OF THE 8257 Cumberland Presbyterian Church. By B. W. McDONNOLD, D.D., LL.D. There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; Let us watch awhile the sowers, Let us mark the tiny grain, Scattered oft in doubt and trembling, Sown in weakness or in pain, -F. R. H. NASHVILLE, TENN.: ANDOVER-HARVARD THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1888, by the BOARD OF PUBLICATION OF THE CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 943 Pus1744 7/253c 711136 PREFACE. At the suggestion of Dr. D. M. Harris, the Board of Publication of the Cumberland Presbyterian church contracted with the writer for the preparation of this history. The size of the book was limited by the board before a line of it was written. It was also understood between us that only the minimum of time consistent with thoroughness was to be allowed. Casting the horoscope of the book under these limitations, there were found just three things to choose between. The first was to end the volume where my own life became a humble factor in our history, and where interested feelings might prevent clear-sightedness. The second was to condense our whole history, giving each event and actor a place. The third was to make such selections from the whole field as would furnish a volume of good reading for our people, and illustrate our life and progress. The first method was not acceptable to my counselors, either in the board or out of it. The second method would have produced a book which nobody would read. The third method involved the inevitable complaints of all those who might be omitted, besides opening other doors of complaints not found in the first method. After many consultations the third method, with all its inevitable complaints and inevitable omissions of good men who deserve mention, was deliberately adopted, and the work of gathering material from the whole field, and studying every particle of this material so as to be able to make the best selections, was undertaken. I had gone but a little way in this work before I discovered the utter impossibility of accomplishing it without more time than was at first proposed. More was granted, but with the pressing demand that it be made as brief as thoroughness permitted. My only fears on that point are that it will be found by experts that I made that time far too brief. Under the same limitations the plan was formed about the different States. It was to give the origin of the church in each State, with as much fullness of detail as could well be secured, extending the record only to the organization of the first presbytery, closing that chapter with a rapid summary view of the present condition of our church in that part of the field. There were certain subjects belonging to all periods to which special chapters were reserved, to be placed at the last of the book; and if they brought out any thing further from the work of our people in any particular State, at any later period, all well; and if not, there would be no further notice taken of that portion of the church. The question of brief biographical sketches was also carefully weighed, and finally decided in the negative. To this decision an exception was made in the case of those generally called the fathers of the church. If a biography formed part of the very thread of the history which I was writing, just so far was it also made a part of this volume. There were placed in my hands some very interesting biographies which contained no single item that could be used according to my established programme of operations. It was not so much to show how our church originated as to show what it has done since it originated that this |