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till some months after. They next visited Richard M'Nemar, on Little Miami, state of Ohio. They were still more successful here. Richard, with the most of his church, including some of the most distinguished licenciates of the Presbytery of Springfield, hailed them as the messengers of Christ's second appearance. J. Dunlavy, who lived also in Ohio, with a considerable number of his flock, followed in a few months. The whole object of the warfare was now changed. Far from having any force to spare to the demolishing of old and orthodox systems of faith and church order, the New Light church had not strength to defend itself. It was, in fact, a prey to every invader,

Though they had, again and again, renounced every thing like authority-yet they found it necessary still to have meetings of preachers and private members promiscuously assembled, which they called conferences: But these were found to be of no use, for either internal or external purposes; because, after conference was over, each one acted just as he pleased, however contrary to the conclusions of conference.

CONCLUSION.

It was those people, and the errors which were prop agated by them, which occasioned father Rice's first Epistle to the citizens of Kentucky. Two other pamphlets, of very considerable merit, have since that time been published by Rev. Thomas Cleland, of Mercer county, in answer to an equal number of publications by Barton W. Stone. These publications, and other means, have had their effects in recovering from the

delusion a considerable number of worthy and useful members of the Presbyterian Church, and in confining the heresies and disorders chiefly to those who have never been in any close connexion with any regular church. What may be the gross number of Societies or of people in Kentucky who still adhere to the New Lights, cannot be ascertained with any degree of accuracy. B. W. Stone still continues to be acknowledged as their father and leader. But from his having fre quently changed his place of residence, and from his changing the scene of his operations almost every summer, we would infer, that a permanent flourishing Society in any one place is not known in the connexion.

P. S. The New Lights are said to be numerous in some of the new settlements in the adjoining states. Of the five members of the Synod who were deposed on account of the New Light doctrines, two very soon be-came Shaking Quakers,-and other two were upon sufficient evidence of repentance restored to their ministerial standing, and continue active and useful ministers of the gospel of our Lord.

No. 3.

THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED CHURCH OF KENTUCKY.

In 1784, or 1785, Rev. A. Rankin, from Rockbridge, Virginia, settled in Lexington, being the first Presbyte

rian minister who settled north of the Kentucky river. He undertook the charge of two congregations, one at Lexington, and another at Pisgah, some 6 or 8 miles distant. In some of his first sacramental occasions, it is said, that there were upwards of five hundred communicants.

In Oct. 1789, Mr. Rankin was arraigned before the Presbytery of which he was a member, on a general charge of slandering his brethren in the ministry. Af ter a delay of something better than two years, the charge was considered by Fresbytery as substantiated, and Mr. Rankin was required to submit to what censure might be considered necessary. Mr. Rankin, instead of submitting, declined all further connection with Presbytery, and received on the spot what was called the right hand of fellowship from a considerable number of the bystanders. He proceeded immediately to organize separate societies for which cause, as well as for contumacy, the Presbytery, at a subsequent meeting, solemnly deposed him from the ministerial office.

Whatever was the truth in the case, the great majority of the people, who adhered to Mr. Rankin, sincerely believed that he was the slandered man, and that the other members of Presbytery were the slanderers-and that Mr. Rankin had suffered, and still was suffering, for his sincere, and ardent, and consci entious attachment to the exclusive use of Rouse's version of the Psalms of David, in opposition to Watt's Imitation. Hence they considered him and themselves, as faithful testimony-bearing men, for what they called

Scriptural Psalmody, in opposition to Psalms and Hymns of human composition, and of human authority.

In May, 1793, Mr. Rankin and his adherents were, on their application to the Synod which met in Philadelphia, received into the communion of the Associate Reformed Church, and ministerial aid was from that time till 1818, occasionally sent them.

In 1802 there were three settled ministers of the Associate Reformed Church in Kentucky, who formed a Presbytery, called the Associate Reformed Presbytery of Kentucky. They had 6 or 8 congregations, which were considered under regular pastoral inspection, and about an equal number of vacancies, which were visited twice or thrice in the year. The number of communicants were at that time said to be about 500."

In 1812 there were five settled ministers having the pastoral inspection of eight congregations. Number of communicants in these eight congregations, 387.-Vacancies, eight-supposed number of communicants in these, 250.-Total in communion, 637.

In 1814 father Rankin was again charged before his Presbytery with having been in the habit of slandering his brethren, and also with having imposed upon the Associate Reformed Church, when he and his people were admitted into the communion of that body. The last charge was never tried. The first was, after a great many delays and discussions, finally decided by a Commission of the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Church, in these words:

"Their decision on the whole of the premises is-That the Rev. Adam Rankin, convicted before them of lying

and slandering his brethren, is a scandalous person, and ought not to continue in the exercise of the christian ministry; and they accordingly did, and hereby do, in the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only King and Head of the Church, suspend him, the said A. Rankin, from the office of the gospel ministry, forbidding him all and every one of the proper acts thereof until he be lawfully restored thereto. Done at Lexington, state of Kentucky, this 17th day of Sept. A. D. 1818.

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Several years before the passing of this sentence, all the societies which had been organized by Mr. Rankin, in the beginning of his career, were, from a variety of of causes, in a state of dissolution.

they can be scarcely said to have had

Since that time

any

existence.

No. 4.

THE ASSOCIATE CHURCH OF KENTUCKY.

SOMETIME in the year 1795 or 96, two or three individuals in Kentucky, originally from Scotland, addressed a petition to the General Synod of the Associ

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