692 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



teries, 226 sessions, and 238 congregations. 

 All of the presbyteries had approved the re- 

 sult. Two hundred and sixteen sessions had 

 approved it; nine sessions had disapproved it. 

 Only one session, however, had disapproved 

 the result generally ; the dissent of the others 

 applied only to the resolution on modes of 

 worship. Two hundred and thirty-one con- 

 gregations had approved the result simpliciter, 

 one had disapproved it generally, and six had 

 expressed dissent to the resolution on the 

 modes of worship. The following resolution 

 was then adopted : 



The General Assembly, finding from the returns 

 to the remit, containing the preamble, basis, and 

 resolutions on the subject of union, that all the nine- 

 teen presbyteries of the Church have approved of 

 the remit of 226 sessions 217 have approved sim- 

 pliciter, eight with dissent from one of the resolu- 

 tions, and only one has disapproved ; and that of 

 238 congregations 231 have approved simpliciter, six 

 with dissent from one of the resolutions, and only 

 one has disapproved does now adopt the said 

 preamble, basis, and resolutions as the articles of 

 union, between the four negotiating Churches, viz. : 

 the Presbyterian Church of Canada in connection 

 with the Church of Scotland, the Canada Presbyte- 

 rian Church, the Presbyterian Church of the Lower 

 Provinces^ and the Presbyterian Church of the Mari- 

 time Provinces in connection with the Church of 

 Scotland ; and does resolve to consummate the union 

 on the ground of these articles at the close of the 

 Supreme Court of this Church in June next, in the 

 event of the other Churches agreeing to this basis ; 

 and further, the General Assembly, in coming to this 

 resolution, does express its thanksgiving to the God 

 of all wisdom and grace, who has guided the Church 

 to this harmonious termination of the negotiations 

 carried on for several years, and its fervent prayer 

 that the union about to be consummated may, by his 

 rich blessings, be made eminently conducive to the 

 advancement of the cause and kingdom of the Lord 

 Jesus Christ in this and other lands. 



The vote upon this resolution was : ministers, 

 yeas 69, of whom 4 voted cum nota, nays 2; 

 elders,' yeas 41, nays none. A number of 

 members who voted yea were permitted to 

 record the fact that they could not approve 

 the resolution relating to modes of worship. 



The Synod of the Presbyterian Church in 

 Canada in connection with the Church of Scot- 

 land met in Ottawa, June 2d. The number of 

 ministers on the roll was stated to be 114. The 

 Kev. Mr. Rennie, of Chatham, Ont., was chosen 

 moderator. The attention of the Synod was 

 chiefly given to the consideration of the subject 

 of union with the Canada Presbyterian Church 

 and the Presbyterian Churches of the Lower 

 and Maritime Provinces. The statement of 

 the returns of the votes of the presbyteries, 

 kirk sessions, and congregations, on the remit 

 on union, sent down by the Synod of 1873, 

 showed that 9 presbyteries; 83 kirk sessions, 

 and 197' congregations, had approved the basis 

 simpliciter ; 1 presbytery, 4 kirk sessions, and 

 6 congregations, had approved of it with piodi- 

 fications or reservations; and 3 kirk sessions 

 and 3 congregations had approved of parts 

 and disapproved of other parts ; while 14 kirk 

 sessions and 12 congregations had disapproved 

 of it simpliciter ; and 1 kirk session had dis- 



approved of it with modifications. The Synod 

 declared, in view of the report, that it consid- 

 ered itself fully justified by the returns to ad- 

 here to its former resolutions in favor of union, 

 and to take steps toward the consummation of 

 that object. It ordered a committee appoint- 

 ed to consider all matters on which legislation 

 might be required, and to take all competent 

 measures for obtaining such legislation. In 

 order, however, to obtain a more unanimous 

 consent of the smaller courts to the union, it 

 consented to change the resolution in reference 

 to the disposal of the temporalities fund in such 

 a way as to meet objections which had been 

 urged against it. The General Assembly of the 

 Canada Presbyterian Church having asked for 

 some modifications in the plan of union, a confer- 

 ence of the two bodies was held on the 9th of 

 June. An amended scheme was agreed upon, 

 to be submitted to the presbyteries, sessions, and 

 congregations of both bodies. An adjourned 

 meeting of the Synod was appointed for the 

 3d of November, to receive the reports of the 

 action of the lower courts on the amended 

 basis. The Committee on Legislation were in- 

 structed to prepare drafts of such measures as 

 they might deem necessary to the proper con- 

 summation of the union, and lay them before 

 this meeting. 



At the adjourned session returns were pre- 

 sented from 8 presbyteries, 92 sessions, and 110 

 congregations. Three presbyteries, 46 sessions, 

 and 45 congregations, had made no reports. 

 The 8 presbyteries had voted in favor of the 

 adoption of the basis. Of the sessions, 80 had 

 voted in favor of it, and 12 against it; and of 

 the congregations, 95 had voted yea and 10 

 nay. Under the terms of the barrier act those 

 bodies which had not made returns could be 

 counted as acceding to the remit. Taking the 

 votes as returned directly, and adding to them 

 the voices of other presbyteries, sessions, and 

 congregations, as they had been expressed at 

 the previous meeting of the Synod, the vote 

 would stand: presbyteries, 11, or the whole 

 number, yea; sessions, 102 yea, 16 nay, 20 not 

 heard from ; congregations, 120 yea, 13 nay, 

 17 not heard from. The following resolution 

 was adopted by a vote of 68 to 17 : 



The Synod, having heard the report of the com- 

 mittee appointed to examine the returns to the Syn- 

 od's unit on union, do now adopt the preamble, 

 basis, and resolutions as the articles of union between 

 the four negotiating Churches, viz. : the Canada 

 Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church of 

 Canada in connection with the Church of Scotland, 

 the Presbyterian Church of the Maritime Provinces 

 in connection with the Church of Scotlandj and the 

 Presbyterian Church of the Lower Provinces, do 

 now resolve to consummate the union on the ground 

 of these articles after the next meeting of this Synod, 

 in June, 1875, provided the necessary legislation with 

 regard to church property shall have been consum- 

 mated at that time. 



PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF THE LOWER PROV- 

 INCES. The statistical reports of this body 

 give returns from 131 out of 139 congrega- 

 tions. In these the total number of adhe- 



