Here is the paper I wrote for my first ThM class at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary last fall. It seeks to explore why the Plan of Union of 1801 between the Presbyterians and Congregationalists came about; how was it that these two apparently disparate denominations could form a union, and how was it that the two sides thought such an arrangement would be a good idea, practically speaking? Most historians answer the “why=purpose/unto what” question, “For what purpose(s) did the Plan of Union arise?” and look forward, at the missionary intentions of the Plan of Union. I sought to answer the “why=source/from whence” question, “From whence did the Plan of Union of 1801 come?” and looked backward, at what had led up to the Plan in the decades and centuries previous. It was a fun paper to write, and I learned a lot. I hope you do as well.
SDG,
Ezra and the Farmer
