decision Mr. Rodger protested, but would not appeal. His protest was rejected on two grounds, viz:

1. Because it was a protest against the Presbytery's professed principles.

2. Because it contained no appeal to the Associate Synod, to which the Presbytery was subordinate.

The Presbytery held its next meeting at Middle Octorara, in May, 1780, pursuant to their appointment, and the spirit of the Overture of October preceding. The first day of the meeting was accordingly spent in prayer and other religious exercises, and the next day in conferring about Mr. Rodger's sentiments. Mr. R. was heard in defence and explanation of his views. But it now became fully evident that he held principles opposite to the received principles of the Presbytery. Mr. Rodger appears to have been conscientious but not obstinate. He offered to demit his charge and withdraw from communion; and in the mean time to reconsider the points of doctrine in which he differed from his brethren. The Presbytery, however, judged it inconsistent with due faithfulness to dismiss the matter in this manner. The farther consideration of the business was deferred until the next meeting, which took place at Marsh Creek, on the 16th of October of the same year. At this meeting Mr. Rodger did not attend; but petitions were presented from the ministers and sessions of the congregations of Pequa, Brandywine and Philadelphia, praying Presbytery judicially to assert the truth against the attacks made upon it by Mr. Rodger; and also to begin and lead a process against him for maintaining erroneous opinions-This for the glory of God, the honor of truth, and the conviction of Mr. Rodger. Presbytery agreed to the prayer of the petitioners. A libel was accordingly drawn up and ordered to be put into his hands in due from, and he cited to answer to it at the next ordinary meeting of Presbytery, to be holden at Philadelphia, April 4th, 1781. At this meeting the members present were Messrs. James Proudfit, William Marshall, John Smith and James Clarkson, ministers; Daniel Houston, Robert Aitkin and Samuel Harper, ruling elders. The libel against Mr. Rodger for holding and propagating error in doctrine was proven, and he was deposed from the office of the ministry, and excommunicated from the fellowship of the church, with the sentence of the lesser excommunication. And the Presbytery ordered the minister who should first supply in his congregation, to give notice of the sentence against him, and for this purpose a fast day was appointed. At this meeting, also, Mr. Andrew Patton was deposed from the

office of the ministry, and excommunicated with the sentence of the greater excommunication, for immorality in practice. At the same meeting, also, Mr. James Martin was libelled for falling away from his profession. Mr. Martin's case was briefly this: He being of a somewhat peculiar disposition, took offence on account of the appointments given him by Presbytery, apprehending that they were not so favorable as those given to other members, and under the influence of this feeling he joined the Synod of New-York and Philadelphia, now the General Assembly Presbyterian Church. He was without charge. This libel was tried on the 5th of June following, and issued in the suspension of Mr. Martin and the infliction of the lesser excommunication.

Thus was the Presbytery tried on every hand from within and without. It is, however, gratifying to see them aiming at faithfulness, and that amidst all their trials, some were still found faithful to their profession, and through their instrumentality the cause of truth in their hands was still maintained.

Judge Rush, of Pennsylvania, in his address to the jury, in the case of the Spruce-street, Philadelphia, meeting-house, delivered July 8th, 1790, takes the following notice of the above cases.

6

"In the case of the Rev. John Rodger, it appears from their [the Presbytery's] minutes, that he was deposed in the month of April, 1781, for holding erroneous opinions. The following are the terms of the sentence against him: The Presbytery did, and hereby do, depose him from the office of the holy ministry, and prohibit him from the discharging of any part of it, aye, and until he retract his errors, and return to his duty.' This gentleman was settled at Big Spring, and the Presbytery ordered the minister who should first supply there, to give notice to the congregation of the sentence against him. It was also pronounced in a solemn manner in Presbytery, by the Moderator, in verbis de presenti.

"Mr. Andrew Patton was deposed in the same year, in nearly the same terms.

"On the 5th of June, 1781, the Rev. James Martin was suspended in the following terms:

"The Presbytery did, and hereby do, in the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only King and Head of his Church, SUSPEND the said Mr. James Martin from the exercise of his ministerial office, and excommunicate him with the lesser sentence of excommunication, &c.'

"The Presbytery, at the same time, came to an agreement that the members, on the ensuing fast-day, should give notice

to their respective churches, of their proceedings in the cases of Messrs. Rodger, Patton and Martin, for the honor of truth and the information of their people,' as they very properly express it.

"In those several instances, we are sensibly affected with the pertinent and serious language employed by this Reverend Body, when they inflict their ecclesiastical censures; and cannot but observe, with the highest degree of approbation, the measures taken to notify the sentence, not only to the church immediately concerned, but to all others under their inspection; a circumstance not to be dispensed with, without violating the plainest dictates of reason and common sense."

During the time that the Presbytery of Pennslyvania was thus engaged in defending truth, and maintaining order and discipline, the Associate Presbytery of New-York, some of the members of which had been most active in urging the union in the Presbytery of Pennsylvania, undertook the business for themselves. And although none of the members of the Reformed Presbytery resided in their bounds, (being all as has been already stated located in Pennsylvania, and within the same bounds occupied by the Associate Presbytery) the New-York Presbytery concluded a union with the Reformed Presbytery, without any member of that Presbytery being present, or having any knowledge of it. This took place in the spring of 1780. This Presbytery now consisted of three ministers, Dr. Clark having removed to South Carolina, but David Annan had been placed in New England.

The following is the notice of the formation of this union in the Ruling Elder, by Mr. Annan, with remarks by Mr. Marshall, in his Vindication of the Associate Presbytery of Pennsylvania. He [Mr. Annan] says, page 14, "That the Associate Presbytery of New-York, at New Perth, in the spring of the year 1780, closed the union with the Reformed Pr. sbytery, ordered a copy of their minutes to this purpose, signed by the Moderator and Clerk, to be transmitted to the Reformed Presbytery, and intelligence of the same to be sent to the Associate Presbytery of Pennsylvania, which was done accordingly."

Now, I [says Mr. Marshall,] do declare, that no such intelligence ever came to the Associate Presbytery of Pennsylvania, and we never knew of this union till we heard of it in the fall of this year, by Mr. Cuthbertson, who went, as I was informed, to supply those belonging to the Reformed Presbytery of Pennsylvania, who lived at Wallkill, and he never knew of this union till he came there. Then Mr. Annan and

he entered into ministerial and christian communion. He came to this city on his way home, and announced it by reading the articles of union in the meeting house of Mr. Telfair, who, sometime before, in the course of the year, had joined the Reformed Presbytery."*

At a meeting of the Associate Presbytery of Pennsylvania, held at Marsh Creek, October 16th, 1780, Mr. Murray was appointed to draw up the ultimatum in plain and unequivocal terms, on which the Presbytery would receive into communion the members of the Reformed Presbytery, and to lay his draft before Presbytery at its next meeting. But before this service was accomplished, Mr. Murray was visited with a paralytic stroke, which prevented him from accomplishing it. But at the next meeting, which was held at Philadelphia, in April, 1781, Messrs. Smith and Marshall were appointed a committee in the place of Mr. Murray. They accordingly presented their draft, which, after undergoing some amendments, was unanimously adopted by Presbytery, and a copy, signed by the Moderator and Clerk, transmitted to the Reformed Presbytery, as follows:

"REVEREND SIRS,

"Union not founded on the holy scriptures cannot conduce to the interest of Christ's kingdom when the terms on which the parties propose to unite labor in obscurity. It is of importance in an explicit and undisguised manner, to unfold our express sentiments in every particular-this we mean to do in the following propositions:

"1. As long as magistrates in the administration of government, do not violate the fundamental articles of the constitution, i. e. while they protect the lives and property of subjects and do not exercise tyranny over their consciences, though these officers of government do not profess the true religion, we ought to be subject to their lawful commands for conscience sake; or in other words, protection and allegiance are reciprocal. Therefore, all men, whether heathens or christians, whether professors of the true religion or apostates from it, have a natural right to form themselves into a body politic, and to elect officers to rule and govern them. The apostacy of Britain from the covenanted reformation, does not deprive them of a right to civil government, and the want of scriptural or covenanted qualifications in their rulers, does not absolve the people of God from an obligation to be obedient to the civil magistrate in lawful commands, as the whole

* Vindication of Presbytery, page 91.

of the magistrate's power lies within the compass of natural principles.

"2. The magistrate's office respects men in their natural rights only; he is to protect them in their civil and religious liberty, but has no power to judge his subjects in matters of faith or cases of conscience, except their principles affect the life and property of others, and are eversive of good order in the state.

"3. We believe the grand and first object our covenanting forefathers had in eye, in their solemn transactions of national covenanting, viz: in forming the national Covenant of Scotland, and, also, in the solemn League and Covenant of Scotland, England and Ireland, was the preservationof the true religion, and the vindication of Christ's cause and testimony, as well as their natural rights-the enjoyment of life and property. With these views they cheerfully acknowledged the authority of God's word, binding their consciences solemnly to swear to the Lord of hosts, that they would walk in his ways, and keep his righteous judgments. From the nature of the duty, and the authority binding to the performance of that duty, it is obvious that the transacting of covenanting in this point of view was competent to them only in an ecclesiastical capacity; therefore, we, their posterity, a branch of the same church, are bound to prosecute the ends of these covenants, though our political connection with Great Britain be dissolved.

"4. That there is but one special redemption by the death of Christ for all the objects thereof, as he died in one and the same sense for all those for whom in any respect he died.

"5. Christ and the benefits of his purchase cannot be divided, nor can these benefits be divided one from another, and we are only partakers of the benefits Christ has purchased by faith, and whatsoever benefits are received any other way than by faith are not to be reckoned among the benefits Christ has purchased.

"The principles above expressed, are the avowed principles of the Associate Synod, particularly in the declaration of their principles about civil government and the assertion of some gospel truths in opposition to Arminian errors.-We shall be happy to find them cordially received by the members of the Reformed Presbytery.

"6. Our connection with the Associate Synod of Edinburgh, we are determined to maintain agreeable to our ordination vows, as we hope the time is not far off when great advantages will be derived from them to the church under our care.