This was the origin of the famous " Secession Church," which has made so deep an impress on the religious life of Scotland. At first composed of only four ministers, it rapidly began to gather strength. Little Christian societies were everywhere formed, which were gradually supplied with pastors either from the establishment, or from pious youths trained to the work of the ministry by Erskine and his friends. Erskine and his friends drew up a statement of their reasons for separation, which was published under the title of A Testimony to the Doctrine, Worship, Government, and Discipline of the Church. of Scotland, or Reasons (by the Four Brethren) for their Protestation entered before the Com mission of the General Assembly. This document, which afterward came to be known as the "First or Extra-judicial Testimony," presented in a polemical or argumentative form those facts in the later history of the church-of Scotland at which we have already glanced; and is of great value with reference to a proper understanding of the grounds of secession. From it we learn that it was not one thing only, not even the unpopular "law of patronage" (as has sometimes been carelessly imagined and asserted), that induced Erskine and his friends to leave the church of their fathers; but an accumula tion of grievances that in their eyes had become insupportable. In short- the Secession church had a religious, and not a political origin. What the "four brethren" sought was the vindication of what they held to be evangelical truth, much more than of the mere right of "popular election." So much popular indignation was excited by the deposi tion of the "four brethren," that it was thought desirable by the majority of the "Moderate party" to make certain concessions to the "Evangelicals," or "Marrow party," lest the spirit of insurrection should grow, and perhaps overturn the establish ment. Accordingly, the general assembly of 1734 passed some measures distinctly favor-. able to the latter party, and curiously contrasting with their former procedure; and finally, on the last day of the sittings, empowered the "synod of Perth and Stirling" to, remove the censures from the four brethren, and to restore them to their respective! charges. This was done; and to show how far their new-born cordiality could go, the synod proceeded, in Mr. Erskine's absence, to elect him "moderator;" but Mr. Erskine declined to be " reposed," and gave his reasons in a letter to the Stirling presbytery, and in a pamphlet subsequently published. In Dec., 1736, appeared the pamphlet entitled Act, Declaration, and Testimony for the Doctrine, Worship, Discipline, and Government of the Church of Scotland, commonly known as the "Judicial Testimony," which is a sort of survey of the whole ecclesiastical history of Scotland from the reformation down ward, in which all the "instances of defection and relapse are marked and judicially condemned." In 1737 the rev. Thomas Nair of Orwell, the rev. Ralph Erskine of Dunfermline, the rev. Thomas Nairn of Abbotshall, and the rev. James Thomson of Burntisland, joined the original " four." The church authorities, filled with anger and alarm, now resolved to proceed to extremities against the seceders. In 1738 the " com mission," obeying the injunctions of the assembly of that year, libeled the "Eight Brethren," and summoned them to appear before the assembly of 1739, which they did —having, however, first drawn up and passed an act entitled a Declinature, in which they disclaimed the authority of the established courts. One final effort was made by the assembly to bring them back to the bosom of the church, but it failed—the "breth ren" adhering strictly to all their former protestations and testimonies; and after a " year of grace," the general assembly of 1740 solemnly pronounced their deposition, and the connection between Erskine and the church of his fathers was forever at an end.
It is not necessary to describe minutely the gradual extension of the "Secession movement" among the people of Scotland, but we may mention, that in spite of the frequent refusal of sites for churches, and other modes of persecution, the cause abun dantly prospered; and after a few years, the " Secession. Church" came to be recognized
as a really important body, both from the number of its congregations, and the grave, serious, and solid character of its members.
In 1747 a rupture or "breach" took place in the new body on the question of the burgess-oath, some affirming that this oath could not be taken by any consistent seceder, and others insisting that it could, and that the question regarding it ought to be matter of mutual forbearance. The party condemning the religious clause in the burgess-oath formed the General Associate synod, or popularly, the Anti burgher Synod; the party tolerating it, the Associate or Burgher Synod. Subsequently, a second split occurred in each of these, and two other trivial denominations were formed, the one assuming the designation of the Constitutional Associate Presbytery, or Old Light Anti-burghers (1806); and the other, the designation of the Original Burgher Presbytery, or Old Light Burghers (1799). After holding aloof from each other for more than 70 years, the Burghers and Anti-Burghers began to approximate once more, and finally, on Sept. 8, 1820, in Bristo street meetinghouse, Edinburgh, the synods of the two long separated branches of the Secession were solemnly reunited. At the date of the "breach" (1747), the number of Secession congregations was 32; when the reunion took place, it had increased to 262. Henceforward, the history of the Secession church exhibits a course of uninterrupted prosperity. A certain change, however, now begins to show itself in the character and spirit of the denomination. Hitherto, seceders had worn a sort of old-world look, if we may use these words respectfully; their thoughts and interests in matters ecclesiastical centered round bygone times and events; their very language, like their sentiments, was archaic, and fell coldly upon all but the devoutest ears. Now, however, the wants of the modern world made themselves felt even in the narrow circles of Scotch dissent. In a word, they came under the liberalizing influences of the new-born enthusiasm for for eign missions, and started " stations" in Canada, Jamaica, Trinidad, Calabar, etc. So vigorously was this important branch of Christian work carried on, that in 1847, at the period of the union (1 the Secession and Relief churches, the former was found to be supporting a staff of more than 60 missionaries in different parts of the world. Further, the Secession church began to assume an attitude more distinctly antagonistic to the establishment. Though it has never formally avowed the voluntary principle (see VOL UNTARYISM), yet the fact that it has maintained itself ab initio by voluntary effort, has had the effect of determining the great majority of the pastors and people to adopt this principle. A variety of circumstances, partly political and partly ecclesiastical, led to a great controversy between leading divines of the Establishment and of the Secession, known as the Voluntary Controversy (1829-34), which served to strengthen the voluntary ism of the seceders, and brought them more closely into connection with the Relief church (see below), whose theoretical voluntaryism was perhaps still more pronounced. Next followed the famous Atonement Controversy, in which the Secession church signal ized itself by an adherence to the liberal evangelical theology of the Marrow, and on this -vital point also it had the sympathy and support of the Relief body. The desire for union between the two denominations now became stronger than ever. Committees were appointed, and conferences held; and at length on May 13,1847, in Tanfield hall, Edinburgh, the union of the Secession and Relief war: formally accomplished, and the two churches, abandoning the names by which they had hitherto been known, formed themselves into one body under the designation of the UxrrEn PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.