EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION.

BY THE REV. W. W. ORWIG,

NEW BERLIN, UNION COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

THIS Christian denomination took its rise about the year 1800, in one of the middle free States of America; at first they were called the Albrights, (Albrechtsleute), probably on account of Jacob Albright having been, by the grace of God, the instrument of their solemnly uniting themselves for the service of Almighty God. About the year 1790, Jacob Albright became the happy subject of the awakening influences of God's Holy Spirit, and was brought to the knowledge of his sinful state and of the truth; and after a long and very severe struggle, he received at last, by faith in the Son of God, the remission of his sins and the spirit of adoption. In this state he spent several years in the service of God; and, at the request of his fellow-Christians, he at sundry times spake publicly a word of exhortation, which did not remain fruitless. In the year 1796, after a very severe conflict respecting his call to the ministry, he commenced travelling through the country, and to preach the gospel of Christ, and him crucified, to his fellow-men, and the Lord owned and richly blessed his labours, and gave him many souls for his recompense. Having now continually a feeling and tender regard for the Germans of this country, as among them true Christianity was at that time at a very low ebb and almost entirely extirpated: he united himself in the year 1800 with a number of persons, who by his preaching had been awakened and converted to God, into a Christian society. This is the origin of the Evangelical Association. In the year 1803 this society resolved upon introducing and instituting among, and for, themselves an ecclesiastical regulation. Jacob Albright was therefore elected as the presiding elder among them, and duly confirmed by the other preachers, and by their laying on of hands ordained, so as to authorize him to perform all transactions that are necessary for a Christian society, and becoming to an evangelical preacher. They unanimously chose

the sacred scriptures for their guide in faith and action, and formed their church discipline accordingly, as any one may see, who will take the pains to investigate and examine the same. At first, indeed, when their principles and design were not yet much known, this denomination met with considerable opposition and suffered much persecution; it, however, spread more and more till to the present time, but more especially during the last ten years. At present (1843,) their number is near 15,000 communicants, and between two and three hundred preachers, of whom there are above one hundred travelling preachers. Hitherto they have confined their labours chiefly to the German population of the United States and the Canadas, and have for some time past been very successful in their missions among the emigrated Germans in the western States, and in several of the principal seaports of this country. The following is a compend of their unanimous doctrine and confession of faith.

ARTICLES OF FAITH.

I. Of the Holy Trinity.-There is but one only, true and living God, an eternal Being, a Spirit without a body, indivisible, infinite, mighty, wise and good, the creator and preserver of all things, visible and invisible. And in this Godhead there is a trinity, of one substance and power, and co-eternal; namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

II. Concerning the Word, or Son of God, who became Man.-The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the eternal and true God, of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, so that both natures, the divine and the human, are perfectly and inseparably joined together in him (as in one person); therefore he is Christ (the anointed) very God and very man, even he, who suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, in order to reconcile the justice of the eternal Father with us, and to present himself a sacrifice for both our original and actual sins.

III. Of Christ's Resurrection.-This Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and reassumed his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, and thus in the same body he ascended into heaven, and sitteth there until he return again, at the last day, to judge all men.

IV. Of the Holy Ghost.-The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son, is the true and eternal God, of one substance, majesty and glory, with the Father and the Son.

V. The Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for our Instruction to Sal

vation.-The Holy Scriptures contain the decree of God, so far as it is necessary for us to know for our salvation; so that whatsoever is not contained therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be enjoined on any to believe as an article of faith, nor as a doctrine essential to salvation.

By the Holy Scriptures, we understand those canonical books of the Old and New Testament, which the church at all times indubiously received as such.

VI. Concerning the Old Testament.-The Old and New Testaments are not contrary to each other; in both, as well in the Old as in the New Testament, everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, being both God and man, and the only Mediator between God and man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, who teach that the fathers of the ancient covenant had grounded their expectations on transitory promises only. Though the law given from God by Moses, touching ceremonies and rites, doth not bind Christians by any means, nor ought the civil precepts thereof of necessity be received in any commonwealth: yet, notwithstanding, no Christian is free from the obedience of the ten commandments, which are also called the moral law.

VII. Of Original Sin.-Original sin consisteth not in the following of Adam (as some falsely pretend); but it is that corruption of the human nature, in which every offspring of Adam appears in this world-a corruption, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and, on the contrary, is of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.

VIII. Of Free Will.-The condition of man after and since the fall of Adam is so wretched, that we cannot turn unto God by the simple powers of nature; and hence we cannot by our own natural strength do any good works, pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, and influencing us that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will.

IX. Of the Justification of Man.-We are never accounted righteous before God on account of our works or merits; but it is only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and by faith in his name, that we are justified. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and full of comfort.

X. Of Good Works.-Though good works are the fruits of faith, and follow justification, whilst they have not the virtue to put away our sins, nor to avert the judgment, or endure the severity of God's justice: yet they are pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, if they spring out

of a true and living faith, insomuch, that by them living faith may be as evidently known, as a tree is discerned by its fruit.

XI. Of Sin after Justification.-Not every sin willingly committed after justification is, therefore, the sin against the Holy Ghost, which is unpardonable. They cannot all be precluded from repentance who fall in sin after justification, nor their acceptance straightway denied them. After we have received the Holy Ghost, it may so happen, that we may depart from grace, and fall into sin; and, we may even thus arise again by the grace of God and amend our lives. And, therefore, the doctrine of those is to be rejected, who say, they can no more fall into sin as long as they live here, or who deny the place of forgiveness to such as do truly repent.

XII. Of the Church.-The visible Church of Christ is the community of true believers, among whom the word of God is preached in its purity, and the means of grace are duly administered, according to Christ's own appointment in all those things, so far as they are requisite, and in conformity with the ordinances of Christ.

XIII. Of speaking in the Congregation in such a Tongue as the People may understand.-Public prayers in the church, and the ministering of baptism and of the Lord's Supper in a tongue not understood by the people, are matters plainly repugnant to the word of God, and the custom of the primitive church.

XIV. Of Baptism and the Lord's Supper.-Baptism and the Lord's Supper, ordained by Christ, are not only given pledges or tokens of Christian men's profession, but they are much more certain signs of grace and God's good will towards us, by which he works invisibly in us, quickens and also strengthens and confirms our faith in him.

Baptism and the Lord's Supper were not ordained by Christ that we should abuse them; but that we should duly use them. And in such only, as worthily receive the same, they produce a wholesome and effectual power; but such, as receive them unworthily, purchase to themselves damnation, as Paul saith.

XV. Of Baptism.-Baptism is not merely a token of a Christian profession, whereby Christians are distinguished from others, and whereby they obligate themselves to observe every Christian duty; but it is also a sign of internal ablution, renovation, or the new birth.

XVI. Of the Lord's Supper.-The Supper of the Lord is not merely a token of love and union, that Christians ought to have among themselves and one towards another; but it is much more, a mystery or a representation of our redemption by the sufferings and death of Christ; insomuch, that such as rightly, and worthily, and faithfully receive the same, partake of the body and blood of Christ by faith, as the impart

ing means, not in a bodily but in a spiritual manner, in eating the broken bread and in drinking the blessed cup, which is handed them. Transubstantiation, or the changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper, cannot be supported by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of the Scriptures. XVII. Of the only Oblation of Christ, finished upon the Cross.—The offering which was once made by Christ on the cross, is that perfect redemption, propitiation and satisfaction, for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual, so that there is no other satisfaction required but that alone..

XVIII. Of Church Rites and Ceremonies.-It is by no means necessary, that ceremonies and rites should in all places be the same, or exactly alike; for they have always been different, and may be changed according to the diversity of countries, times and national manners, provided, that nothing be introduced contrary to God's ordinances. Whosoever, through his private judgment, willingly and purposely doth break the ordinances, ceremonies and rites of the church to which he belongs, (if they are not repugnant to the word of God, and are ordained by proper authority,) ought to be rebuked openly, as one that offendeth against the order of the church, and woundeth the consciences of the weaker brethren, in order that others may be deterred from similar audacity.

Every particular church has the privilege to introduce, change and abolish rites and ceremonies; yet so, that all things may be done to edification.

XIX. Of the Rulers of the United States of America.-The President, Congress, the General Assemblies, the Governors, and the Councils of State, as the delegates of the people, according to the regulation and transfer of power, made to them by the constitution of the United States, and by the constitutions of their respective states, are the rulers of, and in the United States. And these states are a sovereign and independent nation, which is and ought not to be subject to any foreign jurisdiction: though we believe that wars and bloodshed are not agreeable with the gospel and spirit of Christ.

XX. Concerning the Christian's temporal property.—The temporal property of Christians must not be considered as common, in regard to the right, title and possession of the same, as some do vainly pretend; but as lawful possessions. Notwithstanding, every one ought, of the things he possesseth, to give to the poor and needy, and to manifest Christian love and liberality towards them.

XXI. Of the last Judgment and God's righteous Sentence of Rewards and Punishments.-We believe that Jesus Christ will come in the last