appears to be best adapted to secure that individual end, which all have equally in view, by whomsoever proposed or advocated.

Your Committee are free to declare, that the Missionary Society of the Reformed Dutch Church has been of essential service to the church. Their annual reports are sufficient confirmation of this. The difficulty appears to be, that this society is not so entirely under the control of General Synod as could be wished. We find that collision between it and ecclesiastical bodies has occurred, which, under its present organization, cannot easily be prevented. Why should not the missionary operations of our church be under the control of General Synod, and the persons conducting them accountable to the Synod for all their proceedings? If it be objected that such a body as is contemplated, has formerly existed in our church, and was characterized by comparative inertness and inefficiency, it may be asserted that the spirit of the age, and the appointment of a General Agent, possessed of the requisite qualifications, and conducting an energetic and systematic plan of operations, may perhaps have the effect to produce different results. We believe that such a system would be distinguished for simplicity, unity, harmony, power, and effect; a piece of moral machinery, which having all its parts properly arranged, in connexion with each other, without any interference of the one with the other, would move forward with a momentum which nothing could resist.

From the communication of the Northern Board of Agency, we learn the discontinuance of the General Agent by the Missionary Board. That the appointment and continuance of a General Agent is absolutely necessary to the success of our missionary operations, cannot for a moment be questioned, while so many facts are at hand to substantiate it. Pastors of churches, if they are faithful and conscientious, have an abundance of employ at home, without seeking it abroad. There must be a division of labor, and a concentration of effort, before the limited powers of man can operate to much advantage. There must be some individual whose business it is to attend to this one thing. Success has always attended such an arrangement, where a proper choice has been made; the reverse has always been the case when it has been neglected.

Your Committee are not apprised of the reasons which led to the dismission of the late General Agent, and therefore express no opi

nion respecting the act; but take the liberty to question, whether a more suitable agent could be found, than the one whose report is embodied in the report of the Missionary Board. He has proved himself a fast friend of the church, active, laborious, indefatigable, and, we may add, successful, if you consider the space of time occupied by his work, and its remote and indirect, as well as its direct and immediate consequences. We intend no eulogy; we merely state facts: credit to whom credit is due.

tee.

The resolution of the Classis of Long Island, and the memorial of the Consistory of the Church at New Utrecht, relating to what is considered by them an improper and injurious interference of the Board of the Missionary Society, has called for the attention of your CommitWithout entering at all into the merits of the case, or impugning the motives of any persons concerned in this transaction, we would merely express our regret at the occurrence; and we would say, that every ecclesiastical body ought to have its peculiar and disLinct sphere of operation, and that no missionary board anywhere, of any description, can have a right to interfere with the classical or consistorial jurisdiction.

In connexion with the sentiments expressed above, and as derived from them, your Committee would suggest the adoption of the following resolutions :—

1. Resolved, That the report of the Missionary Board be printed by them, and circulated through the churches.

2. Resolved, That the following persons, S. Van Rensselaer, Rev. J. Knox, D. D., Rev. J. Brodhead, D. D., Rev. W. C. Brownlee, D. D. Rev. W. McMurray, D. D., Richard Duryee, Abraham Van Nest, Rev. T. De Witt, D. D., Lawrence V. De Foreest, Rev. I. Van Hook, Theophilus Anthony, Rev. E. Baldwin, Rev. N. I. Marselus, Rev. G. Dubois, Rev. J. B. Hardenbergh, Cornelius Heyer, J. Bogart, Jun., J. W. Hinton, W. Mandeville, J. Forrester, W. Poe, S. Delamater, Elbert A. Brinckerhoff, T. G. Talmage, J. I. Labagh, J. Adriance, W. Swan, W. G. Jones, G. Wilson, J. Limberger, L. W. Kip, E. Warner, J. V. Varick, I. Young, W. Keily, T. A. Waldron, Valentine Vandewater, John Nexsen, I. V. H Lawrence, B. L. Kip, and Samuel Ward, comprising the Board of Managers, of the Missionary Society of the Reformed Dutch Church, be continued as the

Committee of Missions of the General Synod, for the present year in the Particular Synod of New-York; and that at the next ordinary session of the General Synod, the number constituting the said Committee of Missions, shall be reduced to fifteen, to be then and thereafter elected annually by the General Synod.

3. Resolved, That the General Synod recommend to the Missionary Society, to alter its present constitution in conformity to the above resolution.

4. Resolved, That a second Board of Missions, with like powers, be forthwith constituted by the General Synod in the bounds of the Particular Synod of Albany, except the Classis of Ulster, which shall be attached to the first named Board of Missions, to consist of fifteen, to be annually appointed by the General Synod, and that the following persons constitute the said Board for the present year, viz. :-Rev. I. Ferris, J. Ludlow, D. D., R. Bronk, I. N. Wyckoff, J. H. Van Wagenen, John McKelvey, and Messrs. S. Van Rensselaer, S. Van Rensselaer, Jr., John R. Bleecker, J. I. Ostrander, R. V. De Witt, W. C. Miller, Gerrit Gates, A. J. Lansing, and George Young.

5. Resolved, That the Rev. J. F. Schermerhorn be and is hereby appointed the General Agent of the Church, at a salary of $1300 per annum, including necessary travelling expenses, &c. to prosecute the plan for raising funds in behalf of the Missionary Society, the Education Society, and the Theological School, which has received the approbation of the Particular Synods of New-York and Albany, and which this Synod cordially recommends to the churches under their care.

6. Resolved, That the respective Boards of Missions raise the salary, by obtaining private subscriptions, independent of the funds for the foregoing benevolent objects, to be apportioned, one third to the Board of Missions of the Particular Synod of Albany, and two thirds to that of the Particular Synod of New York.

7. Resolved, That it be optional with the churches under the care of this Synod, to transmit their funds to either of the respective Treasurers of these Boards, as they may deem proper or may be convenient.

8. Resolved, That this Synod cannot approve of any interference of their Missionary Boards with their ecclesiastical judicatories, and

that the respective Boards of Missions be enjoined to refrain from any such interference.

GABRIEL LUDLOW, Chairman.

The ayes and nays on the 5th resolution of the above report (ex clusive of the amount of salary) being demanded, were taken, and are as follows :

Ayes.—M Murray, Mathews, Brinkerhoff, Keese, Romeyn, Cornell, Boice, Zabriskie, Rouse, Freeke, G, Ludlow, Halsey, Van Liew, J. Wyckoff, Kershow, Whitehead, Searle, Ferris, J. Ludlow, Lansing, I. N. Wyckoff, Morris, Sickles, Heermance, Van Beuren, Ostrander, Westfall, Alliger, Fonda, Labagh, Stevenson, Chittenden, Glen, Garretson, Van Wagenen, Borst, Settle, M'Kelvey, Slingerland, Van Santvoord, Vischer, Van Doren, Paulison, Eltinge-45.

Noes. Baldwin, Van Pelt, Van Nest, Mildeberger, Warner, J. B. Hardenbergh, Belcher, J. R. Hardenbergh, Abeel, Traphagen, Schoonmaker, Otterson, Anderson, Voorhees, Horton, Schuneman, Snyder, Ketcham, Raymond, Hager, Brodhead.-21.

The ayes and nays on that part of the 5th resolution that relates to the salary of the General Agent being demanded, they were taken, and are as follows:

Ayes.-Brodhead, McMurray, Mathews, Brinkerhoff, Keese, Boice, Zabriskie, Rouse, Freeke, G. Ludlow, Halsey, Van Liew, Kershow, Whitehead, Searle, Ferris, J. Ludlow, Lansing, I. N. Wyckoff, Morris, Fonda, Stevenson, Chittenden, Glen, Garretson, Van Wagenen, Borst, Settle, M'Kelvey, Slingerland, Van Santvoord, Van Doren, Vischer, Labagh.—34

Noes. Baldwin, Van Pelt, Van Nest, Mildeberger, J. B. Hardenbergh, Belcher, J. R. Hardenbergh, Abeel, Traphagen, Schoonmaker, Otterson, Anderson, Voorhees, Horton, Sickles, Schuneman, Van Beuren, Ostrander, Westfall, Snyder, Alliger, Ketcham, Raymond, Hager.-24.

Whereas, an impression has gone abroad, that individuals in the congregation of New Utrecht are under trial before Synod, in consequence of representations made to Synod by the Consistory of that

Church; and whereas, such an impression is calculated to operate injuriously, and to alienate the affections of those individuals from the church, therefore,

Resolved, That there is no foundation for such an impression, nor any ground for their dissatisfaction with the Consistory of New Utrecht.

Whereas, in the minute made by the Board of Managers of the Missionary Society, in the matter of a representation from individuals in the congregation of New Utrecht, there are expressions involving the standing of the Pastor with his people, which this Synod highly disapprove therefore,

Resolved, That it be and is hereby recommended to the said Board, to erase from their minutes, all those expressions in which such mention is made of the Pastor of said church.

ARTICLE XIX.

Widows' Fund.

Resolved, That the Committee on the Widows' Fund be discharged.

ARTICLE XX.

Particularia.

The communication, containing the bequest of the Rev. Elias Van Benschoten, was read.

Resolved, That Rev. J. Brodhead, D. D., J. H. Van Wagenen, J. M. Mathews, D. D., and the Elders A. Vanderveer* and J D. Keese, be a Committee to report to Synod on the expediency of adopting such an additional number of Hymns, as the wants of our church may require,

* The Elder Peter D. Vroom, Jun. was substituted in the place of A Vanderveer, after the latter had obtained leave of absence.