PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. (0. S.) Doctrines, or confession of faith, 459; forms of worship, 460, 461; church government, 462-185; history of Presbyterianism, 465-467; first churches established in America, and first presbytery formed in 706, 468; first synod held in 1717, 463; difficulties between the synod of Philadelphia and New York, 470, 471; state of the church during the Revolution, 473; literary institutions, education and marriages, 474, 475; first General Assembly in 1783, and great revival in the west, 476. 477; origin and cause of the division in the church, 478, 479; doings of the convention in Philadelphia, held in 1837, 480; account of the division which took place in the Assembly in 1838, 481; statistics, education, publi

cation and benevolent societies, 482-485.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. (N. S.)

between the Associate and Reformed churches, and rise of the Associate Reformed church, 533; reorgan iz ution of the Reformed Presbyterian church, doctrine and peculiar opinions, 534; psalmody, sacramenta communion, civil government, and ordinance of pub lic social covenanting, 535, 536; localities, benevo lent endowments and statistics, 537,

RESTORATIONISTS,

Religious faith of the Restorationists, 538; nature, design, and extent of Christ's kingdom, 539; proof and arguments in support of their peculiar views 540-544; criticisms on a few words and phrase: 515; objections answered, 546-548; history of Restorationism, 548; statistics, church government. peculiarities, and points of difference between Restorationism and Universalism, 549.

RIVER BRETHREN.

Principles and government of the church, 485Corruptions and intoleration in Europe, induced 487; forms of public worship, 4SS; her Calvinistic many Germans and others to immigrate to America, doctrines, 489; genius and character of the church, | 555; account of Alexander Mack and others, 551; 490; union of the New York and Philadelphia origin of the German Seventh-Day Baptists, 552: synods, and plan of union: also between the Presby- great revivals of religion, and origin of the River terians and Congregationalists, 491; the plan of Brethren, 553; statistics, faith, and practice, 553— union," connected with other difficulties, occasioned 554; peculiar views, annual conferences and general a split in the Presbyterian church, 493; formation character, 555, 556. and success of the American Home Missionary society, 494, 495; acts and doings of the General Assembly in 1837 and 1838, 496; suit in court, its result and withdrawal, 496, 497; result of several suits between parties in local and individual churches, 497;

benevolent institutions, education, and statistics, 498.

CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHIS Origin of the C. P. church, 499; great revival and opposition to the Cumberland presbytery, 501-502; the presbytery charged, tried, and a part silenced, 504; excision of the Cumberland presbytery. 505; formation of a new Cumberland presbytery. 506; constitution of the presbytery, 507; sketch of Finis Ewing, 507; great trials and opposition, 508; success and pulpit oratory, 509; first synod established, 510; confession of faith, 512; peculiarities, motto and difficulties, 513; general assembly formed in 1829, 514; literary institutions and periodicals, 515; statistics in 1834; introduction and spread of the gospel in Texas, 516; be evolent institutions, 517; ministerial education, 518; book agency, authors and localities, 519; statistics in 1847, and a recapitulatory sketch, 520.

REFORMED PRESBYTERIANS OR COVENANT.
ERS.

Origin and Jocalities of the Covenanters, 521; first missionaries and organization of the church in America, 522; union between the Seceders and Covenanters, and origin of the Associate Reformed Church, 522; fresh supply of missionaries from Scotland and Ireland, and reorganization of the church in this country, 522; adoption of the testimony and the nonslaveholding principle, 523; distinctive features of the church, 523, 524; objections to the constitution of the United States, 525; division of the church in 1833, 526; solemn league and covenant, 527-529.

REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Origin and early history, 531; test period, era of solemn league and covenant, and first settlements in America, 532; establishment of the church, union

SCHWENKFELDERS.

Sketch of Caspar Schwenkfeld, and three points on which he differed from Luther and others, 557; his followers, their flight to Denmark, Holland, and Schwenkfeld's character as a writer, persecution of Pennsylvania, 558; their first settlements, present localities and statistics, 559; their peculiar practice with regard to infants, 560.

UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST.

Account of their origin and leading men, 560; first conference, formation of a discipline, and sketch of Wm. Otterbein, 561; doctrines, government and conferences, 562; church officers and statistics, 563; appendix, containing a narrative of the life and times of William Otterbein and his coadjutors, 565, 566.

UNITED SOCIETY OF BELIEVERS. Historical sketch of their rise and progress, 567, 568; their localities and statistics in the east, 566; great revival in Kentucky, mission to the west, reception of their faith and testimony, and establishment of a society in Ohio, 563; their localities and statistics in the west, 570; their mode of worship and religious tenets, 571-574; faith and principles of the society at New Lebanon, 574; manner of receiving members and manner of government, 575; order and arrangement of the society, 576-578.

UNITARIANS.

Doctrines, 579; proofs of their peculiar views of Christ, and criticisms on Trinitarian views, 581, Unitarian views of the character and offices of Christ, 582; their views of the Holy Spirit, of depravity, of the new birth, of retribution, of the Bible, and of human reason, 583, 581; history, ancient and mo dern, 585; statistics. 587.

UNIVERSALISTS.

Name and history of their doctrine, 589-592; history and statistics, 592--595; desultory remarks on their views, and statements of several important doctrines, 597, 598.

HISTORY

OF

THE ASSOCIATE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

BY THE REV. W. I. CLELAND AND THE REV. JAMES P. MILLER N. Y.

The Synod, which is composed of all the ministers and one ruling elder from each congregation, meets annually on its own adjournment. Each Presbytery meets on its own adjournment, and as often as circumstances require.

The doctrine of the Confession of Faith concerning public, social, religious vowing or covenanting, as set forth in the xxii. chapter of the Confession of Faith, and as formerly practised by the churches of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ReThe Theological Seminary is located at formed Church of Holland, is both held Cannonsburg, Pa. It has two proffessor- and practised by this church,-with this. ships-one of didactic theology and He- difference, that the civil part of the Nabrew, at present filled by James Martin, tional Covenant of Scotland, and the D. D.; the other of church history, pasto- | Solemn League and Covenant of the kingral theology and biblical literature, at pre- doms of Scotland, England, and Ireland, sent filled by Thomas Beveridge, D. D. or any mingling of civil with religious At this institution there is but one term affairs, have not been regarded by this each year, which continues from the first church as belonging to the religious and Monday of November until the last of ecclesiastical part of this duty. March. The students are required to attend four terms to complete their course of study. The professors give lectures on their respective subjects. The text book which is used in didactic theology is "JoHANNIS MARKII CHRISTIANÆ THEOLOGIE MEDULLA.".

DOCTRINE AND DISCIPLINE.

The Associate Presbyterian Church of North America, is a branch of the Church of Scotland; and holds the doctrines of the Reformation as set forth in the standards of the Westminster Assembly. Hence the Westminster Confession of Faith is her Confession of Faith; the Larger and Shorter Catechisms are her authorized systems of catechetical instruction. The Form of Presbyterial Church Government, and the Directory for public worship and for family worship, are received and acknowledged as of obligatory authority in this church. The xxiii. chapter of the Confession of Faith, respecting the concern of the civil magistrate with the church, is received with some explanations, which are given in the Declaration and Testimony which this church has adopted and published. These explanations deny to the civil magistrate any authority in or control over the church, as respects either doctrine or discipline, by virtue of his office. The church is regarded as a free and independent society, to be governed and regulated according to the rules laid down in the Word of God, and responsible for the faithful discharge of her duty to Christ her only king and head.

This church, both in doctrine and prac tice, has always adhered to the use of a literal poetic version of the inspired Book of Psalms in the praises of God, as that only appointed of God, and consequently the only proper one.

As other bodies of professing Christians, both in Great Britain and this country, profess adherence to the standards and doctrines of the Westminster Assembly, the Associate Church also, from an early period of her existence in this country, has published a "Declaration and Testimony," more particularly setting forth, explaining, and defending some of the doc. trines of the Westminster standards, and stating the prevailing errors against which this church considers herself called upon to testify. To this Declaration and Testimony she has prefixed a narrative, briefly setting forth some of the leading facts in her history, and the reasons of her maintaining a separate communion from other existing denominations of the present day. These books, which constitute the publicly authorized subordinate standards, together with her Book of Discipline, set forth all the distinctive principles and doctrines of this church. These books she calls her subordinate standards, because held in subordination to the Bible,-the supreme standard of the church of Christ.

The following formula of questions, proposed to private members on their admission to fellowship in the church, will give a brief but pretty distinct view of the principles and religious practices of this church:

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the

2. Do you profess your adherence to the Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechisms, Form of Presbyterial Church Government, and Directory for the worship of God, as these are received and witnessed for by us, in our Declaration and Testimony, for the doctrine and order of the church of Christ?

Old and New Testament to be the Word | least a part of it, as follows-"Considerof God, and the only rule of faith and ing that patronage and presentation of practice? kirks is an evil and bondage, under which the Lord's people and the ministers of this land have long groaned; and that it hath no warrant in God's word, but is founded only on the common law, and is a custom popish, and brought into the kirk in time of ignorance and superstition; and that the same is contrary to the Second book of Discipline, in which, upon solid and good ground, it is reckoned among the abuses that are desired to be reformed, and [contrary] unto several acts of General Assemblies; and that it is prejudicial to the liberty of the people and planting of kirks, and unto the free calling and entry of ministers unto their charge: and the said estates being willing and desirous to promote and advance the reformation foresaid, that everything in the house of God may be ordered according to his word and commandment, do therefore, from a sense of the former obligations, and upon the former grounds and reasons, discharge forever hereafter, all patronages and presentations of kirks, whether belonging to the king or any laic patron, presbyteries, or others within this kingdom, as being unlawful and unwarrantable by God's word, and contrary to the doctrine and liberties of this Kirk; and do therefore rescind, make void, and annul all gifts and rights granted thereanent, and all former acts made in Parliament, or in any inferior judicatory, in favor of any patron or patrons whatsoever, so far as the same doth or may relate unto the presentation of kirks;" making it a penal offence, under any pretext, to give or receive such presentation. And Presbyteries were prohibited from admitting to trials for ordination any candidate upon any such presentation.

3. Do you profess your resolution through grace to continue in the faith, according to the profession you now make of it, and to be subject to the order and discipline of the house of God; to be diligent in your attendance on public ordinances, teaching and sealing, according to your profession, on secret prayer, on family worship, as you may have opportunity, (to be used if the applicant be a head of a family,) in keeping up family worship daily, morning and evening, and to perform all other duties incumbent on you, according to this profession, in whatever station you may occupy in life; and that you will make conscience of promoting the knowledge of Christ, and his truths, as by other means, so more especially by a holy and spiritual conversation, consistent with your profession?

HISTORY.

The Associate Presbyterian Church in North America, is a branch of the Church of Scotland. The brief space to which this sketch is necessarily limited, forbids us to refer particularly to that eventful period in the history of the Church of Scotland, that intervenes between the years 1638 and 1688. Yet the causes which ultimately led to the Secession of 1733, may be distinctly found in the history of It may here he remarked, that this act that period. During that reforming period, was in full accordance with the doctrine the church complained of the law of pa- of the Church of Scotland, from her first tronage as an evil, and had obtained va- organization under the doctrines and prinrious acts against it, particularly an Act ciples of the Reformation from Popery. of Parliament passed at Edinburgh, March In the first Book of Discipline, drawn up 9th, 1649, Charles I. and II. Parl. 2 Sess. by John Knox, we find the following rule: Act 39, the patronage of kirks was abol-"No minister should be intruded on any ished. That act had such an immediate particular kirk, without their consent." connection with the origin of the Asso- The same principle is asserted in the Seciate Church, that we may transcribe at cond Book of Discipline, adopted in 1578,

and in force until 1640. This principle | ing the long received principles of the is also repeatedly recognised in the Directory of the Westminster divines.