Presbyterians : a popular narrative of their origin, progress, doctrines, and achievements . wo orthree missionaries ; but when there came to be twentyor thirty missionaries, it was impossible for the As-sembly in open session to hear the reports of last yearsmissionaries, select men for the coming year and mapout the routes which they were the next year to takein their work. At first, therefore, the missionary busi-ness was referred to a committee, to be transacted dur-ing the sessions of the Assembly. When that becameimpossible it was decided, in 1802, to choose a com-mittee annually, to be
Presbyterians : a popular narrative of their origin, progress, doctrines, and achievements . wo orthree missionaries ; but when there came to be twentyor thirty missionaries, it was impossible for the As-sembly in open session to hear the reports of last yearsmissionaries, select men for the coming year and mapout the routes which they were the next year to takein their work. At first, therefore, the missionary busi-ness was referred to a committee, to be transacted dur-ing the sessions of the Assembly. When that becameimpossible it was decided, in 1802, to choose a com-mittee annually, to be denominated the StandingCommittee of Missions. This committee consisted ofseven persons (four ministers and three elders), andtheir duty was to push this missionary work in the in-tervals of the Assemblies. In 1S05 this committee wasenlarged to seventeen members, and it was made itsduty to superintend the whole mission field of the As-sembly. In 1816 this Standing Committee of Mis-sions was changed to the Board of Missions, andauthorized to act with a large measure of 154 PRESBYTERIANS. The Synod of the Carolinas and the Synod of Vir-ginia from the outset managed the missionary businesswithin their own bounds. The difficulty the commis-sioners of their Presbyteries found in traveling to theGeneral Assembly, at Philadelphia, prevented theseSynods from being fully represented. They knew theirown work in their territory best, and while their re-sources were limited, and their missionaries not numer-ous, they did their utmost. But even without countingthe missionaries of these two Synods, the growth of themissions of the Assembly was very rapid. The Assem-bly sought to supply the lack of men within these Synods,and the Presbyteries were repeatedly authorized to em-ploy laborers at the Assemblys expense. In 1803 theAssembly appointed only five missionaries, in additionto what was done by the Presbyteries and Synods inde-pendently of the Assembly. The next time,
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