PRESBYTERIANS. 



699 



name of God, presented in dramatic form in- 

 structions and laws as proceeding from the 

 mouth of Moses, though these never were and 

 never could have been uttered by him." The 

 Assembly held that this part of the libel was 

 relevant, u to the effect that the statements 

 quoted in the minor propositions as those of 

 Professor Smith regarding the Book of Deu- 

 teronomy amount to what is expressed in the 

 said particular, and are opposed in their legiti- 

 mate results to the supposition of the book being 

 a thoroughly inspired historical record, accord- 

 ing to the teaching of the Westminster Con- 

 fession, while his declarations on the subject 

 of the inspiration are the reverse of satisfactory 

 and do not indicate his reception of the book 

 in that character." The Presbytery was sus- 

 tained on the other points, except as to one 

 charging Professor Smith with holding opin- 

 ions of a dangerous and unsettling tendency, 

 upon which the libel was amended so as to 

 read, " as also the publishing and promulgating 

 of writings concerning the books of Scripture 

 which, by their ill-considered and unguarded 

 setting forth of speculations of a critical kind, 

 tend to awaken doubt, especially in the case 

 of students, of the divine truth, inspiration, 

 and authority of any of the books of Scripture, 

 or on the doctrines of angels and prophecy, as 

 set forth in the Scriptures themselves and in 

 the Confession of Faith." Upon this amend- 

 ed charge, the case was remanded to the Pres- 

 bytery. 



The Committee appointed by the previous 

 Assembly on the subject of disestablishment 

 made a report, recommending the adoption of 

 a petition to Parliament for the termination of 

 the connection between Church and State in 

 Scotland. The Assembly resolved 1. That it 

 did not regard the maintenance of an ecclesi- 

 astical establishment in the present circum- 

 stances of the country as the appropriate 

 means of fulfilling the State's obligations to 

 religion and the Church ; 2. Declaring the 

 solemn conviction that the connection be- 

 tween the Church now established and the 

 State is wholly indefensible, and ought with 

 as little delay as possible to be brought to 

 a termination; 3. To petition Parliament in 

 terms of the motion, reappoint the Committee 

 to watch over the subject, and take such mea- 

 sures as may be fitted to accomplish the object 

 aimed at in the deliverance. 



X. UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF SCOT- 

 LAND. The statistical reports presented to the 

 General Assembly of this Church for 1878 

 showed that the number of members was 173,- 

 554, and the aggregate average attendance at 

 public worship on the Lord's Day was 187,- 

 019. There were reported from 534 congrega- 

 tions 841 Sunday schools, with 10,746 teachers 

 and 79,816 scholars, besides 693 advanced Bible 

 classes, with 693 ministers and elders as teach- 

 ers and 25,001 scholars. The total income of 

 the Church for the year 1877 was 379,079. 

 The number of ministers whose incomes were 



less than 200 per annum was 112, against 141 

 in 1876-'77. The average stipend of the min- 

 isters was 262, or 8 more than the average 

 of the preceding year. The total receipts for 

 home mission and evangelistic work during the 

 year had been 7,432. The funds for foreign 

 missions had amounted during the year to 42,- 

 406. The Church sustains nine missions, in 

 Jamaica, Trinidad, Old Calabar, Caffraria, In- 

 dia, China, Spain, Algeria, and Japan; in all 

 of which were 48 ordained European mission- 

 aries, 6 European medical missionaries, 5 Eu- 

 ropean male teachers, 11 European female 

 teachers, 9 ordained native missionaries, 90 

 native evangelists, 179 schoolmasters, 30 native 

 female teachers, 10 other agents, 63 principal 

 stations, 123 out-stations, 8,427 communicants, 

 1,820 inquirers, 186 week-day schools, 10,308 

 pupils, with a total educational agency of 388. 

 The Church has for several years past devoted 

 one tenth of its entire income to foreign mis- 

 sion work. 



The Synod of the United Presbyterian Church 

 of Scotland met at Edinburgh, May 13th. The 

 Rev. David Groom, of Edinburgh, was chosen 

 Moderator. Resolutions were adopted renew- 

 ing the testimony of the Synod against State 

 Churches, and condemning all attempts at leg- 

 islative compromise or alternative on the ques- 

 tion of disestablishment ; condemning the mo- 

 tions of which notice had been given in Par- 

 liament with reference to religious denomina- 

 tions in Scotland as either evading the main 

 issue or aiming at ends purely sectional, and al 

 the reconstruction of the establishment ; assert- 

 ing that public opinion in Scotland had mani- 

 fested itself widely in favor of disestablish- 

 ment ; and declaring that no settlement which 

 was simply Presbyterian or sectional, or which 

 would leave a legal status with one church or 

 polity, could be accepted as either expedient or 

 equitable. The Committee appointed at the 

 previous meeting of the Synod in reference to 

 the revision of the Subordinate Standards of 

 the Church reported a declaratory statement 

 on the subject, which was adopted, as fol- 

 lows: 



"Whereas the formula in which the Subordinate 

 Standards of this Church are accepted requires as- 

 sent to them as an exhibition of tlie sense in which 

 the Scriptures are understood ; whereas these stand- 

 ards, being of human composition, are necessitrily 

 imperfect, and the Church has already taken excep- 

 tion to their teaching or supposed teaching on one 

 important subject ; and whereas there are other sub- 

 jects in regard to which it has been found desirable 

 to set forth more fully and clearly the view which 

 the Synod takes of the teaching of Holy Scripture: 

 therefore, the Synod hereby declares as follows : 



1. That in regard to the doctrine of redemption as 

 taught in the Standards, and in consistency there- 

 with, the love of God to all mankind, his gilt of his 

 Son to be the propitiation for the sins of the whole 

 world, and the free ofl'er of salvation to men without 

 distinction on the ground of Christ's perfect sacrifice, 

 are matters which have been and continue to be re- 

 garded by this Church as vital in the system of gos- 

 pel truth, and to which she desires to give special 

 prominence. 



