SECESSIONSECKENDORF. 



183 



were called burghers: and those who held the 

 swearing of it to be sinful were called antiburghers. 



The former argued, that the clause objected to 

 contained nothing more than what, in their acts 

 and testimonies, they had already acknowledged and 



virtually engaged to perform they had not se- 

 ceded from the standards or principles of the estab- 

 lishment, but from the prevailing party in her judi- 

 catories, which pursued a course contrary to the 

 principles of the church, and that therefore the 

 secession itself was j ust a fulfilling the requirements 

 of the oath. The latter (the antiburghers) argued, 

 that the swearing of the disputed clause imported 

 a solemn renunciation and dropping of the whole 

 of their testimony, because that this oath, being 

 administered by magistrates belonging to the estab- 

 lished church, ought to be understood in the sense 

 of the magistrate for whose security it is given, 

 and that the "true religion" mentioned in it, was 

 to be understood as reduplicating upon every act 

 of parliament or assembly, however inconsistent 

 with the law of God as including all the corrup- 

 tions both of church and state. For the sake of pre- 

 serving peace, the burghers offered to condescend 

 on an act discharging seceders to swear this clause 

 of the oath, "as inexpedient in present circum- 

 stances, there being so much contention with regard 

 to its import." This proposition the antiburghers 

 rejected, and would be satisfied with nothing less 

 than an act declaring the present swearing of the 

 oath sinful for seceders, and inconsistent with their 

 testimony and covenant-bond. After discussing 

 the question at two different meetings of synod, it 

 was proposed and carried, "that the present swear- 

 ing of the religious clause in the burgess oath 

 should not be a term of ministerial and Christian 

 communion with them, at least till the affair should 

 be maturely considered in presbyteries and sessions, 

 and their opinion returned, and further means of 

 unanimity, by prayer and conference, essayed." 

 Against this decision Mr Thomas Mair protested, 

 and those of his party met next day in a synodical 

 capacity. When both parties had finally mustered 

 their forces, it was found that, notwithstanding the 

 majority of acting members by which the deed had 

 been enacted, nineteen ministers adhered to the 

 antiburgher views, and twelve to those of the 

 burghers. Nor can we help lamenting that the 

 grounds on which the question was argued were 

 so limited. Both parties might well have con- 

 demned an oath, which excluded men from civil 

 privileges, not merely because of doctrines held by 

 them, and which might be considered dangerous, 

 but also because of what they might refuse to pro- 

 fess an oath which, in the present day, would be 

 held as inconsistent with the rights of man and the 

 settled liberties of every British subject. 



Thus the associate synod was unhappily rent 

 asunder, to the no small injury of the secession 

 cause, and the interests of religion ; for the keen 

 party feelings engendered by the discussions in the 

 synod, soon spread through the churches, and caused 

 much heart-burning and unchristian conduct. How- 

 ever both parties, though it must be admitted that 

 they sometimes did not " provoke one another to 

 love and to good works," continued to maintain the 

 game fundamental principles and to dispeyse the 

 ordinances of religion, exercising the presbyterian 

 form of government and discipline in their eccle- 

 siastical assemblies. Considerable exertion was 

 made by them to supply the necessities of their 

 brethren in Ireland, the United States, and British 



America. Not a few ministers were sent to these 

 I parts, at the expense of seceders in Scotland. 



The fever of party, which for many years ran 

 very high, began gradually to subsidetime 

 smoothed down their mutual asperities; and the 

 chief ground of difference (the burgess qath) be- 

 ing removed, multitudes on both sides began to see 

 1 that they acted the inconsistent and unchristian 

 part of walking asunder, while in reality they were 

 agreed. Petitions poured in from sessions and con- 

 gregations to their respective synods, praying that 

 something might be done toward a reunion. A 

 committee, consisting of members of both synods, 

 was appointed to frame a scheme of coalescence. 

 This committee met, drew out, and laid before the 

 synods a series of articles, as a basis of union. 

 After mature consideration, the synods adopted 

 them, with few amendments; and' agreed that at 

 their next meeting they would unite into one 

 court. Soon after, both synods met in their sepa- 

 rate capacity for the last time; and having finished 

 their own business, each met with the other on the 

 8th September, 1820, on the very spot where, more 

 than seventy years before, they had disagreed, con- 

 tended and separated. The basis of union was 

 read, the members standing, in token of their assent 

 to the solemn deed of confederation, who then gave 

 to each other the right hand of fellowship, expres- 

 sive of union and brotherly love. The scene is 

 said, by those who witnessed it, to have been inte- 

 resting and affecting in the highest degree. They 

 now took the title of " The United Associate 

 Synod of the Secession Church" adopted a " For- 

 mula of Ordination," and a " Summary of Princi- 

 ples," to be understood also " as a Directory for the 

 admission of members." Since this union, the se- 

 cession church has continued gradually to in- 

 crease in the north of England and in Scotland. 

 At present it consists of between three and four 

 hundred ministers, twenty presbyteries, and one 

 synod, which meets twice in the year. The synod 

 employs a number of preachers in home missions to 

 the more destitute corners of the land: and has 

 lately engaged, with great spirit, in foreign mis- 

 sions. 



Besides the united church, there are other two 

 small but respectable bodies of seceders. One of 

 these is commonly known by the name of original 

 or old-light burghers, who separated from their 

 brethren about the beginning of this century, chiefly 

 concerning the magistrate's power in religious mat- 

 ters. These at present contemplate a reunion with 

 the national church. The other, commonly called 

 original seceders or old-light anti-burghers, con- 

 sists of two small parties now united. One of these 

 left the general body about thirty years ago, also 

 because of discontent at the way in which the above 

 question was settled by the synod to which they 

 belonged ; the other, because of the union between 

 the burghers and anti-burghers. These, hi their 

 united state, hold sentiments favourable to civil 

 establishments of religion, hut are not prepared to 

 join with the church of Scotland in its present 

 state. 



There are also many seceders in Ireland and 

 North America, who are for the most part in de- 

 clared friendship and communion with the united 

 secession church in Scotland. 



SECHELLES. See Uerau.lt. 



SECKENDORF, VEIT Louis VON, a German 

 divine and historian, was born in 1626, at Auiarh, 

 in Franconia, and received his education with tile 



