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By the Order and Authority of the General Assembly.

BY

WILLIAM E. MOORE, D.D.

1873.

PHILADELPHIA:

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION,

No. 1334 CHESTNUT STREET.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by

THE TRUSTEES OF THE

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

WESTCOTT & THOMSON, Stereotypers and Electrotypers, Philada.

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Tappan Prest. Asser, 1-13-1933

INTRODUCTION.

THE want of a Digest of the acts of the Supreme Judicatory of the Presbyterian Church was early felt. In 1818 the following overture was adopted by the Assembly, viz.:

"Resolved, That Drs. Janeway, Neill and Ely be appointed a Committee, and they are hereby appointed, to extract from the records of the General Assembly, and of the late Synods of New York and Philadelphia, all such matters as may appear to be of permanent authority and interest (including a short account of the manner in which missions have been conducted, and their success), that the same may be published for the information of ministers and their people in our churches; and that they report the same to the next Assembly."-1818, p. 673.

The Committee reported to the next Assembly, and were authorized to complete the work on the plan reported, and to publish it at the expense of the trustees of the Assembly.-1819, p. 713.

The Digest thus authorized was published in 1820.-1820, p. 727. In 1836, upon an overture on the subject of a new Digest, the Assembly"1. Resolved, That in the judgment of this Assembly it is expedient that a new Digest of the acts and proceedings of the highest judicatory of our Church be prepared and placed within the reach of all our ministers and elders.

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"2. Resolved, That Dr. John McDowell, Mr. Winchester and Mr. Duffield be a Committee to prepare such a Digest, and report the same to the Assembly as soon as practicable, provided the expense of its publication be not defrayed out of the funds of the Assembly."—1836, p. 262.

Nothing, however, resulted from this appointment. Further action looking to the preparation of a Digest was taken by the respective Assemblies N. S., 1838, p. 661; 1849, p. 189; O. S., 1841, p. 447; 1848, p. 45. See more fully New Digest, Introduction, pp. 7-10, and Baird., Rev. Ed., Preface, pp. 5-8. In 1850 the Board of Publication issued a Digest prepared by the Rev. Richard Webster. In 1856 the Board issued the Digest prepared by the Rev. Samuel J. Baird. In reference to this work the Assembly

Resolved, That the thanks of this General Assembly are due to the Rev. Samuel J. Baird for the labor incurred by him in the preparation of the "Assembly's Digest," recently published by the Board of Publication. Resolved, That the Digest is earnestly commended to the attention and

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