THE Assemblies of the Established, United Free, and Free Churches were opened on Tuesday, 26th May. The Moderators were—Dr. John MacMurtrie, Dr. R. G. Balfour, and Rev. Murdoch Macqueen, Kiltearn, respectively.
Mr. Macqueen, in his opening address, spoke out strongly, though by no means too much so, upon the character of the majority who joined the United Presbyterians, and formed what is known as the United Free Church. He said that he had yet to learn that mere numbers apart from principles constituted the Free Church, that a majority that had thrown the distinctive principles of the Free Church to the winds, and joined a body holding opposite views, could possibly be the Free Church of Scotland, however large that majority might be. The seceding majority and the voluntary body it had joined formed a very curious combination, which was hard to describe. It seemed to be a politico-ecclesiastical body, having political rather than religious objects in view. In its political aspect its object seemed to be to stir up political strife in the land, to command Parliamentary votes, and more especially to bring about the disestablishment of a sister Church. In its ecclesiastical aspect it was, to say the least, very tolerant of error, very partial to unorthodox views, and did not assign to the Bible its due place as the authoritative rule of faith. For this hybrid body, this politico-ecclesiastical caucus, which was like a huge menagerie of clean and unclean animals, offering an asylum for a great variety of errors and heresies, he said for this unprincipled body to pretend that it was the Free Church of Scotland was simply preposterous and absurd. A majority that had disowned the distinctive principles of the Free Church could not possibly be the Free Church. Many or few, those were the Free Church who adhered to its name and to its distinctive principles, as revealed in the Word of God and founded upon its infallible testimony. The Free Church of Scotland existed, and would continue to exist, when the memory of the ambitious, unscrupulous, and worldly-minded men who had attempted its destruction had perished from off the earth. Let them set the highest value upon the fact that they were members and office-bearers of the Free Church of Scotland, and let them earnestly pray that the Lord might give them grace to be faithful in maintaining those imperishable principles, and sending them to the generations to come.
[In regard to the claim to be “The Free Church of Scotland,” we are disposed to say that the body which Mr. Macqueen represents is, taken as a whole, a much nearer approach to it than the U.F. Church, but before it will be a thorough representative of the Free Church of 1843, it will require to undergo a good deal of purging. We heartily echo the prayer that grace may be given to maintain the imperishable principles of that Church, and to send them down to coming generations, not merely because they are the principles of a Church who has a great name in history, but because they are founded upon and agreeable to the Word of God.—Ed.]