the new society, would be fully maintained the principles of the Associate Church, he at first acceded to the union. He continued, while he had any hopes of seeing the principles which he professed asserted and maintained, but when he lost hopes of this, he returned to the Associate Presbytery, acknowledged his sin in acceding to the union, professed his sorrow for it, and was received again into fellowship. Mr. Henderson was then an aged and infirm man. He was the first minister of the Associate Church, who was settled west of the Alleghany Mountains. In vindicating Mr. Henderson from an attack made upon him by Mr. Annan in his "Ruling Elder," Mr. Marshall bears testimony to his services. "It might have been expected," says he, "that Mr. Henderson's gray hairs in the service of Christ, his usefulness in the ministry, and his weakly and infirm state health, would have gained better treatment than Mr. Annan has given him."*

Mr. Henderson was settled over the Associate congregation of Chartiers, near Canonsburgh, in Pennsylvania. He came to his death in the following manner:-Some of his family having found a bee tree on the farm, and as is usual in such cases, were engaged in cutting it down; it was in the night, and Mr. Henderson coming within the reach of the tree, at the instant it was falling, was killed by it. He left a numerous family. One of his sons, who was admitted to the ministry during the time his father was in connection with the Associate Reformed Synod, remained in the same connection; another son, (Ebenezer) was minister in the Associate Church, and settled first as pastor of the united congregations of Pittsburgh and Peter's Creek, and was afterwards transferred to Philadelphia. Mr. Henderson left other sons and daughters, all of whom that now survive, are respectable members of the Associate Church.

Dr. Clark, who, as has been already noticed, removed from the State of New-York before the union was closed, or the Associate Reformed Synod constituted, acceded to the union, but it is not known whether he ever attended the judicatories of that church or not; but I have been informed by several members of Dr. Clark's congregation at Long Cane, S. C., and particularly by Mr. James Thompson, who was an elder in that congregation during the whole time Dr. Clark was pastor of it, that it never was generally known in the congregation, until after Mr. Clark's decease, that the Associate Reformed Church had in any respect departed from the

*Marshall's Vindication, page 89.

standards of the Associate Church. The belief that prevailed there was, that the Reformed Presbytery had acceded to, and adopted all the standards of that church. He died in his study, sitting on his chair, Dec. 25, 1793.

Mr. Miller, the elder, from Octorara, who voted for the union, also returned and submitted himself to the Associate Presbytery.*

Thus, with the exception of Mr. Proudfit, and perhaps we might say Mr. Murray, no other member of the Presbytery of Pennsylvania, continued to approve of the union or remain in it. And it was not till most of the original members that closed the union, on both sides, had either left it or were dead, and new members arisen, that they could agree about a full public statement of their principles. In 1783 they published a very brief sketch of a Constitution, which they altered and amended in 1790; but it was not until 1799, at Green Castle, that their present Constitution and standards were agreed

upon.

I shall close this chapter with the following quotation from Mr. McCulloch's Life of Mr. Marshall. Mr. McCulloch lived through these times, and had himself seen and heard the scenes which he described.

"It may further be observed respecting the union, that it was not a healing of divisions in the church but an increasing of them; for the Associate and Reformed Churches still exist in America; and a new denomination is sprung up, formerly unknown. This was foretold by Mr. Marshall. In a conversation with Mr. Mason of New-York, he said: Suppose all the ministers were to join in this union, a number of the people of both sides would not. They will get ministers for themselves; and so there will be a new division in the church.'

"The evening after this breach took place in the Associate Presbytery, Mr. Marshall, in a conversation with Mr. John Smith, said, that it would be advisable, if neither party should inflict any censures on the other; which would leave the way clear for a re-union, if it should be found that those who formed the union were still maintaining their former principles."+

* Marshall's Life,

page 21.

+ Ibid. pages 21, 22.

CHAPTER IV.

Proposal for re-union-Mr. Annan's Ruling Elder-Low state of the PresbyteryApplication to the Synod in Scotland for more help-Arrival of Mr. Anderson -Of Mr. Beveridge-Narrative and Testimony-Unanimity of the MembersRevival of the Secession cause in the State of New-York-Return of Mr. Henderson-Extension of the Presbytery-The Secession cause spreads in western Pennsylvania-In Vermont-In Kentucky-In Tennessee-In the Carolinas and Virginia-The appointment of a Professor--The first student licensed--Public Covenanting in New-York-Act on Covenanting--On occasional communion-The Synod constituted--Reflections.

In our last chapter we gave a detailed account of the union, from which sprung the Associate Reformed Synod. It is not our intention, here, to trace further the history of that body; though we may have occasion to refer to some of its proceedings. The following note from the last edition of the Declaration and Testimony, shows that the Associate Synod consider all the reasons which ever existed for not concurring in that union, as not in the least removed by the subsequent history of their Associate Reformed Brethren.

"Nearly fifty years have now elapsed since the organization of the Associate Reformed Church; and the correctness of the above remarks on her Constitution, has been clearly exhibited. For some time she continued to observe the usages of the Associate Church, from which she separated. But becoming numerous and popular, some of her ministers began to manifest symptoms of dissatisfaction with many of these usages, acted contrary to them, wrote against them, and attempted their abolition. The observance of fast, and preaching days, in connection with the administration of the Lord's Supper, close communion, and the exclusive use of the Scripture Psalms, seem to have been greatly obnoxious to her leading men. Many imbibed the sentiments and imitated the practices of these innovations, while others tenaciously adhered to the old way. This diversity of sentiment agitated for years her ecclesiastical assemblies, extended also to her congregations and produced in both much discussion. This excitement was increased by permission to introduce the Dutch Psalms, and by repeated attempts to form a union with the Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed Churches. Almost every year, some new project was brought forward and discussed,

till at last instead of uniting with other societies, and diminishing the number of seperate contending denominations, she was herself broken into fragments. One fragment was formed into the Associate Reformed Synod of the South, another into the Associate Reformed Synod of the West; and a third into the Associate Reformed Synod of the North. The latter formed the main body of the church, and was in possession of her funds and property. These by a late union, formed by a majority of her delegates, representing, however, a minority of the church, have been transferred to the General Assembly. Thus has the history of the Associate Reformed church, been marked with unsteadfastness and declension. She has still no testimony against prevailing evils. The principles of the Secession, abandoned in the original act of union, have never yet been recognized; and it is a lamentable fact, that, some of her ministers make use of human composition instead of scripture Psalmody—invite all in good standing in other societies, to a seat at the Lord's table, and accept of the same invitation from others. They exchange ministerial services with ministers in other societies-assisting and receiving assistance, in dispensing sealing ordinances, and in the ordination of ministers; and are still tolerated in so doing. If we had good reason for not joining in the union which produced this church; the course pursued by her for nearly half a century, renders still stronger our obligations to remain seperate from her."*

It may be proper to mention, before dismissing the subject of the union, that in 1785 a letter was received by the Presbytery of Pennsylvania, from a committee of the Associate Reformed Synod, proposing tɔ take measures towards forming a union between the bodies as they then existed. This proposal was made, at a time, when several of the ministers of the Synod, and particularly Mr. Robert Annan, was aiding those who were endeavoring to deprive Mr. Marshall of his meeting-house. The plan suggested did not, in the judgment of the Presbytery, hold out a prospect of much good. The Presbytery, however, returned an answer according to their views of the letter, and with that the correspondence dropped.†

Mr. Annan's pamphlet, entitled "The Ruling Elder," soon appeared, which gave so distorted an account of the union and false coloring to the whole transaction, as removed still farther any prospect of a union between the parties. The affair of the Spruce-street Meeting-house, in Philadelphia, and

the course pursued by Mr. Annan, in relation to it, also tended not a little to widen the breach, and alienate fraternal feelings.

By the union, the cause of the Associate Church in this country seemed to be brought low indeed. Only two ministers were left-congregations were much divided and distracted, a violent and untiring opposition from those who had abandoned that cause was kept up against it. And it did not at first appear how far the people would be carried away by the defection.

The Presbytery sent, as soon as practicable, an account of their proceedings and situation to the Synod in Scotland, and also a petition for more help. The Synod unanimously and fully approving of the course pursued by Messrs. Marshall and Clarkson, as appears from their act, as given above in Chapter Third, resolved to send them help without delay. The late Dr. Anderson, who was at that time a licentiate, but on account of the difficulty with which he was heard, had ceased to take appointments to preach, was first sent over. He arrived in the autumn of 1783, and Mr. Beveridge, then assisting Mr. Gib in Edinburgh, was immediately put on trial for ordination, with the view of being sent also to America. He was ordained on the 23d of September, 1783, and arrived in this country early in the spring of 1784. This was nearly two years after the union; and so discouraging did the outward prospects of the Presbytery appear even then, that Mr. Marshall, in a letter written near that time, expressed fears about finding places sufficient to employ and support the two. His fears were, however, soon happily dispelled.

The subordinate standards of the Associate Church had not as yet been republished in America. The members who came from Great Britain and Ireland, generally, had brought with them their Confessions of Faith, and the Judicial Testimony of the Associate Presbytery, afterwards the Associate Synod of Scotland. But these books, and particularly the later, were not easily to be obtained here. And many were now attending on the ministry of the members of Presbytery, who had not had the opportunity of previous acquaintance with the peculiar standards of the Associate Church; and young persons were growing up, who needed to be more particularÎy instructed in their professed principles. Besides, in this country, errors both in practice and doctrine were prevailing, which were unknown in Scotland, when the Judicial Testimony was enacted. On these accounts, not merely a new edition of the Testimony, but a new statement of the