668 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



TI. Church of Scotland. The General As- 

 sembly of the Church of Scotland met in Edin- 

 burgh, in May. Prof. A. H. Charteris was chosen 

 moderator. The Committee on Statistics reported 

 that the whole number of members was 597,077, or 

 3,684 more than in 1890 ; and that the total con- 

 tributions for 1891 amounted to 376,000, or 

 13,416 more than in 1890. The income for the 

 Jewish missions had been 6,541, and the expen- 

 diture 5,581. Favorable accounts were received 

 from most of the schools of this mission which 

 are established at Alexandria, Beyrout, Con- 

 stantinople, Salonica, and Smyrna, in the Turkish 

 Empire. On the presentation of the report of the 

 Committee on Church Interests reviewing the 

 conditions of the agitation for disestablishment, 

 a resolution was adopted approving the report ; 

 instructing the committee to do their utmost to 

 complete the organization of the Committee on 

 Church Defense ; approving the action of the 

 committee regarding 'the reconstruction propo- 

 sal of the Laymen's League ; and recording the 

 readiness of the Assembly to enter into any reason- 

 able arrangement which would make it possible 

 for those now separated from the Church of Scot- 

 land to share in the enjoyment of the privilege 

 and heritages of a national Church if they de- 

 sire to do so. The report on the proper con- 

 duct of public worship, which was adopted, 

 recommended that the Lord's Prayer be used at 

 every service ; that a table of systematic readings 

 in the Old and New Testaments be drawn up ; 

 that the Psalms in prose or metre should occupy 

 a prominent part of the service of praise ; that 

 reverence of demeanor should be observed at 

 prayer; and that the Psalmody Committee be 

 directed to print the Apostles' Creed and the 

 Nicene Creed at the end of the Hymnal. The 

 committee appointed by the previous General 

 Assembly to consider the subject of competitive 

 preaching by ministerial candidates, presented a 

 report recommending the institution of an ad- 

 vising committee to assist the congregation in 

 selecting a minister. 



VII. Free Church of Scotland. The Gen- 

 eral Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland 

 met in Edinburgh, in May. Prof. W. G. Blackie, 

 was chosen moderator. The report on the De- 

 claratory Act, which is intended to remove diffi- 

 culties and scruples in the way of signing the 

 Confession of Faith (see " Annual Cyclopaedia " 

 for 1891), was presented. A resolution was 

 passed declaring that "the Assembly, finding 

 that the overture of a declaratory act anent the 

 Confession of Faith has obtained the requisite 

 approbation from the presbyteries of the Church, 

 pass the same as a declaratory act with the 

 consent of the presbyteries." The vote on this 

 resolution stood 346 in favor of it to 195 against 

 it. The report of the Committee on Church and 

 State, referring to the memorandum of the Lay- 

 men's League, said that " the proposal seemed to 

 have awakened no interest in the press or in the 

 country, and it was needless to dwell on the futil- 

 ity of issuing schemes of this kind now." A mo- 

 tion recommending favorable consideration for 

 all practical suggestions directed to the recon- 

 struction of the national Church of Scotland was 

 defeated by a majority of 250. The vote is inter- 

 preted as substantially a declaration by the As- 

 sembly that with it disestablishment is an indis- 



pensable prerequisite to union. The Assembly 

 was informed that the sum of $100.000 had been 

 given it in trust from the estate of Mr. George 

 R. Mackenzie, of New York, the income to be de- 

 voted to certain church purposes, viz., half of it 

 to the general sustentation fund, and half to poor 

 congregations in the Highlands. 



VIII. United Presbyterian Church in 

 Scotland. The Synod of the United Presby- 

 terian Church in Scotland met in Edinburgh, 

 May 2. The Rev. Dr. Black, of Glasgow, was 

 chosen moderator. The statistical report showed 

 that 1 congregation and 3 stations had been 

 added during the year, and that the number of 

 communicants was 185,298, showing an increase 

 of 478. The total income for all purposes from 

 congregational sources had been 335,733, or 

 5,502 more than in the previous year. The 

 missionary and benevolent contributions had in- 

 creased by 3,270. The whole amount raised for 

 missions, at home and in the mission fields, was 

 60,713. The Committee on the Disestablishment 

 and Disendowment of the Established Churches 

 of England and Scotland reported concerning 

 measures of defense that had been taken in be- 

 half of the Church of Scotland, by the circula- 

 tion of leaflets, tracts, and pamphlets, the start- 

 ing of two newspapers, and speaking by political 

 candidates; but notwithstanding these efforts, 

 it said, public opinion, where it had been tested, 

 had shown itself steadily set in the direction of 

 disestablishment. The synod testified by resolu- 

 tion 



Its adherence to the voluntary principle, and its 

 disapproval of civil establishments of religion ; re- 

 joiced in the prospect of a speedy termination to the 

 state church system in Scotland and Wales ; instructed 

 the committee to continue to oppose grants of public 

 money to denominational training colleges, and en- 

 joined it to watch ever, in the line of previous decisions 

 of the synod, measures designed to confirm and ox- 

 tend the privileges of the Established Church ; to use 

 diligence in maintaining and diffusing a knowledge 

 of the synod's distinctive principles ; and to support 

 by all suitable means the resolution of Dr. Cameron 

 for the disestablishment and disendowment of the 

 Church of Scotland. 



The synod declined to approve an overture 

 sent up by the Greenock Presbytery asking it to 

 declare elders as well as ministers eligible to the 

 office of moderator of the presbytery. An over- 

 ture asking for the abolition of trials for ordina- 

 tion was approved generally and sent down to 

 the presbyteries. It was held by the movers of 

 the overture that the appointment of the minister 

 and his approval by the congregation showed 

 that he was an approved person ; and that the 

 trials were useless, because no minister had ever 

 been kept back from ordination by failure to 

 pass them. 



IX. Presbyterian Church in England. 

 The Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Eng- 

 land met in Birmingham, April 25. The statis- 

 tical report showed that, with 290 congregations, 

 the number of members of the Church had in- 

 creased during the year from 65,841 to 66,744. 

 The total income had been 235,650. The in- 

 crease for foreign missions had been 16,016, 

 besides which 8,000 had been raised to clear off 

 liabilities. The staff, etc., io China included 20 

 ordained European missionaries, 10 medical mis- 



