PRESBYTERIAN : THE CASE OF PROFESSOR W. ROBERTSON SMITH. 761 



sion. A numerously-signed protest was lodged 

 against this decision, founded on constitutional 

 grounds. Of the overtures that were sent in to 

 the Assembly ou the subject, seventeen asked 

 that body to disapprove the action of the com- 

 mission, or expressed grave concern, from a 

 constitutional point of view, at it ; while the 

 others asked the Assembly to approve the ac- 

 tion, or commented adversely on Professor 

 Smith's writings. 



"When the case came before the Assembly, 

 Sir Henry Moncrieff moved 



That the General Assembly, having considered 

 overtures relating to the case of Professor Smith, in 

 so far as they refer to the action of the commission in 

 August and October, and the memorials on the same 

 subject, find that there is no occasion for interfering 

 with the action of the commission, but that the report 

 of its committee furnishes materials which call for 

 earnest attention ; further, instruct the clerks in pre- 

 paring the act for appointing a new commission to 

 frame it in the same terms in which similar acts have 

 been framed since 1844. 



The Rev. G. W. Thomson, of Glasgow, moved 

 that 



The General Assembly, while recognizing the rizht 

 of the commission to advert to the writings of Profes- 

 sor W. Robertson Smith issued since last Assembly, 

 regards its procedure in his case at the meeting of Oc- 

 tober 27th as unnecessary ; as in the divided state of 

 the Church unwise, as contrary to the spirit of the in- 

 structions under which it acted, and as a dangerous 

 precedent ; and ? therefore, can not approve of said 

 procedure, and nnds accordingly. 



Sir Henry Moncrieff argued in support of his 

 motion that many who had voted in favor of 

 Professor Smith at the previous General As- 

 sembly were misled, and that the result of its 

 action might have been different had the arti- 

 cle on "Hebrew Language and Literature" 

 been before them. Mr. Thomson called atten- 

 tion to the disadvantage under which his mo- 

 tion rested in the fact of the presence of lead- 

 ing men in the Assembly who had acted in the 

 commission, and would be reviewing their 

 own proceedings. Professor Smith appealed 

 to the Assembly to vote on the question with- 

 out prejudice as to the merits of the case, 

 which would come up at a future session, 

 and declared that ho meant in all good faith 

 that submission and that desire for peace which 

 he had expressed at the previous General As- 

 sembly. Sir Henry Moncrieft's motion was 

 adopted by a vote of 439 to 218 for the motion 

 of Mr. Thomson. Principal Rainey made the 

 following motion : 



The General Assembly having had their attention 

 called, by the jud/mcnt o'f the commission in October, 

 and by overtures from prcsbj terics, to certain writings 

 of Professor Smith, and in particular to an article, 

 " Hebrew Language and Literature," in the " Encyclo- 

 ptedia Britanmca" ; 



And considering that said article was prepared for 

 publication by Professor Smith after ho had accepted 

 service of libel on account of previous statements made 

 by him on connate matters ; 



And considering tliat said article was not before 

 last Assembly when they pronounced judgment <>n 

 said libel, because it did not appear until after tlio 

 Assembly had risen, and the professor, in accepting 



admonition as to the unguarded and incomplete char- 

 acter of previous utterances, gave no indication of its 

 being in existence ; 



And liaving in view also a letter from Professor 

 Smith to the Free Presbytery of Aberdeen, in which 

 he explains and defends his conduct in relation to that 

 article Find, 



1. That the construction of last Assembly's judg- 

 ment in Professor Smith's case, on which, in his K-tter, 

 he claims that the right was conceded to him to pro- 

 mulgate his views, Is unwarrantable; the Assembly 

 therefore repudiate that construction, and adopt tbo 

 statement on this subject contained in the report sub- 

 mitted to the commission in October. 



2. That the article " Hebrew Language and Litera- 

 ture" is fitted to give at least as great oftcnse, and 

 cause as serious anxiety, as that lor which he was 

 formerly dealt with. 



3. That it contains statements which are fitted to 

 throw grave doubt on the historical truth and divine 

 inspiration of several books of Scripture. 



4. That both the tone of the article in itself, and the 

 fact that such an article was prepared and published in 

 the circumstances, and alter all the previous proceed- 

 ings in his case, evince, on the part of Professor 

 Smith, a singular insensibility to his responsibilities 

 as a Theological Professor, and a singular and culpa- 

 ble lack of sympathy with the reasonable anxieties of 

 the Church as to the bearing of critical speculations on 

 the integrity and authority of Scripture. 



5. That all this has deepened the conviction already 

 entertained by a large section of the Church, that Pro- 

 fessor Smith, whatever his gifts and attainments, which 

 the Assembly have no disposition to undervalue, ought 

 no longer to* be intrusted with the training of students 

 for the ministry. 



Therefore, the General Assembly, having the re- 

 sponsible duty to discharges of overseeing the teaching 

 in the Divinity Halls, while they are sensible of the 

 importance of guarding the due liberty of professors, 

 and encouraging learned and candid research, feel 

 themselves constrained to declare that thev no 1 m.-cr 

 consider it safe or advantageous for the Church that 

 Professor Smith should continue to teach in one of her 

 colleges. 



This was made the special subject of a whole 

 day's sitting. May 24th. Dr. Wbyte, of Edin- 

 burgh, moved that, in view of the gravity of the 

 issues involved, the importance of maintaining 

 the doctrine of the Free Church respecting the 

 authority and inspiration of the Bible, and the 

 right of every member and minister against 

 whom grave charges are made to be dealt with 

 constitutionally, a committee be appointed to 

 consider the writings of Professor Smith pub- 

 lished since the last Assembly, with power, if 

 they should see cause, to prosecute him before 

 the Presbytery of Aberdeen. Principal Rainey. 

 speaking in support of his motion, declared 

 that the same convictions which Imd boon 

 found objectionable in the article on the Bible 

 were found restated in the article " Hebrew 

 Language and Literature " with not less trench- 

 ant force and decision; that the name want of 

 care to vindicate the divine element of the 

 Bible was shown; that all the |uestions con- 

 nected with the date of the F,eviti.-al legislation 

 were involved, and that Professor Smith waa 

 now inclined to take a more decided position 

 concerning a late date. The case was one of 

 complications which could not be reached by a 

 libel ; and it seemed to him that the best way 

 for the Church to prepare to meet the issnea 

 waiting for it was to refuse to sanction the 



