Journey in Faith gives us the idea that Stone wrote it. “The authorship of “The Last Will and Testament” has been a debated subject for many years. One historian, highly regarded for his careful scholarship, pointed to Stone as the author of the document. A more recent study has argued persuasively that the evident, although not decisive, favors McNemar rather than stone.” (McAllister and Tucker) In a D. Newell Williams, in his book, Barton stone gives claims of “Richard McNemar proposed a solution to the problem of the Springfield Presbyters perceiving themselves as a party and the Jun 1804 meeting. The solution was to sign a document that he drafted titled “Last Will and Testament of Springfield Presbytery. “ (Williams) By the time, the paper was written the five ministers were now six. Respected Minister David Purviance was among the others also signed the dismemberment of the Springfield Presbyterian Church. Therefore, the “Last Will and Testament” was created and …show more content…
Al Maxey tells us, “Sadly, as a historical footnote, it should be pointed out that of the five original members of the Springfield Presbytery, only Stone held to the convictions declared in the two documents produced. By 1811, McNemar and Dunlavy had become Shakers and Marshall and Thompson had returned to Presbyterianism, after publicly recanting their "errors." Stone, however, was not to be discouraged. He intensified his efforts to promote unity. In 1804, there were only about 15 congregations in Kentucky and Ohio, with just a few hundred members, who shared his vision. Just two decades later, however, the number of congregations had grown to about 300, with a membership of over 15,000.”