BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

AND

SERMONS.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE REV, WILLIAM MARSHALL.

WILLIAM MARSHALL was born about the year 1740, near Abernethy, in the county of Fife, in Scotland. His father was a respectable farmer; and for many years an elder in the Associate congregation under the pastoral care of the Rev. Alexander Moncrief, one of the four ministers who first seceded from the Church of Scotland.

Mr. Marshall having gone through the preparatory studies, was admitted into the divinity hall, under the inspection of Mr. Moncrief, of whom he always spoke with affection.

After attending the usual course of lectures, he was taken on trials by the Associate Presbytery of Perth, with a view to his being licensed to preach the gospel, and with the particu. lar design of sending him to America. Mr. Pierie, also, was taken on trials at the same time, and with the same view. The texts given them by the Presbytery, to preach from, were suited to the occasion. That of Mr. Pierie was, (Isaiah vi. 8,) "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Mr. Marshall was to preach from the last clause, "Here am I, send me." Mr. Pierie did not fulfill his mission; and soon afterward joined another religious denomination. The several discourses delivered by Mr. Marshall before the Presbytery were approved; he was licensed to preach, and immediately sent on a mission to Pennsylvania.

He landed at Philadelphia in August, 1763. In October, 1764, the congregation at Deep Run, Bucks county, gave him a call to be their minister. The congregations of Octorara and Muddy Creek, also drew up calls for him soon after

ward. These three calls were presented to the Presbytery that met on the 1st of November, 1764, at Octorara. Presbytery agreed that Mr. Marshall should have his choice, except Mr. Henderson, who had it marked in the minutes, that he was of opinion that the Presbytery ought to decide the business. Mr. Marshall was informed that he might make choice of any of the three calls. He accepted the one from Deep Run; and gave as the reasons of his doing so, the unanimity of the people; their being formerly disappointed; their local situation rendering it difficult for the Presbytery to supply them with preaching. The Presbytery immediately gave him his trial discourses in view of ordination; which being delivered at an interim meeting and sustained, he was ordained at Deep Run, on the 30th of August, 1765. Mr. John Mason preached the ordination sermon, from John iii. 10, and fixed the pastoral relation.

Petitions for supply of preaching, being sent to the Presbytery from Philadelphia, Mr. Marshall preached there. In 1768, the congregation petitioned for the moderation of a call, which was drawn up for him, May 16th, and presented to the Presbytery on June 22d, the same year; with reasons for his removal. The Presbytery having cited the people at Deep Run to appear at their next meeting, delayed the consideration of the call till then. On the 31st of August the Presbytery met again, and heard the reasons of the congregation of Philadelphia for Mr. Marshall's removal, and those of the congregation of Deep Run against it. The decision was delayed till the next meeting; and was then further delayed until a meeting at Philadelphia, April 19th, 1769, when the Presbytery unanimously loosed Mr. Marshall from his charge at Deep Run, and presented to him the call from Philadelphia, which he accepted with this limitation, "that his installment be delayed till the Lord grant him further light about it." This was agreed to. For two years afterwards, he preached mostly in Philadelphia, and on the 30th of April, 1771, the pastoral relation between him and the congregation was fixed. Mr. Annan presided on the occasion, and preached fromIsaiah liii. 11.

Mr. Marshall was the first of the Associate Presbytery that ficiated in Philadelphia. The number of the people was ll; and as they had no place of worship, he preached in due store. A small farm house was afterwards occupihippen-street; but this being limited by deed to a conin connection with the Burghers, and a contest about *y being likely to ensue, it was resolved to build

another place of worship. A lot of ground was purchased in Spruce-street, and the church erected in 1771. The expenses incurred were far above the ability of the people, few or none being in affluent circumstances. In order to lighten the burden of the congregation, recourse was had to soliciting subscriptions. Mr. Marshall was very diligent, and in a considerable degree successful in collecting money; yet notwithstanding the exertions made to obtain pecuniary aid, a large debt encumbered the congregation for many years.

In the contest between Britain and her colonies, Mr. Marshall was decidedly in favor of the latter. When the British army took possession of Philadelphia, in 1777, he was consequently obliged to take refuge in the country; where he preached mostly among his old people at Deep Run. The congregation of Philadelphia suffered much at this time from the evils of war. The church was made a hospital for the Hessians; the pews were torn down and destroyed, and the windows mostly broken; the people were scattered through various parts of the country, and several of them never returned. A good deal of Mr. Marshall's household furniture was carried off; so that when the British left the city in 1778, he and the congregation had the world to begin anew; and it was some time before the church was fully repaired.

No transaction in which Mr. Marshal! ever was engaged, was followed with so important consequences to himself, and to the church with which he was connected in America, as the opposition he made to a union with the Reformed Presbytery, or as they are commonly called Covenanters.

From the commencement of the American Revolution the ministers of the Associate Presbytery were unanimously in favor of it; and the ministers of the Reformed Presbytery took the same side. One difference between the two bodies seemed thus to be done away; and it was proposed to unite. A Conference for this purpose was held in Lancaster county, in 1777. Mr. Marshall. however, was opposed to this union from the beginning, on any plan, but that of the Reformed Presbytery's giving an explicit approbation of the principles of the Associate Presbytery. He was against any compromise, or the drawing up of articles of union in terms of doubtful construction.

On the 13th of June 1782, the union with the Reformed Presbytery was agreed upon, by the casting vote of the Moderator, Mr. Proudfit. The minority protested and ap

* See Introduction.

pealed to the Synod in Scotland; this appeal being refused, Mr. Marshall read another protest: That the powers of the Associate Presbytery were vested in those who adhered to its true principles and constitution; and he, as clerk, took up the minutes and papers of the Presbytery, and with the minority retired to the Session House, chose a new Moderator, done some business, and then adjourned.

Mr. Marshall being a man of influence, some pains were taken, in order to induce him to join the union. These overtures were uniformly rejected. To this he was encouraged by the approbation which his conduct, and that of Mr. Clarkson, met with from the Associate Synod; who had approved of their proceedings, and acknowledged them as the true Associate Presbytery, in union with the Synod.

Mr. Marshall had thus the peculiar satisfaction to find the part he had taken, in opposing the union, approved, and to see his adherents increasing. His situation in his own con gregation, was, however, not agreeable; some of his people, among whom were four of his five elders, leaned towards the union; and though they attended his ministry, mutual jealousies took place, which at length came to an open rupture.

Those in the congregation who were attached to Mr. Marshall, were offended at the conduct of the elders, and suspicious of their designs; and in order to have some persons in the session, in whom they had confidence, petitioned in 1785, for an addition to the eldership. This, though agreeable to Mr. Marshall, the session flatly refused.

In the beginning of 1786, a petition was produced at a meeting of trustees, several of whom were elders, to the Assembly of the state, to annul that clause in the Deed of Trust for the church, which confined it to a congregation in subordination to the Associate Synod in Scotland; this they said was improper, since the colonies were independent. Great pains had been taken to introduce this limitation, which was now a bar in the way of those who wished to join the union, and to take the house of worship with them. Two of the trustees suspecting that their design went farther than what they professed, refused to join in this petition. It was carried through the congregation, and signed by a number of its members, and was afterwards presented to the Assembly. Mr. Marshall drew up a remonstrance against altering the Deed of Trust, which was also signed by his friends, and given in to the Assembly. Both parties were heard before a committee of that body. At length a bill was brought in, which annulled the subordination to the Synod, and besides added a

clause, whereby church officers were obliged to take the oath of allegiance to the state. The Assembly threw out this last section; and, as was the mode at that time, postponed the third reading of the bill till their next session. During the pending of this bill, the opposers of Mr. Marshall very ungenerously insinuated, that the Presbytery and their people were subject to a foreign jurisdiction, and so were dangerous to the state. They succeeded so far, as for a while to raise considerable agitation in the city.

Matters were hastening to a crisis in the congregation. The elders were cited to appear before their Presbytery, which met in Philadelphia on the 31st of May, 1786. Their conduct was voted censurable; but before they proceeded to any censure, a paper was read signed by four of the elders, signifying that they neither were nor had been in connection with the Presbytery since 1782, but belonged to another denomination. After reading this paper, the Presbytery, on motion of Mr. Marshall, immediately proceeded to censure; they deposed four of the elders, suspended one, and excluded all five from the fellowship of the church.

The excommunication, according to the Deed of Trust, deprived the elders, also, of their office of trustees; but they, in retaliation, resolved to hold their offices by force; and to expel Mr. Marshall. Accordingly, in a day or two, they sent him a written notice, forbidding him to enter the church. They barricaded the door and windows, and kept guard around the building. On next Sabbath morning, Mr. Marshall, according to legal advice, went to the church to demand entrance. He was met by the armed elders and their adherents, and forbidden to enter. On which he retired, and preached in an adjoining building. The next Sabbath the elders got a minister belonging to the Associate Reformed Synod, to preach in the church; they keeping guard as on the preceding Sabbath. Mr. Marshall went to the church for admittance, but was again met by the armed men: on being refused entrance, he read a paper protesting against any person occupying his pulpit, to which he had not forfeited his right. He then retired and preached as before.

Mr. Annan, who had been unsuccessful in gathering a congregation in Boston, came on to Philadelphia, in a few Sabbaths after Mr. Marshall had been thus violently kept out of his Meeting-House, and took possession of it, under circumstances which induced Mr. Marshall and others to think that the elders had been excited and directed in their course by his influence. He was afterwards installed as pastor, by the