Your Committee, to whom was referred the propriety of suggesting such amendments and changes of the constitution of our seminary as may bring the same in harmony with the expressed views of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, would report that they have considered the matter, and that they find no objections thereto. They understand that the generous and Christian-spirited donor of the only portion of our property and funds that is held subject to the continuance of the relations of the seminary to the General Assembly consents that the management and control may be transferred to the Board of Directors, the Assembly reserving the right to disapprove and forbid in certain matters. We believe the change will redound to the benefit and efficiency of the seminary. Therefore, your Committee recommend the adoption of the following resolutions by this Board, to wit: Resolved, That this Board respectfully request the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America to consider and adopt the following amendments and changes of the constitution of the Presbyterian theological seminary of the North-west, viz.: 1st. The second, tenth and eleventh articles of said constitution are hereby stricken out. 2d. Sections one, two, three, thirteen and fourteen of the third article are hereby stricken out; and in lieu of said sections one, two and three, the following are substituted and adopted, to wit: SEC. 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of twenty ministers and twenty ruling elders, of whom one-fourth, or five ministers and five elders, shall be chosen by said Board annually, to continue in office four years and until their successors are elected and qualified. And the Board shall also have power to receive resignations and declinatures, and to fill all vacancies which may occur in its body. All of these elections, however, shall be subject to the veto of the General Assembly, to which they shall be reported at its next meeting. SEC. 2. The Board of Directors shall have power to elect and duly induct and inaugurate into office the professors of the seminary, and to receive their resignations; also to remove them from office, such elections and removals to be subject to the veto of the General Assembly. The Board shall also have power to suspend, temporarily, a professor, preliminary to and pending an investigation of charges against his conduct or doctrine. SEC. 3. The Board of Directors shall have the superintendence and control of the seminary and its funds and property. 3d. Articles three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine are hereby so changed as to be known and designated as articles two, three, four, five, six, seven and eight respectively. 4th. The following is substituted for sub-section three of section twelve, in article three: 3. To make annually to the General Assembly, in writing, a full and faithful report of the whole state of the seminary, and of the transactions of the Board, and also to submit their records, when required, for the inspection of the Assembly.. 5th. The following is adopted and designated as ARTICLE NINE. This constitution may be altered or amended by a vote of three-fourths of the directors present and voting at a regular annual meeting of the Board, such alterations or amendments to take effect and be in force only when the same shall be approved by the General Assembly. Resolved, That directors heretofore appointed whose terms of service have not expired shall serve until the end thereof and until their successors are elected and qualified. And directors appointed by the present General Assembly shall serve as if elected and appointed by the Board of Directors. All of which is respectfully submitted. (Signed) R. W. PATTERSON, S. M. MOORE, H. G. MILLER. This report was accepted, considered and adopted. VIII. GERMAN THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, NEWARK, N. J. The Board of Directors of the German theological school, Newark, N. J., report that the requirements of the Assembly were met by the procurement of a charter, in which the following provisions were inserted: "The first Board of Directors of said corporation shall be divided into three classes, to be numbered one, two and three; the term of the first shall expire in one, the second in two and the third in three years from the first day of May last." "Each class of directors shall hereafter be chosen for and hold their office during three years, and until a new election to supply the place of such class." The election of three directors to fill vacancies "at the stated spring meeting shall be subject to review at the next General Assembly; ... and in case the said General Assembly shall disapprove of such election, the office of the director or directors disapproved of shall thereupon become vacant." The provisions with respect to the relations of the regularly appointed professors the Board propose to incorporate in the constitution of the school.-1871, p. 580. IX. GERMAN THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL OF THE NORTH-WEST. The constitution of the German theological seminary of the Northwest, at Dubuque, Iowa, prescribes that . . . "it shall be hereafter the duty of the Board itself to fill the vacancies occurring in their number, whether by expiration of term of office, by resignation, death or otherwise. Said election, however, shall only be deemed valid, and those elected enter upon their office, after approval by the General Assembly." Also, "The Board of Directors . . . shall establish the professorships and appoint the professors and instructors, . . . and always subject to the approval and control of the General Assembly."-1871, p. 580. X. LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, THEOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT. Lincoln University. Since the last meeting of the General Assembly the charter of Lincoln university has been so amended, by special act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania, as to place the theological department of that institution under the care of the General Assembly, in accordance with the general plan adopted for the supervision of theological seminaries. Resolved, That the General Assembly accept the oversight of the the ological department of Lincoln university, as provided in the amended charter of that institution, and approve the appointments and proceedings of the Board of Trustees as reported at this time.—1871, p. 581. XI. SAN FRANCISCO SEMINARY. The Synod of the Pacific resolved upon the immediate organization of this seminary at its session in Oakland, Cal., in 1871. San Francisco was selected as a suitable location. Fifteen persons were elected directors, viz.: Ministers-Rev. William A. Scott, D. D., Thomas M. Cunningham, D. D., William W. Brier, Aaron L. Lindsley, D. D., Daniel W. Poor, D. D., Sylvester Woodbridge, D. D., Albert F. White, LL.D., William Alexander, and Edward B. Walsworth, D. D. Elders-Hon. H. P. Coon, S. Franklin, C. W. Armes, A. Hemme, S. I. C. Sweezey, and R. J. Trumbull. This Board was organized November 7th, 1871, the Rev. William A. Scott, D. D., being appointed president. The directors were divided into three classes by lot. The following were elected as a provisional faculty : Rev. William A. Scott, D. D., Professor of Mental Science, Moral Philosophy and Theology. Rev. George Burrowes, D. D., Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament Literature. Rev. Daniel W. Poor, D. D., Professor of Biblical and Ecclesiastical History. Rev. William Alexander, Professor of Biblical Greek and New Testament Literature. The plan of the seminary is entirely in conformity with the pattern of the older and approved institutions of the Church. The directors ask to be received under the care of the Assembly, and in all matters to receive its sanction, in accordance with the action of the Assembly of 1870, as recorded on page 63 of the printed Minutes. Four students have been in attendance upon the instruction of the professors this the first year. Your Committee recommend, 1. The approval of the action of the Synod of the Pacific coast in the organization of the seminary at San Francisco. 2. The confirmation of the appointment of the Board of Directors. 3. The acceptance of the seminary, as so organized, under the care and supervision of the Assembly.-1872, p. 64. XII. BLACKBURN UNIVERSITY. The trustees of Blackburn university, at their annual meeting, held in June, 1871, adopted the plan recommended by the Assembly of 1870, by incorporating into the constitution of the university the following section: "Whenever hereafter any person shall be elected by the trustees to fill any professorship in the theological department of the university, the trustees shall report their election to the next General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States; and if the General Assembly at that meeting shall, by formal vote, refuse to approve of such election, then the person elected by the trustees shall cease to be a professor." The following additional facts respecting Blackburn university will be of interest to this Assembly: The institution was founded by Rev. Gideon Blackburn, D. D., who, in the year 1838, conveyed to a Board of Trustees several thousand acres of land, for the purpose of founding "an institution of learning, the object of which shall be to promote the general interests of education, and to qualify young men for the office of the gospel ministry." The institution was located at Carlinville, Ill. In The trustees were incorporated in the year 1857 by the Legislature of Illinois, with the name of "The Blackburn Theological Seminary," and at about the same time an academic department was established. A. D. 1867, the institution was organized as a university, and the following year its corporate name was changed by the Legislature to that of "Blackburn University." The Board consists of thirteen members, who must be residents of the State of Illinois. At least nine of this number must "be chosen from among persons who are regular members of the Presbyterian Church; and if any trustee thus chosen shall, at any time, cease to be a regular member of the Presbyterian Church, he shall, ipso facto, cease to be a trustee." Every professor appointed in the theological department, also every professor in the collegiate department, whose professorship shall include mental or moral science or metaphysics, and also the president of the university, are required, before they can enter upon the duties of their office, to subscribe their names to the following declaration : "I do hereby avow my sincere belief in the Bible as the word of God, and in the system of doctrines contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith as the system which accords with the word of God; and I do solemnly pledge myself, in all my duties as an instructor and officer in Blackburn university, never knowingly to teach anything in conflict with such system of doctrines." Every other professor or instructor in any department is required also to affirm his "belief in the Bible as the word of God." Thus every department of instruction is secured from all danger from infidel teachings. In view of these facts, your Committee gladly commend the Blackburn university to the Presbyterian Church, and recommend that it be recognized and reported as one of the institutions in connection with the General Assembly. Adopted.-1872, p. 65. 7. Limitations of the Time within which the Assembly may exercise its Veto in the Election of a Professor. That the Assembly declare that the true meaning of the act subjecting the election of a professor to the veto of the Assembly is that such election be reported to the next General Assembly thereafter; and if not vetoed by that Assembly, the election shall be regarded as complete, according to the plan ratified by the Assembly of 1870; see Minutes, pp. 64, 65, 148.-1871, p. 581. IV. Because it is highly reproachful to religion and dangerous to the Church to entrust the holy ministry to weak and ignorant men, the Presbytery shall try each candidate as to his knowledge of the Latin language and the original languages in which the holy Scriptures were written. They shall also examine him on the arts and sciences, on theology, natural and revealed, and on ecclesiastical history, the sacraments and church government. And in order to make trial of his talents to explain and vindicate, and practically to enforce the doctrines of the gospel, the Presbytery shall require of him— 1. A Latin exegesis on some common head in divinity. 2. A critical exercise, in which the candidate shall give a specimen of his taste and judgment in sacred criticism, presenting an explication of the original text, stating its connection, illustrating its force and beauties, removing its difficulties and solving any important questions which it may present. 3. A lecture or exposition of several verses of Scripture; and, 4. A popular sermon. [On the waiving a liberal education in certain cases, see above, III., 3, a, b.] V. These, or other similar exercises, at the discretion of the Presbytery, shall be exhibited until they shall have obtained satisfaction as to the candidate's piety, literature and aptness to teach in the churches. The lecture and popular sermon, if the Presbytery think proper, may be delivered in the presence of a congregation. That the Presbyteries be required to see that the candidates for licensure be well versed in the Catechisms and well furnished with Scripture proof texts. Adopted.-1868, p. 654, O. S. VI. That the most effectual measures may be taken to guard against the admission of insufficient men into the sacred office, it is recommended that no candidate, except in extraordinary cases, be licensed unless, after his having completed the usual course of academical studies, he shall have studied divinity at least two years under some approved divine or professor of theology. 1. Effort to Extend the Time of Study to Three Years. a. On motion, Resolved, That it be recommended to the several Presbyteries of this Church to consider whether it would be proper to extend the time necessary for young men to apply to the study of divinity before they be taken on trials to three years at least, and to send up a report of their opinion to the next General Assembly.-1792, p. 60. [No action of Presbyteries is reported.] Rule of a Lower Judicature Unconstitutional. b. The records (of the Synod of New York and New Jersey) were approved, except a vote of that Synod by which they determine it to be constitutional for that Synod to enact, "That, in future, candidates who have the gospel ministry in view be required to attend to the study of divinity at least three years before licensure," which vote was determined by the Assembly to be unconstitutional.-1792, p. 59. c. Overture Sent Down, but not Adopted. Overture No. 6 was taken up, viz.: Requests from several Presbyteries that the sixth section of chapter xiv. of our Form of Government might |