AS BIOGRAPHY OF
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ause we had departed from the standards of their_church, and taught doctrines subversive of them.Committees were immediately sent to our congrega-ions to read the Synod’s bull of suspension, and toclare them vacant. However just their decisionmight be with respect to the other four, im suspendingthem for the crime of departing from the Confessionof Faith, yet all plainly saw that it was improper with -regard to me, seeing I had. not received that book atmy ordination, nor ever before, more than any otherbook, 1. e. as far as I saw it agreeable to the word ofGod. Their bull was ‘‘a blow in the air” as regardedme. - ] am therefore an ordained preacher by the impo-sition of the hands of the Transylvania Presbytery,and as I have not formally been excluded from thecommunion of that church, I can yet claim it with justright. We insisted that after we had orderly protested,and withdrawn, that the Synod had no better right tosuspend us; than the pope of Rome had to suspendLuther, after he had done the same thing. We con-tended, if Luther’s suspension was valid, then the wholeprotestant succession was out of order, and of course,that the Synod had no better right to administer inthe gospel than we—that their act of suspension wasvoid. This act of Synod produced great commotion anddivision in the churches; not only were churches di-vided, but families; those who before had lived inharmony and love, were now set in hostile array againsteach other. What scenes of confusion and distress!not produced by the Bible; but by human authoritativecreeds, supported by sticklers for orthodoxy. My heartwas sickened, and effectually turned against such creeds,as nuisances of religious society, and the very bane ofChristian unity. » | Bea: © Immediately after our separation from Synod, we con-stituted ourselves into a Presbytery, which we calledthe Springfield Presbytery. We wrote a letter to ourcongregations, informed them of what had transpired, ~~ ays eiy é- ae , » BARTON W. STONE. 49 aud promised shortly to give them and the world a full , aaccount of our views of the gospel, and the causes of |our separation from Synod. This book we soon afterpublished, called The Apology of Springfield Presby-tery. In this book we stated our objections at lengthto the Presbyterian Confession of Faith, and against allauthoritative confessions and creeds formed by falliblemen. We expressed our total abandonment of all au-thoritative creeds, but the Bible alone, as the only ruleof our faith and practice. ‘This bock produced a greateffect in the Christian community; it was quickly re- _ published by the Methodists in Virginia, except our re- ' marks upon creeds. | The presses were employed, and teemed forth pamph-lets against us, full ef misrepresentation and invective,and the pulpits every where echoed their contents.These pamphlets and harangues against us excited in-quiry and conviction in the minds of many, and greatlyconduced to spread our views. The arguments againstus were clothed with such bitter words and hardspeeches, that many serious and pious persons, dis-gusted .and effended with their authors, were drivenfrom them, and cleaved to us. Soon after our separation, I called together my con-gregations, and informed them that I could no longerconscientiously preach to support the Presbyterianchurch—that my labors should henceforth be directedto advance the Redeemer’s kingdom, irrespective ofparty—that I absolved them from all obligations in apecuniary point of view, and then in their presence toreup their salary obligation to me, in order to free theirminds from all fear of being called upon hereafter for |aid. Never had a pastor and_churches lived togethermore harmoniously than we had for about six years. |Never have I found a more loving, kind, and orderlypeople in any country, and never have I felt a morecordial attachment to any others. I told them that Jshould continue to preach among them, but not in the— that had previously existed between us. This | 4 . > 7 . \=> Jfi"
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