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The Church had now assumed a form, and possessed that magnitude and character which in his
estimation entitled her to receive all due respect, as
a body fully capable of self-government, and no
longer subject to a foreign jurisdiction; but the
Church in Holland, although it had advised and
approved of the erection of independent judicatories here, did not readily recognise, it seems, the
present system of organization, or exhibited some
little unwillingness to yield altogether the right of
dictation and control; at least, it was suspected
that such a feeling existed, and he thus expresses
himself in the letter, just referred to, upon the circumstance that led to the surmise. "The letter
accompanying the acts of Synod, I have not opened, but have only taken notice of the address in
which I find they implicitly deny our being a Synod, by giving us the same title we had before our
present organization; and this is one thing I wish
to know your sentiments upon; whether it would
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gentlemen who will appear before the Synod to be examined" — it is
supposed that this first class was examined by that body, probably
with a view, in part, that the Church at large, thus assembled,
might see what proficiency they had made, under the professor's
instruction.
For a long time, such examinations have been conducted by the
several classes in the presence of Deputati Synodi.
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not be proper for us by some article in our minutes,
or by some clause in our letter, to express our sensibility upon their silence respecting our present
judicatories; for, if we correspond, it ought to be
continued upon the footing of mutual respect, or it
may, in its consequences, soon be productive of
some disagreeable events. Perhaps we have been
too remiss in not taking notice of this before, or it
is possible that silence may be the most prudent
and eligible. I have not yet made up my own
mind upon the subject, but will cheerfully refer
myself to your judgment: I wish you would think
upon it." — There can be no doubt that the Synod
took a proper notice of this apparently designed
and reprehensible slight, as the future correspondence of the mother Church was, to the best of the
writer's knowledge, perfectly respectful; but whether they did, or did not, it is plain that the Doctor
himself was scrupulously jealous of the independence and dignity of the Church in the matter; and
as in this, so in every other which tended in the
smallest degree to the injury of either, directly or
indirectly, he evinced through life, a like sensibility.
When the Synod met, a committee was appointed, of which it would appear he was chairman, to
make and publish a selection of Psalms, for the use
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