Act of the Associate Presbytery,

APPROVING THE ENSUING NARRATIVE.

PHILADELPHIA, October 25, 1784.

THE Presbytery having judged it necessary that a NARRATIVE Concerning what the Lord has done for that part of his church, with which they stand most immediately connected, and concerning the Testimony which, to this day has been maintained in it, against various opinions and measures injuri ous to his cause, should be prefixed to their Declaration and Testimony; a draught of this Narrative having been considered at several meetings, was at last finished; and in this and the preceding day, it was read by paragraphs. The question was put, "Approve of this Narrative, or not?" it was carried, approve." Wherefore, the Presbytery did, and hereby do, judicially apPROVE this Narrative, as what they judge necessary, both as a Testimony by them to the cause and work of God in former times, and as an ACCOUNT they are, in duty bound, to give the present and following generations, that they may not forget the works of God. The Presbytery do, however, declare, that an adherence to this Narrative, as is evident from the nature of the work, can make no part of that profession, which will be required of church members apon their admission to communion with us.

This, by order of Presbytery, is signed,

Extracted by

WILLIAM MARSHALL, Moderator:

JOHN ANDERSQN, Presbytery Clerk.

NARRATIVE

CONCERNING THE MAINTENANCE

OF THE

REFORMATION TESTIMONY.

CHAPTER I.

Of the Warrant we have from the word of God, and from the Practice of his People, to maintain a direct and public Testimony for the Truth.

THERE is no service acceptable to God, beside that which he hath appointed. His word is a light to our feet, and a lamp to our path. According to it we study to walk; by it let our faith and practice be tried. If any ask, by what authority we prove it to be our duty to testify, in the manner we do, for the truth of the gospel, and against the prevailing errors of our time, our answer is, The Lord hath commanded us. He who is the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, and who himself before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, describes his people, both in the Old and New Testament, by the name of Witnesses; and the design of this, as of every other name by which they are described in the oracles of God, is to put them in mind of their duty. Moreover, the Lord has promised, that they shall be his witnesses. And this promise was not confined to the apostles: the testimony of Jesus was not to die with them. It was to be maintained by the succeeding generations of Christians. The things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, said Paul to Timothy, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others. The testimony of Jesus was maintained in the lowest state of the church, in the days of antichrist's reign. After the withesses of that period had finished their testimony, or performed their appointed service in the church militant, and after the enemies of Christ had prevailed so far, that they imagin

ed their victory complete, this testimony was revived in the Reformation. Surely it is our duty to hold fast what we have thus attained, and what has been transmitted to us by the goodness of God, watching over his church from age to age, and remembering it in its low estate, and saving it from the hand of those who hated it, and redeeming it from the hand of the enemy. Surely it is our duty to follow the footsteps of the most faithful and most zealous servants of Christ, who have confessed him before men, kept the word of his patience, and testified against the prevailing wickedness of their times, at the hazard, often the expense of their lives. They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony; and so must we, or we cannot attain, together with them, what is expressed in the promise of Christ, To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

All true Christians do, in some degree, maintain the testimony of Jesus; but it is not uncommon to find them, through weakness or prejudice, neglecting some special part of it. Often the fear of man, which bringeth a snare, deters them from some part of their duty; while the remaining corruption of their hearts sets them upon excusing, yea, vindicating themselves in this neglect. In such cases, Christians are great losers themselves: for the Lord's service carries in it, its own reward; and the more faithful we are in it, we shall find it the nore profitable to us. The interest of the church suffers also those truths and duties for which no proper testimony is maintained, are as it were lost.

Our Lord Jesus hath said, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my father who is in heaven; but whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. It is by confessing the Lord Jesus, that we testify our love to him, our sense of the obligations we are under to the God of all grace, our esteem of his word, and our resolution to hold it fast, whatever we may suffer for so doing. It is thus that we declare ourselves on Christ's side, and renounce all fellowship with his enemies in their devices against him, in their disobedience to his laws, and in their contempt of his salvation. It is thus we give to God that glory, due to his name, which the wicked refuse to give, And the more open, full, and particular this confession and

testimony is, it is so much the more fit to answer the ends designed by it.

Such a testimony is necessary for transmitting the truth of the gospel to following generations; pure, without a mixture of error; and entire, no article of it being lost. Though no article of the truth shall ever be wholly lost; though it is alt preserved in the holy Scriptures; yet many articles of it may be forgotten among a people professing Christianity, and so lost to them. During the rise, progress, and reign of antichrist, various important truths were so generally forgotten, that although the evidence for them in Scripture was plain and strong, many can hardly be persuaded, that what was so long forgotten among Christians belongs to Christianity. We ought, therefore, to give the more earnest heed to those truths, the knowledge of which was, through the mercy of God, revived at the Reformation; lest in this time of prevailing apostacy, we should let them slip. What we have · heard and known, and our fathers have told us, we should not hide from their children, shewing the generation to come, the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and the wonderful works that he hath done.

Such a testimony is necessary as a reproof to backsliding Christians, who are fallen into a spiritual sleep; or who, being timorous, will not by an open confession of the truth, expose themselves to the reproach of gainsayers; or who through too great love to this present world, do, in many instances, seek their own rather than the things of Christ; or who are so far led astray, that they set themselves against some part of the truth of the gospel. Whatever may be good in such, is no reason why we should not oppose what is evil in them. The good principles they may retain, do not make their evil principles less dangerous. Their piety does not make the working of their corruption less hurtful. Do Christians oftenerr in their practice? So do they also in their principles: they are no more infallible in the one than in the other. Would it be reckoned an absurdity to say, that no evil practice of which a Christian may be habitually guilty, ought to be reproved? It is not less an absurdity to say, that noprinciple into which a Christian may be led, ought to be tes tified against.

Such a testimony is necessary as an appointed mean to convince the wicked of their sin, and warn them of their danger. We are called to declare to them, in the most solemn and explicit manner, that, because they hold fast their ini

quities, God is angry with them every day; and that, if they do not flee for refuge, to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, his anger will quickly break forth upon them. They may refuse to hear; but if we give them faithful warning, their blood will not be required at our hands.

A faithful testimony for the truth of the gospel will always have many enemies. Backsliding professors of Christianity may be much enraged against it. Those who are hardened in sin, and who rebel against the light, will hate and despise it. The testimony of the witnesses, during the great apostacy, tormented the antichristian generation who dwelt on the earth; and the Dragon is still wroth with the woman, and attempting to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. The devil, though now restrained from deceiving one part of mankind, and destroying another, to the degree he once did, is still working in the hearts of the children of disobedience, and laying snares for the people of God. He is opposing the kingdom of Christ, by the profane, who scoff at it; by the teachers of error, who labour to subvert it; and by the lukewarm, who neglecting their duty, cease to defend it, yea, even betray it to the enemy. If the testimony we maintain, is hated and opposed by many, this is no more than what we ought to expect. The world hates Christ: and the cause it approves is not his, nor the party it commends on his side.

The word of God is our testimony. We must bear witness to all those truths which it declares, and against all those evils which it condemns. It is most injurious to accuse us as if we neglected this word, because we apply it in a testimony suited to the times and circumstances of our lot. In doing so, we follow the footsteps of the flock of Christ. The great question between Israel and their heathen neighbours was, Whether Jehovah was the creator, governor, and judge of the universe, or not? Upon the determination of it the whole controversy depended. The God of Israel being acknowledged to be the true God, the whole system of heathen idolatry and superstition was, at once, declared impious; and the fear and service of the God of Israel became an acknowledged duty. Therefore, the leading article of the testimony maintained by the church of Israel, was, That Jehovah, their God, was the only living, and true God. Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord; that I am God. The great question between the apos