During all the struggle of the United States for independence the Presbyterians stood as one man for the defense of the civil and religious liberty of the country. John Witherspoon, one of its most prominent ministers, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and before Congress made one of the most effective Pleas for the liberty of our country. Although during the Revolutionary War many buildings were destroyed and congregations disbanded, still the vitality of the Church continued, and when peace was restored it grew so rapidly that the need of a General Assembly became evident. In 1785 a large committee was appointed to con sider a form of complete organization for the Presbyterian Church in the United States. In May, 178S, the Synod met and resolved itself into a General Assembly, which held its first meeting in Philadelphia the following year. The first Congress of the country was in session in New York at the same time. The first General As sembly embraced 4 synods (New York and New Jersey, Philadelphia. Virginia, and the Caro linas), 17 presbyteries, 419 congregations, and 180 ministers. This Assembly adopted the West minster Confession of Faith after making changes in chapters 20, 23, and 31 and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. The form of government of the Scottish Church was also adopted, but modi fied so as to deny to the civil magistrate any right of interference in Church affairs, except for protection only. MI In 1801 a plan of union was agreed upon be tween the Presbyterian Church and the Connecti cut General Association which provided terms for mutual help in the weaker communities. Presbyterian ministers might serve Congrega tional churches and vice versa.
The Presbyterian Church, at the time of the union, numbered 26 presbyteries. 300 ministers, and nearly 500 congregations. Early in the cen tury there were many revivals, especially in the southwestern part of the country, which brought into service ninny as catechists and exhorters who were neither highly educated nor firm be lievers in the peculiar doctrines of the Presby terian Church. The controversy over these ques tions brought about, the secession of the Presby tery of Cumberland. and resulted in 1810 in the formation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (see below). The beginning of the nine teenth century showed increased zeal on the part of the Presbyterian Church for mission ary enterprise. Within a few years. in New York, Pennsylvania,and NOW England, missionary societies were formed to send the Gospel to the Indians and among the pioneers. In 1802 the General Assembly organized a 'Standing Com mittee of Missions' consisting of 7 members, later increased to 19 members, whose duty it should be "to collect during the recess of the all the information in their power relative to the concerns of missions and missionaries." and to "superintend generally under the direction of the Assembly"the missionary business." In P816 the title of the committee was changed to Board of Missions, and it was authorized to act with a larger measure of independence. The growth of
the Churchwas rapid. In 1834 it contained 32 synods, 1 1 I presbyteries, and about 1900 min isters. At this time signs of the future schism which divided the Church for so many years into the 'Old' and 'New' schools became apparent. For some time there had existed a diversity of doctrinal beliefs among the ministers and ehurches. New doctrines, coining largely from New England, were adopted by the members of the New School party. In the Old School branch there was a leaning to the strict doctrine and discipline of the Scotch Church; Albert Barnes (q.v.), of Philadelphia, and Lyman Beecher (q.v.), of Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, were both subjected to trial and censure by their pres byteries. The Church was shaken by the con troversy. The agitation over slavery divided it still further. The New School party felt called upon to denounce it, while the Old School thought that duty did not require that the Church should pronounce on the subject. In 1837 the Assembly, having (for the first time in five years) a ma jority of Old School members, disowned or ex seinded three of the synods of western New York and one in Ohio. with all the churches and min isters belonging to them. Great excitement pre vailed throughout the Chureh. A meeting of the excluded synods was held at Auburn. New York, in August, 1837, as the true constitutional As sembly, at which trustees were appointed for the care of the property of the corporation. These trustees later brought legal action to determine their rights, and a verdict was given in their favor, but on appeal to a higher court the de cision was overruled on points of law, and a new trial granted. The matter was not pressed fur ther. In 1838 the New School members demanded enrollment for the excluded commissioners of the preceding year. This was refused and the bodies separated, each claiming to have the con stitutional succession, and using the title the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. The 91d School Church had seminaries at Princeton, N. J.; Alle gheny, Pa.; Columbia. S. C.; Danville, Ky., and Chicago. The New- School seminaries were Union, N. Y.; Auburn, N. Y.; Lane, at Cincinnati: and Blackburn, Ill. Each Church carried on its work with great zeal, both at home and abroad ; each branch was active in encour aging educational institutions, and as they flourished side by side, each grew more confident of the orthodoxy and usefulness of the other. The Old School Assembly of 18:37 had organized its Board of Foreign Missions. and it continued to support the Boards of Home Missions and of Education which had been organized before the division. The New School carried on its home mission work through the American Home Mis sionary Society. Later, however, it organized permanent committees on Home Missions. Edu cation. and Publication, through which its work was carried on. while its foreign work was con ducted through the American Board of Commis sioners for Foreign :Missions.