The late Rev. George P. Hutchinson wrote a very readable history of Presbyterianism in the United States, under the title of THE HISTORY BEHIND THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, EVANGELICAL SYNOD. That book is available to our readers courtesy of the PCA Historical Center. For our post today, we want to excerpt a small portion from Rev. Hutchinson’s book, here telling of how the Reformed Presbytery was organized on this day in 1774, and how later the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church came into existence in 1782 :—

The Reformed Presbytery of Scotland did, however, send in 1751 the Rev. John Cuthbertson, who ministered in America for 40 years until his death in 1791. On Cuthbertson’s first Sabbath in America he lectured on the passage in Luke (6:22-31) which begins, ‘Take no thought for your life,’ and ends, ‘But rather seek ye the kingdom of God.’ The words symbolized a ministry full of faith, labor, and sacrifice. Cuthbertson made his headquarters at Middle Octorara from which he served the Societies scattered throughout the Colonies. His travels and ministry are recorded in the diary which includes entries in both English and Latin. Perhaps the most familiar entries in the diary are: ‘Fessus, fessus valde—tired, very tired,’ and ‘Give all praise to my gracious God.’  Such an attitude of praise was necessary when, for instance, he wrote, after staying overnight with a parishioner: ‘Slept none. Bugs.’ Cuthbertson did much to make the organization of the scattered Societies more formal by ordaining elders and establishing sessions.  He was a hard worker, preaching as many as eleven times in one week and never using the same sermon twice.  Every Sabbath he would explain a Psalm, give a detailed lecture on a passage of Scripture, and preach a more popular sermon on the great themes of the Gospel.  Communion was held once a year among the Societies, and strict discipline was observed with regard to who was allowed to partake.

Cuthbertson sent repeated calls to Scotland for help, but it was not until 1773 that he was joined by Matthew Lind and Alexander Dobbin. On March 9, 1774, these three constituted the first Reformed Presbytery in America. The entry in the frontier preacher’s diary simply reads: ‘After more consultation and prayer, Presbytery.’  However, the first Reformed Presbytery was only destined to last eight years until 1782. In the meantime, the American Revolution!  The Covenanters in America had no more use for George III than their ancestors for Charles II. As Glasgow remarks: ‘To a man the Covenanters were Whigs. An unsound Whig made a poor Covenanter, and a good Covenanter made a loyal Whig.’ On July 2, 1777, Cuthbertson led some of his followers in taking an oath of fidelity to the cause of the Colonies.  In 1782 the three ministers of the Reformed Presbytery, under Cuthbertson’s leadership, joined with the Associate Presbytery to form the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.  Most of the Society People followed their leadership.  As a strict Covenanter later remarked: ‘The great majority of the Covenanters in the North followed their misguided pastor into the union.’

What is the explanation of this union? The position of the Covenanters in Scotland was that Christians should refuse ‘all voluntary subjection for conscience sake’ to the British Crown in protest against a Covenant-breaking government’s right to rule; whereas the Scottish Seceders had maintained that the Christian ought to acknowledge the civil authority of the Crown ‘in lawful commands.’  The Associate Presbytery in America had accordingly opposed the Reformed Presbytery’s position on the American Revolution.  However, now that the Colonies were no longer under the British Crown, the opinions of the American Covenanters and Seceders on the new civil government were in a state of flux, and could be more easily coalesced—especially in a time when the spirit of confederation was in the air.

Another apparent explanation is that the principle of the descending obligation of the Covenants seems to have come into question among some of the early American Covenanters.  This began to occur as early as 1760 according to Findley, an ex-Covenanter who found his way into the Associate Reformed Church.  He further maintains that the Reformed Presbytery agreed in 1774 or 1775 that ‘while the presbytery still continued to hold the covenants, testimonies, and sufferings of Scotland … in respectful remembrance,’ the only terms of communion insisted on by presbytery would be allegiance to the Scriptures and the doctrines of the Westminster Standards as agreeable to the Scriptures.  Cuthbertson himself is purported to have taught the personal rather than the national obligation to the Covenants.

Words to Live By:
An announcement by the one of our regional presbyteries  spoke of the principles and practices of the Peacemaking Institute to be presented in class form to elders and laypeople on a weekend.  Alas, even in the most biblical of churches, men and movements have not always gotten along with one another.  So what  we read here in this post of John Culbertson being on the “outs” with other Covenantal Presbyterians is not at all unusual in church history.  From the book of Acts 15, we read of Barnabas and Paul differing as to whether to take John Mark with them on another missionary journey.  The sad text is Acts 15:39 where we are told “the contention was so sharp between them (Barnabas and Paul), that they departed asunder one from the other. . . .” (KJV) Yet from this seeming disappointment, the Lord overruled and now two missionary teams went out to the watching world.  Later Paul would confess that John Mark was beneficial to him.  So all of God’s people need to be patient with one another, especially they who are teaching and ruling elders, study the blessing  of mutual peace on the witness to the watching world, and do the  work in union with God’s people, when we will be strengthened by one another’s spiritual gifts in the visible church. 

The Remarkable Trance of William Tennent
by Rev. David T. Myers

The third son of the Rev. William Tennent, best known for starting the Log College, was William Tennent, Jr. Born in Ireland in 1705, he, along with the other members of his parent’s family, came to America where the father began a Presbyterian church. Each one of the sons, Gilbert, Charles, William, and John followed their father’s footsteps into the fledgling American Presbyterian church, studying at the famous Log College. As William Tennent Jr began his theological studies under the tutelage of his father and brother Gilbert, the following experience took place. This story is found in a pamphlet located in our PCA History Center, entitled “The Remarkable Trance of Rev. William Tennent” :

“(William) was conversing, one morning, with his brother, in Latin, on the state of his soul, when he fainted and died away. After the usual time he was laid out: and the neighbors were invited to attend the funeral on the next day. In the evening his physician and friend returned from a ride into the country, and was much afflicted at the news of his death. He could not be persuaded that it was certain; and, on being told that one of the persons who had assisted in laying out the body thought he had observed a slight tremor of the flesh under the arm, although the body was cold and stiff, he endeavored to ascertain the fact. He first put his own hand into warm water, to make it as sensitive as possible, and then felt under the arm, near the heart, and affirmed that he felt an unusual warmth, though no one else could. He had the body removed to a warm bed, and insisted that the people who had been invited to the funeral, should be requested not to attend. To this his brother objected as absurd, the eyes being sunk, the lips discolored, and the whole body cold and stiff. However, the doctor finally prevailed, and no hopes were entertained of success except by the doctor, who never left him night nor day.”

The story goes on to state that this went on for three days, when plans again were made to bury his body. The brother, probably Gilbert, felt that it was useless to treat a lifeless corpse, when the following happened.

“At this critical and important moment, the body, to the great astonishment of all present, opened his eyes, gave a dreadful groan, and sank again into apparent death.”

This revival of life and then death experience went on twice more, with the last time “life seem to return with more power, and a complete revival took place, to the great joy of the family and friends, and to the no small astonishment and conviction” of those who had gathered for his funeral.

What was remarkable about the following twelve months of Williams’s life was, while he took about a year to regain his strength, he was totally ignorant of every transaction of his life previous to his sickness. William had to be taught how to read and write, as a child was taught in those days. His knowledge of theology was completely gone, until one day in small degrees, his memory was revived, with a perfect knowledge of the past transactions of his life.

In time, he was asked by his brother and another minister of what he remembered about this experience. He said:

“I found myself in an instant in another state of existence, under the direction of a superior Being, who ordered me to follow him. I was accordingly wafted along, I know not how, till I beheld at a distance an ineffable glory, the impression of which on my mind is impossible to communicate to mortal man. I immediately reflected upon my happy change, and thought ‘well, blessed be God, I am safe at last, notwithstanding all my fears.’ I saw an innumerable host of happy beings surrounding the inexpressible glory, in acts of adoration and joyous worship; but I did not see any bodily shape or representation in the glorious appearance. I heard things unutterable; I heard their songs and hallelujahs of thanksgiving and praise, with unspeakable rapture. I felt joy unutterable and full of glory. I requested permission to join the happy throng, when my conductor tapped me on the shoulder, and said, ‘You must return to the earth.’ This seemed like a sword through my heart. In an instant I recollected seeing my brother standing before me disputing with the doctor.”

Words to Live By:
As you have read this astonishing experience, remember the words of inspired Scripture recounting an earlier and most astonishing experience, as told in 2 Corinthians 12:2 – 4, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man – whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows – was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.”

Words fail this author, and no doubt many of our readers, to correctly interpret what was thus written. The story we have recounted today was reported by the unknown author of this pamphlet as well as by Archibald Alexander in his book on the history of the Log College.

William Tennent Jr himself, went on after this experience to be ordained as a Presbyterian pastor, and became the pastor of the first Presbyterian Church in Freehold New Jersey, serving that congregation for 43 years before his death on this day, March 8, 1777. He was buried under the floor of the church, now called Old Tennent Presbyterian Church.

An Answer to the Charge of Being Unloving

There is a relevant editorial in the March 2, 1936 edition of The Presbyterian Guardian.  Historically minded readers will recognize this magazine as the voice of conservative leaders who were at that time still members of the Presbyterian Church, USA.  However, their remaining time there was but short, for in that year, trials and suspensions were taking place at an alarming rate for no other charge other than refusing to desist from the support of an Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions.  J. Gresham Machen was still alive and writing vigorously for the defense of the Christian faith.  Others were taking their stand for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

On the editorial page of that issue (Volume 1, Number 11), H. McAllister Griffiths writes in defense of the need to expose modernism in the church at large.  Specifically, he answers why such an exposé is not unloving.  Listen to his words, which even today are apt in addressing the errors of today, both inside and outside the church:

“Why then do we present the facts concerning modernism . . .?  Only because it is our duty.  We find no happiness in the betrayals of which we must tell.  No one in his right mind could gloat over them, or be other than sorrowful.  But — if we love the souls of men we must warn them.  We must warn a sleeping church, largely uninformed about the nature of its official boards.  And finally, if we care anything about the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the place due His Holy Word, we are under a solemn obligation to speak.

“This speaking, let it be understood, is in love. But what, exactly, is speaking in love?  Is it to speak lovingly?  Yes—in part.  But there is more to it than that.  We speak most in love when the motive that prompts us is love, and when the end desired is the supreme good of the one addressed.  The most loving words to a blind man approaching an unsuspected precipice would be ‘Stop! Stop! Stop where you are!’  What would you think of anyone who criticized the speaker of those words because he ‘didn’t have a good spirit,’ did not speak ‘lovingly,’ and who advised the blind man to go on, paying no attention to such an un-Christian fellow?

“(We see the church moving) on toward the precipice. The ground will feel solid beneath its feet until it gets to the edge. After it steps over it will be too late.  That is why we cry ‘Stop!’ now. And the cry of those who would save is the most loving cry in the world, even if unadorned with honeyed words.”

The Presbyterian stalwarts for the faith back in the 1930’s were praying and working for the elimination of unbelief in the Presbyterian church.  As we know now from history, such was not to be.  And those who were standing for the faith once delivered unto the saints were expelled from the church.

Words to Live By: The apostle Paul wrote 2000  plus years ago that all true Christians are to “take no part in the  unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”  Ephesians 5:11 (ESV)