them lor a minister, but at that time none could he sent. The application was renewed in 1750, but I lit- first
minister sent to this country by the Secession Church of Scotland, the Rev. Alexander Gelatly, did not arrive until 1753. In 17."p:; a presbytery was organized under the name of "The Associate Presbytery of Pennsylva- nia, subordinate to the Associate Svnod of Scotland."
While heartily accepting the Westminster standards as their symbolical hooks, this Presbytery gave prominence to the distinctive doctrines of the Marrow dii > M iruow i'»\ rROVERSY. Its members held tie Gospel offer to be a free grant and promise of Christ and his salvation to sinners of mankind as such — all having a common interest in him — faith to he a person's real persuasion that Jesus Christ is his -that he shall have life and salvation by Christ, and that whatever Christ did for the redemption of mankind he did for him. Stress.was also laid on the doctrine of the binding obli- gation of the Scottish covenants National and Solt mil League. While the origin and doctrinal vicw> of the Associate Presbytery restricted its sphere of labor, in- side of that sphere it grew rapidly, congregations being formed in New York. Virginia, and the Carolinas. In 177C a second presbytery, that of New York, was formed — like that of Penns\ lvania,in subordination to the Scot- tish Synod. In 1764 the Rev. Thomas Clark, minister of Bally bay in Ireland, belonging to tie' Burgher Synod of Scotland, with the greater pari of lii~ congregation, emigrated to this country, and settled in Salem. Wash- ington County, N. Y. Two other ministers of the same communion followed them two years after, though one of them subsequently returned to Scotland. Tin- l.ur- gher ministers, not being disposed to keep up a separate organization on this side of the Atlantic, united with their brethren; hut the union was disturbed by the re- fusal of the Scottish synod to approve of it. The rev- olution of 177ii was chiefly instrumental in bringing about the existence of the Associate Reformed < Jhurch.
During the progress of (he war several conventions were held between the members of the Associate and the Reformed presbyteries with a view to union. Their three presbyteries met in Philadelphia in October. 1782, and formed themselves into a synod, under the name of "The Associate Reformed Synod of North America,'' on a basis consisting of the following articles :
"1. That Jesus Christ died for the elect.
"2. That there is an appropriation in the nature of faith.
"3. That the Gospel is addressed indiscriminately to sinners of mankind.
"4. That the righteousness of Christ is the alone con- dition of the covenant of grace.
"5. That civil government originates with God the Cre- ator, and not with Christ the Mediator.
"6. The administration of the kingdom of Providence is given into the hand of Jesus Chris! the Mediator: and magistracy, the ordinance appointed by the mor.d Gover- nor of the world to be the prop of civil order among men, as well as other tilings, is rendered subservient by the Me- diator to the welfare of his spiritual kingdom, the Church, and has sanctified the use or it and of e\ ei v common ben- efit, through the -race of the Lord .ir-n- Christ.
"7. That the law of nature and the moral lawrevea'ed in the Scriptures nre substantially the same, nlthongh the latter expresses the will of God more evidently and clearly than the former, and therefore magistrates among chris- tians ought to he regnlnted by the general directory of the Word :is to the execution of their office.
"8. That the qualifications of jnstice, veracity, etc, re- quired in the law of nature Cor the being of a magistrate, ai e also more explicitly revealed as necessary in the Holy Scriptures. But a religions test, any farther 'than an oath of fidelity, can never be essentially necessary for the be- ing of a magistrate, except when the people make i: a condition of government.
"9. That both parties, when nnited, shall adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Catechisms, the di- rectory for worship, and propositions concerning.' Church government
•'in. That iliey shall claim the full exercise of Church discipline without depending upon roreign judicatories."
< >n this basis all the members of the Reformed presby- tery, and all the Associate ministers with the excep- tion of two members of the presbytery of Pennsylvania, united. A small minority of the | pie in the two com- munions iNo declined to enter into it ; and in these mi- norities have l n preserved the Covenanter or Reformed
Presbyterian denomination, on tin- one baud, and the Associate, on the other. (See No. 12 above.) From 1782, the period of the formation of the \sso, T . 1 1 . Reformed Church, the Associate Chinch v. a- gradually increased
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES 541 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES
by ministers sent out from Scotland, and also by the re- turn of a considerable part of those who had previously joined the union. In 1784 this Church put forth a Tes- timony intended to supplement the Westminster Con- fession, and containing special articles in favor of close communion, public covenanting, the exclusive use of the Psalms in praise, and against private oaths, that is, secret societies. The first institution for the purpose of educating students in theology by this body was es- tablished in 1793, under the care of the Rev. John An- derson, D.D., of Beaver County, Pa. The Presbytery of Pennsylvania, being unable to meet the applications for preaching which were made from Kentucky and Tennessee, directed the applicants to apply directly to the Synod of Scotland for missionaries. They did so; and Messrs. Armstrong and Andrew Fulton arrived in Kentucky in the spring of 17'J8, and in November formed the Presbytery of Kentucky. This accession of strength enabled these presbyteries to form them- selves into a synod; and accordingly the synod, or court of review, designated as " The Associate Synod of North America" was constituted at Philadelphia in May, 1801. The synod consisted of seventeen ministers, who were divided into the presbyteries of Philadelphia, of Chartiers, of Kentucky, and of" Cambridge. Until the year 1818 appeals might be taken from the synod to that of Scotland ; but at that time it was declared a co- ordinate synod by the General Associate Synod of Scot- land. Between the years 1838 and 1840 serious ecclesi- astical difficulties arose, and several ministers were de- posed or suspended. These, with a number of ministers and congregations in sympathy with them, at once or- ganized separately, having several presbyteries, who constituted a synod and claimed to be the true Associate Synod. This painful division was afterwards adjusted, and a reunion was effected in 1854. To the Associate Church belongs the distinction of being one of the ear- liest churches on the American continent to take up a decided position on the subject of slavery. As early as the year 1800 the Presbytery of Pennsylvania issued a warning on the subject to the members of its churches, declaring slaveholding to be a moral evil and unjustifi- able. 'Ibis declaration was repeated in 1811, while in 1831 the synod judicially excluded slaveholders from its communion — an action which cost it all its congrega- tions in the Southern States. The loss thus sustained was made up by the formation of new congregations and new presbyteries in Indiana, Illinois, and the far West. In 1858, previous to the union with the Associate He- formed Church, the Associate Synod comprised 21 pres- byteries, 231 ministers and licentiates, 293 congrega- tions, and 23,505 communicants.