CHAPTER III.

year

Some further account of Mr. Andrews-His intercourse with Makemie-The agency they had in forming the Mother Presbytery-Mr. Andrews loses his high standing and influence toward the close of his life-The kind of Presbyterianism introduced into Scotland at the Reformation-The kind of Presbyterianism commenced in America-Wherein they differed from one another-Extracts from Irvine Spence, Esq.Some mistakes which Mr. Spence fell into respecting Makemie corrected-Extracts from the Clerks' offices of Accomack county, Virginia, and Somerset county, Maryland-Extracts from the last will and testament of Mr. Anderson, Mr. Makemie's father-in-law-Extracts from Mr. Makemie's last will and testament-Comment upon these documents-Steps taken by Mr. Makemie to supply the desolate districts of country around him with preaching-He takes a voyage to England in the 1704-Obtains two fellow-laborers from Ireland, Hampton and McNish, who were to be sustained for two years by Dissenting Ministers in and about London-Makemie and his Irish brethren arrive in America in the spring of 1705-Steps taken by Makemie to get them licensed to preach according to the Act of Toleration-Settles them over congregations already organized in Somerset county, on the eastern shore of Maryland-An account of the persecution and imprisonment of Makemie and Hampton in New York--The interesting pamphlet, containing a full report of these trials, providentially preserved, to be printed in the Appendix-An examination of Professor Hodge's argument to prove that all the original members of the Presbytery, except one, were from Scotland or Ireland-Professor Hodge mistakes the character of English Presbyterians-He is set right upon this subject-The character of the original members of the Presbytery, and of their congregations, and where located -A short account of the kind of Presbyterianism adopted by the Mother Presbytery at its formation, &c.

113

PREFATORY REMARKS

AND

OBSERVATIONS.

1

The history of the rise, progress, and peculiar character of American Presbyterianism, has for some time been considered a great desideratum by many of the members of our denomination. There is certainly no other religious community, embracing such numbers and being so long in existence, who are exposed to the imputation of having practised such gross negligence in failing to preserve authentic documents of their proceedings, and who still remain in such entire ignorance respecting their own history, and the founders and fathers of their church. The Episcopalians of this country, after having long neglected this subject, are beginning to manifest a laudable zeal relative to the events connected with their church, and are tracing its history back to the commencement of the colony which began its settlement at Jamestown, upon James river. The Congregationalists of New England have carefully preserved an account of both their civil and ecclesiastical affairs, from the landing of their Pilgrim Fathers upon the rock of Plymouth. The Roman Catholics have kept themselves well informed of their movements and changes from the landing of Lord Baltimore with his colony in Maryland. The Quakers have treasured, and carefully imparted to their children, a knowledge of the various incidents and fluctuations and new settlements which arose from the possessions acquired by William Penn, and the political and religious institutions introduced by their distinguished founder in Pennsylvania, Jersey, and other States of the American Union. The Baptists have their historians, who are anxious to trace their

origin back to a remote antiquity. And the Methodists have informed almost all their members in regard to the rise and progress of Methodism, from the commencement of the labors of the Rev. John Wesley in England, and the landing of Ashbury, Coke, and others in America.

But to this day Presbyterians, generally, remain more entirely unacquainted with their own history than any other religious community. I was utterly astonished at my own ignorance of the subject, when called upon to investigate it for the purpose of preparing the present publication. And how may this general deficiency on the part of so large and intelligent a body of Christians be accounted for? It is attributable, no doubt, to a combination of untoward circumstances.

The Presbyterian Church assumed its ecclesiastical form in America long after the establishment here of the Puritans, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, and Quakers. It is to be presumed that individuals of the Presbyterian denomination, from a spirit of commercial enterprise and a desire to accumulate wealth, had emigrated with others at an early date of the settlement of this country, and were scattered throughout the Colonies. But these were so few, so far removed from each other, and so destitute of any bond of union, as to prevent their associating together in organized congregations even, and much more in a presbyterial capacity, till at quite a late period. The Episcopalians were drawn to America from a South Sea dream of wealth and empire. The Puritans, Roman Catholics, and Quakers were driven into exile, to seek a hidingplace in the wilderness, by unrelenting bigotry and persecution in the land of their nativity. But, at the time the American Colonies commenced settling, Scotland, where alone the Presbyterians were in any considerable numbers, was comparatively free from persecution, and Presbyterianism was established and fortified in that nation by the laws of the land, and was approved of by the strong and popular sentiment of the kingdom. It is true that James, after he ascended the throne of England, did endeavor, by frequent and insidious attempts, to introduce a kind of half-way Episcopacy into Scotland; and his successor, Charles I, persisted in the same illjudged attempt, until it cost him his crown and his head. But they made poor progress in their undertaking; and although the Scotch

people were subjected to many hardships and sufferings, they never ceased to contend for their rights, and never despaired of obtaining an ultimate triumph-so that few, if any, were induced to expatriate themselves on account of religion, Scotland being regarded by them as the homestead of Presbyterianism through all these troublous times. Ireland also, where there were a number of Presbyterians descended from Scotland, though it had been the scene of bloody massacre and persecution, was still contending for its rights, and in hopes of success-so that the tide of emigration which, at an after period, brought so many Irish Presbyterians to this country, had not then set in upon that people. These circumstances may account for the late period at which Presbyterianism made its appearance in the American Colonies, as well as for the absence of materials connected with its earliest history in these Provinces.

Within about thirty years after the organization of the first Presbytery, emigrants from Ireland came over in vast numbers, and among them a number of Irish and Scotch Ministers, who all united with the Mother Presbytery. But these new comers brought over with them sentiments respecting church government so different from what had before been in use, that a scene of strife and contention ensued, which, in 1741, effected a great schism that rent the church into nearly two equal parts. This schism kept these two rival and hostile parties asunder for seventeen years. During a part of this period the Colonies were engaged in bloody wars with the French and Indians, and these contests were closely followed by the revolutionary war, of eight years' continuance, which unhinged every thing, broke up many congregations, destroyed many valuable documents, and left such a demoralizing influence behind it as to paralyze all religious efforts for a number of years. Hence the apathy and want of interest that ensued upon the subject of religion, and hence also the barrenness of incidents and facts necessary to make up and embellish an historical collection.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, which held its first meeting after its formation in 1789, soon turned their attention to the importance of a church history; and in the year 1792 appointed Dr. Ashbel Green and Ebenezer Hazard, Esq. a committee to prepare for publication, as speedily as possible, a work on the subject-directing, at the same time, that all the old records and

other documents that could be obtained should be put into their hands, and that all the Presbyteries should assist in the matter by sending up each a condensed history of itself, to be used in forming a general history of the church. This committee had this business before them, with a large mass of minutes, documents, and papers, for a great number of years, reporting at each meeting of the Assembly that they had not finished the work assigned them. For some years the excuse was, that one volume of the manuscript minutes was missing, and that they could not proceed without it; but, after many years had expired, this lost volume was found—and yet, from year to year, the committee reported that they were not ready. In 1825, upwards of thirty years after their appointment, there was published in the Christian Advocate one number, as the beginning of our church history-and in the year 1830 a second number made its appearance; but there this matter ended, for the committee said they had not time at command to devote to this work in order to bring it to a close. It is to be lamented that this talented committee, with such ample materials in their hands, in so many years could not produce the desired work, which it is believed any man of business habits (and both were known as such) might have effected in less than one year. This distressing delay, however, may be accounted for by the supposition that the committee differed in their sentiments respecting some historical fact relative to the church, and, as neither would yield, they resigned without giving the whole of the reasons, and the true one among the rest, why they had failed to accomplish the important work confided to them. I have such information from a source which will not be disputed.

When this committee resigned, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Miller, of Princeton, was appointed to prepare this history, and the documents and papers were all put into his hands. It is not now remembered whether any one else was associated with Dr. Miller to assist him in performing the work, but the impression is that there was not. After keeping the papers in his hands about two years, Dr. Miller informed the Assembly that his other duties so entirely occupied him that he could not execute his commission, and therefore he resigned the office conferred on him. The papers were then returned to Dr. Green, in whose hands, it is presumed, they are still to be found. It is much to be regretted that, through ne