tend to burden the consciences
of brethren in any synod, and that all synods were equally bound to
direct their practise and fulfil their duties according to their honest
and conscientious conviction of the true and real sense of God's Word
and the Confessions. Thus the Tennessee Synod, untrue to her noble
traditions, finally did waive her demand for a correct Lutheran position
on the part of the United Synod with reference to the four points.
Tennessee closed her eyes to the fact that she remained responsible not
only for what was done conjointly with the other synods in the United
Synod, but also for the practise of these synods as such. Unionism, once
again, had gained the victory. And now, after decades of fraternal
intercourse with the General Synod, the Tennessee Synod is organically
united with the synods in opposition to which she organized in 1820.

152. Holston Synod.--The Ev. Luth. Holston Synod was organized January
2, 1861, by 11 ministers and 16 congregations (with a communicant
membership of 1,000) residing in East Tennessee and neighboring counties
of Virginia, after having received their honorable dismission for this
purpose from the Tennessee Synod, which by this action was left without
a single congregation or minister in the State whose name she bears. The
step was taken not because of any dissatisfaction with the doctrinal
position of the Tennessee Synod, but on account of the inconvenience and
expensiveness of attending her conventions. However, the peculiar
attitude of the Tennessee Synod toward theological seminaries,
incorporation, synodical treasuries, etc., contributed to the
separation. (_Holston Minutes_, 1861 ff.) In his Quartocentennial
Address, 1886, Dr. A.J. Brown, for more than twenty-five years president
of the Holston Synod, stated: "There was at the time of her formation,
and had been for some time prior to this, considerable dissatisfaction
with the constitution of the Tennessee Synod, and strong efforts were
being made to have it amended. It was contended by the advocates of
reform that that instrument contained features and prohibitions which
cramped and crippled the energies of the Church in the prosecution of
her sublime mission, and that it no longer reflected the views of the
whole Synod." The Holston Synod, then, did not model her polity after
that of the mother synod. (_Minutes_, 1886.) But, while this was
undoubtedly a progress in the right direction, the strict Lutheranism