School party remained 140 com missioners, while 136 gave their adhesion to the newly organized Assembly. Thus began the un happy division which lasted 32 years. Both Assemblies had the same name and claimed to be the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America; both held to the same confession and form of gov ernment. Both Assemblies engaged zealously in the work of home and foreign missions and in the establishment of institutions of learning. Both, also, were troubled by questions concern ing slavery. As early as 1787, the Presbyterian Church had declared itself in favor of the edu cation of the slaves and for the adoption of such "prudent methods as would procure even tually the final abolition of slavery.° In 1815 the General Assembly adopted a strong anti slavery document, in which it expressed regret for the existence of slavery in the United States, urged the duty of educating slaves and expressed the hope for their speedy emancipa tion. It further declared the buying and selling of slaves to be "inconsistent with the spirit of the Gospel.' These views were more clearly and positively avowed in the New School Gen eral Assembly than in the Old School General Assembly. In 1858, in consequence of some decided action taken with reference to slavery and emancipation, six Southern synods with drew from the New School Assembly and con stituted themselves the "United Synod of the Presbyterian Church.° In 1864 this Synod united with the General Assembly of the Pres byterian Church in the Confederate States. The passage of the "Spring Resolutions° by the General Assembly (Old School) in 1861 led to the withdrawal from that Assembly of a number of synods, all of which were within the bounds of the Southern Confederacy. This resolution was directed against the rebellion in the South and called upon all of the members of the Church to support the government in defense of the integrity of the Union. It was bitterly opposed by the commissioners from the synods in the South and by a small number from the Northern States, on the ground that in passing it the Assembly transcended its prerogatives. The objectors urged that the Assembly had no 'right to define civil duties. The vote on the resolution stood 156 in the affirmative and 66 in the negative. The action resulted in the withdrawal of the synods in the seceding States and the subsequent formation of the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America. In 1866 the General Assembly Old School and the General Assembly New School met at the same time in Saint Louis, when steps were taken with reference to the reunion of the two bodies, by the appointment 'of committees to consider a plan of union. These negotiations terminated favorably and the basis of reunion, which was the Confession of Faith, after being approved by the presbyteries, was ratified by the Assembly in 1869. In May 1870, the first General Assembly of the reunited Church met in Philadelphia. In 1837, the year preceding the disruption, the ministers num bered 2,140, the churches 2,865 and the mem bership 220,537. At the time of the reunion, there were 4,238 ministers, 4,526 churches and 446,561 members. Since the reunion, the prog ress of the Church, has been marked and steadfast. Two notable trials threatened for a time to disturb its peace. The first was that of Rev. David Swing, 1874, for alleged heresy with reference to the divinity of Christ. This case was settled by the withdrawal of Dr. Swing from the Church. The second was the trial of Professor Briggs of Union Theological Seminary, for his advocacy of those views of the "higher criticism* which it was .claimed af fected the fundamental doctrines of the Chris tian faith. This trial resulted in the condem nation of his views, his suspension from the ministry and his subsequent withdrawal from the Church.