The Presbyterian church in this country, derives its origin from that of Scotland, and has taken its Confession of Faith, with some important alterations relative to magistrates and civil government, and its catechisms, with only one slight alteration,* from the Scottish model. The present standards of our church were adopted by the Synod of New York and Philadelphia, sitting in this city, in May, 1788. You will understand, my young friends, that I am no advocate for national churches, or ecclesiastical establishments of any kind; nor is any thing of this sort, in the slightest degree, countenanced, but on the contrary, it is expressly disclaimed, in our church standards, and cordially disapproved, I know, by the clergy, as well as the laity of our church. In this we certainly differ from the Westminster Assembly of divines. What we esteem their error, in regard to national religious establishments, was, however, rather the error of the day in which they lived, than any thing peculiar to the men who composed this assembly.

*The single alteration, or omission rather, was in the larger catechism; where, in stating what is forbidden in the second commandment, the original framers of the catechism, among many things which they specify, mention this — “tolerating false religions.” This clause, the writer, who was a member of the Synod that adopted our standards, remembers was rejected very promptly — he thinks without debate, and by a unanimous vote (Ashbel Green, Lectures on the Shorter Catechism of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America: Addressed to Youth, 18).

Without debate, unanimous vote? That is interesting.