Chapter 1: "Our Heritage"
Presbyterianism is both a heritage and a challenge. As we attempt to gather the facts of unusual interest for the past century, that have occurred in the life of Clarion Presbytery, we are convinced that we have a noble heritage in the "Faith of our Fathers." And it ought to be a challenge to the best that is within us; but it may be that we do not all understand how great is this heritage. And if we do not understand we can not fully appreciate the value of the past events. So the purpose of this record is to help us see something of the origin, the nature and the history of the religious life that has occurred in the area now commonly known as Clarion Presbytery.
Our Name
The name we bear has a most ancient origin, being derived from the Greek word meaning "Elder," and describes a form of government used by certain religious bodies, rather than the doctrinal belief that is held by these bodies. We find the word "Elder" as a religious ruler existing as early as the Exodus or about B.C. 1500. That our church holds an ancient and honorable form of government can not be denied; but we would not boast about this very ancient custom of being ruled by the Elders of the community, lest we fall into grievous errors, rather we would rejoice in the fact that many honorable names are to be found in the organizations that have held this form of government. And in this record of past deeds we read our present day challenge, "To bend every effort that is humanly possible to advance the Kingdom of God by this system in our generation."
Our Inheritance
We are reminded by Dr. Wm. T. Hanzsche in his little book entitled "The Presbyterians" that "The Presbyterians inherit with all other Christians a noble history. The most beautiful and fascinating story in all annals of man is the story of the growth of the Christian Church in the first century of the Christian era." [Wm. T. Hansche The Presbyterians (Westminster Press) page 9]. And Dr. Long reminds us that "Our Church had her beginning in the heart of God. The Holy Scriptures gives us the thrilling story of God working His purpose out through the selection of a race, and then of individuals; of the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Israel; and the preservation of the remnant in New Testament times is found worshipping in the Jewish Synagogue. In the fullness of time Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. He used the synagogue which He found, and on it grafted His church. From the foundation of the world He was, and is, the Head of the church if we consider the Church only as an organization. He came preaching the Kingdom of God. That Kingdom is always greater than the Church, but never less than the church [Roswell C. Long The Story of Our Church (Presby. Com. of Publication) page 16].
Our System
Presbyterianism is then a system of government, where the Church is controlled by representatives or elders chosen by the people themselves, and this system we think is found imbedded in the Scriptures themselves. It was not improvised by the ingenuity of men, but underlies all Bible instruction, a system used by the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament, a system likewise recognized by the Apostles and evangelists of the New, and a system that reappears again and again in both civil and religious affairs. So Presbyterianism is unquestionably an ancient and honorable form of religious government.
Referring to our Bible we find that the Elders were assembled by Moses before they left the land of Egypt (Ex. 4:29). And they are mentioned again in his farewell address (Deut. 31:33). In the days of Joshua we find the Elders were always the representatives of the people, and it was the Elders who came to Samuel to demand a king. The Elders came to David to request him to take over the government of the whole nation (II Sam. 5:3). And when Solomon dedicated the Temple he assembled the Elders at Jerusalem (I Kgs. 8:1).
Even during those distressing days of the captivity when the Children of Israel were living in a strange land, surrounded by a strange and idolatrous practices; when they found it to be impossible to attend services in the Temple, they instituted the Synagogue services, and the Elders were the chief officers. It was simply a continuation of the plan to which they had been accustomed. And when they returned to the homeland under Ezra and Nehemiah they continued this idea of the Synagogue services in Palestine.
In the New Testament we can not help being impressed with the prominence of the Elder in the government of the Church, although we do notice that sometimes they are spoken of as Bishops. But on good authority these two words would seem to be interchangeable, "Presbyter" and "Episcopos" both describing the representatives of congregation. The Elders were present in the first great Church Council in Jerusalem in 50 A.D. Likewise there were Elders present when the Apostle Paul made his report concerning his missionary journeys. And in the letters of the Apostle we find special instructions given to the Elders of the early churches.
Idea Of Church Developed
During the days of the captivity the word Synagogue was used to denote the assembly of the people for worship. Which is simply a Greek word denoting "Assembly" or "Congregation". These meetings seem to have been simply for the purpose of maintaining the religious life that already existed. But when the Spirit of Christianity was diffused in the first century, it was not with the idea of maintaining the religious life that already existed, but rather to extend this spirit into wider areas, even unto the ends of the earth. This desire being simply an effort to obey the great command "Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations." And so energetic were these followers of Christ in gathering the people for prayer, praise and exhortation, that their assemblies became known as the "Ekklesia" or "The called out." Thus the worship of the Synagogue soon became known as purely a Jewish service, while the worship of Ekklesia was the Christian service. And from this word we have derived our term "Ecclesiastical" or things that pertain to the Christian church.
Unity
It was about B. C. 400 when the Old Testament took the form of the Synagogues, but these new organizations were always recognized as Jewish places of worship, so as a matter of fact it was the same "Church" continued under new dispensation. We find the Apostle Paul emphasizing this unity of the church several times. In the Epistle to the Galatians he tells us that since we are Christ's therefore we are Abraha's seed and heirs. In Romans he compares the Church to an Olive tree, whose roots were planted many centuries ago in the days of the prophets and patriarchs. This tree has been growing for many centuries and now the Gentile Christians are grafted onto the ancient trunk. And in the Epistle to the Ephesians he compares the church to a beautiful building, where the foundations were laid long ago by the same patriarchs and prophets, and the Apostles builded thereon, and that Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of this building -- the church.
Dr. Walter Lingle, in his book Presbyterians, Their History and Their Beliefs says: "This oneness of the Old Testament church and the New Testament Church is a very important part of our Presbyerian conception of the church. You know the children of believers were included in the Old Testament covenant and were members of the Old Testament church. This being true, the children of believers are still included in the covenant and are members of the New Testament church, and have a right to baptism, if the Old Testament church and the New Testament are one and the same" (Pg. 11-12) [Walter L. Lingle Presbyterians, Their History and Beliefs (Presby. Com. of Pub.) page 11].
Organization
Now Presbyterians generally take considerable pride in those facts that they hold a very ancient and honorable form of government. But in time we find this simple plan of church government became more complicated, when emphasis was placed upon certain church centers, and the idea of a Bishop became one who was given authority of a certain district, while the Elder or Presbyter had authority only over a particular church. This idea continued to grow until the "Papacy" was well established as the accepted form of Church government. It was not until the sixteenth century that the unrest of certain individuals, who believed this plan of church government was a departure from the New Testament plan, were able to break away from the control of the Bishop of Rome.
It was when the age of the Apostles was past, between the third and fourth centuries that the idea of the office of Ruling Elder came to be regarded as solely a ministerial office. This idea was allowed to grow until the people were denied any share in the labor of the Church. And as a result of this movement in the course of time a hierarchy was established, composed entirely of ministers who assumed the absolute control of the church.
But to many careful readers of history this movement seemed to be a departure from the New Testament teaching, as well as a departure from the historic form that existed among the people of God at a much earlier date. So the student of history is not surprised to find a feeling of resentment, against this new form of church government, growing with the church itself.
Reformation
So in the sixteenth century this feeling of unrest and resentment burst forth in a "Flame of Rebellion" -- which was simply a protest against the existing forms of Church organization, and a desire to return to the Apostolic teachings. But we must remember that such movements do not simply happen. They may suddenly appear to come to a head but they are not accidental. Back of them there is a long series of forces quietly working till they find that public expression. And this is true with the Protestant reformation.
This movement secured the restoration of the office of Ruling Elder in the Christian church. And this work of restoration was preeminently the labor of John Calvin. Although a host of very honorable names appear during the Reformation, such as Wycliffe, Hus, Savonrola, Oecolampadeous, Luther, Zwingli and many others. All of whom have their place in the work of reformation. Yet the work of restoring the idea of Church Government by the Elder, who was elected as the representative of the people that are governed, was especially the work of Calvin. Although John Calvin was a Frenchman by birth, and labored in many fields, yet he did his greatest work in Switzerland, and especially in Geneva. So Geneva became the strongest example of this system of church government, anywhere in the world. And later it was copied by the churches of France, England and Scotland, and the system became known as the "Presbyterian System of Church Government."
Our Birth
But more particularly the Presbyterian church had its birth in the year 1643 when religious discussions in England came to a head, and Parliament called an assembly of ministers and laymen to meet in Westminster Abbey, London. This assembly was made up of one hundred and twenty-one clergymen, ten lords, twenty commoners from various parts of England, and seven commissioners from Scotland. Now Scotland had already adopted the Reformed faith and for over a century had been happily living under the Presbyterian system of church government. Before this assembly was called to meet in Westminster, they had formed their opinions on most of the questions to be discussed. But the meeting in Westminster was a notable gathering of men who were conspicuous for their learning and eloquence. They were the thinkers, the statesmen, the leaders of the community, as well as clergymen and hymnists.
During their deliberations very definite definitions were used. "Presbyterian" being that form of church government that was ruled by their own chosen representatives, and "Episcopal" being the government under a Bishop who had authority over a particular district, or diocese. This assembly was composed of Episcopalians, [unreadable], Independents, and Presbyterians from England and Scotland. As they proceeded with their task, they were divided into three committees, and there were Scotch Presbyterians on each of these committees. But Parliament kept a strict insight of all their deliberations, insisting that "No question shall be debated and voted upon the same day," and that "All statements shall be backed by Biblical proof." With such rules as these the findings of the assembly were generally accepted to all concerned. And the Presbyterians adopted what became known as the "Westminster Standards."
On to America
For many years after the Reformation we find that the Protestant (those who protested against the existing evils in the church) were severely persecuted by the opposing faction of the church. Soon the discovery of America proved to be not only one of the most wonderful events in human history, but also came with deep significance in religious circles, as it gave ample opportunity for these persecuted Protestants of Europe to flee from their native soil and escape the hand of oppression.
Thus very soon we find the English Pilgrims settling in Plymouth in 1620, the Calvinistic Puritans in Boston in 1628, the Dutch from Holland, who were also Calvinists, settling in New York in 1623; the French Huguenots in Virginia and in North Carolina in 1685. The Scotch and Irish Presbyterians began coming to American at a very early date and settled in the Carolinas and in New Jersey. As the religious persecutions in Europe became more intolerable these numbers increased, and from 1705 to 1775 there was a steady stream of Presbyterians flowing to America. A conservative historian has estimated that within seventy years, there were no less than five hundred thousand immigrants that came to American by the way of North Ireland. And a great majority of these settlers came to New Jersey and to Pennsylvania, then gradually moved westward, and many of them settled in and around Pittsburgh, until that city soon became known as the "Most Presbyterian City in American."
Old Redstone
To meet the needs of the growing West we find the Presbytery of Redstone, was erected September 19, 1781, which was the pioneer organization for all the work of the Presbyterian Church west of the Allegheny Mountains. One of the interesting facts to be remembered in connection with this organization is that it was not described by territorial limits, that is, it was established by the joint action of the Synod of "New York and Philadelphia" in the spring of that same year, to meet the needs of the growing country, and was only described by the churches and the ministers which it originally included. So literally this Presbytery of Old Redstone reached from the summit of the Allegheny Mountains to the setting sun, or at least to the furthest Western border of civilization.
Refining Fires
Someone has said that these pioneers who came to American had been refined in the fires of Religious Persecution in Europe; that they were a "Sifted people from the Old World." But if there were "Sifted" before they came to these shores how much greater was that sifting after their arrival in the New World. It is sad to read those early records and find that out of 900 who settled in Virginia in 1607, only 150 remained in June 1610. And likewise in Massachusetts, out of the 100 Pilgrims who came in the Mayflower, more than half were dead, when that boat returned four months later. But these settlers sought God and not gold, and they conquered the terrors of the wilderness.
Faith of Our Fathers
As these settlers pushed westward they knew that their workers were few, their resources were limited and the hardships were severe, yet they bravely pushed forward with resolute purpose to find Religious freedom and civil liberty. Till different nationalities, different social customs, and different intellectual standards were blended together in a united people. And it is with peculiar interest that we find the Church taking a leading part in this development, "till the History of the Nation is the History of the Church." So the foundations of the new World were laid on Religion, Education and Obedience. And it is because of the Faith, the Vision and the Sacrifice of those who have gone before us that we now dwell together in happiness, and in peace and in security.
