THE Churches referred to, as most of our readers are aware, are the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church. We speak of them as the “uniting Churches” because as far as one can see their union is only a matter of time, unless the strong anti-Union vote will shatter the dream of the Union leaders. That two Churches which touch the national life of our country at so many points should thus be nearing the end of their separate existence is an event that no true patriot can overlook without asking himself is this movement when brought to completion likely to be beneficial to the country. As Christians we have more serious matters to consider, such questions as to whether the Lord is manifestly giving His countenance to this movement, or is it largely engineered by men? is there manifestly a spiritual power behind and in the leaders and the people impelling them to go forward, or is there a lukewarmness or chilly deadness that betokens the reign of death rather than life? These are only a few of the questions that naturally arise as one faces the problems connected with the Union movement in Scotland. Of course it may be said to us that as Free Presbyterians it would be well that we would lay to heart the exhortation—”Be not busybodies in other men’s matters.” To our hypothetical critic we reply that the Church of Scotland is the mother of all the branches of Presbyterianism in Scotland, and though she has not been what we would have liked her to have been during all her long history, still we have an interest in her welfare. Then the Church of Scotland is a national institution that has for good and sometimes for evil influenced the people from end to end of Scotland, and shall we be denied the privilege if not the right of expressing our opinion or opinions on a movement that
may adversely affect such an institution. Furthermore, as a national Church there are endowments amounting to millions of pounds affected by this movement. Is this money to be used for the financing of a movement that may accelerate with increased momentum the downward rush of the churches in modern times? If such is the case are we, as having our birthright in this land and as sons of the men who renounced these emoluments in order that their consciences might be free, are we, we say, to look on and offer no protest and express no opinion because we do not belong to either of the uniting Churches? As Free Presbyterians we do not look to participate in the Church of Scotland’s patrimony, but while that is so this is no reason why we should remain silent if there is a manifest misdirection of the Church’s patrimony, even though that be sanctioned by Parliament. Prior to Parliamentary enactments and above them there is an ethical code which even ecclesiastics would do well not to ignore.
The Churches which are gradually drawing nearer with a purpose to unite are the two largest sections of the Presbyterian denominations in Scotland. The Church of Scotland since the Revolution Settlement accepted the Westminster Confession as the confession of the Church which all her office-bearers were expected to subscribe. This enactment was embodied in the Treaty of Union between England and Scotland, and was the recognised law of the land. The form of subscription to the Confession required by all ministers and probationers of the Church of Scotland since 1711 required them to acknowledge the whole doctrine of the Confession of Faith. In 1905, through the passing of the Churches (Scotland) Act, it was enacted that the formula of subscription to the Confession of Faith required of ministers and preachers of the Church of Scotland “shall be such as may be prescribed by Act of the General Assembly of the said Church with the consent of the majority of the presbyteries thereof.” This section was inserted in an Act that had absolutely nothing to do with the Church of Scotland, and is glaringly the work of ecclesiastics paving the way for liberty to walk the newer but broader way of modern church tendencies. We shall have something to say later on in regard to the later legislation of 1921 and 1925 as it bears more directly on the Union of the two Churches. The United Free Church, as most of our readers are aware, is made up of two Churches—the Free Church
and the United Presbyterian. These two united in 1900, and the strong Voluntary character of the new Church was decidedly a menace to the Established Church. This was clearly seen by far-sighted men, and by this Union movement the tables were cleverly turned on the Voluntaries. Preparatory to the Union of 1900 the Free Church passed a Declaratory Act in 1892—a mongrel mixture of Calvinism and Arminianism—with the purpose of paving the way for Union with the United Presbyterian Church. It is a fact worthy of our most serious consideration that these union movements in Scotland have been movements away from the old moorings—from doctrinal positions and creeds which were recognised to be truly scriptural by our fathers and by many still in Scotland. This in itself is an ominous sign. For whatever advantage may be gained by the uniting of Churches if brought about at the expense of the truth, too great a price has been paid. For after all it must be borne in mind that many of the arguments that are being brought forward as Scriptural arguments, when examined into will be found to be based not so much on Scriptural grounds as on mere worldly policy. Church unity and Christian unity are not synonymous, though in reading the speeches of the advocates of Union one would imagine they were. But we hope to show in a future article the fallacy underlying this contention. The results as announced in the press of the voting of United Free Church sessions and congregations show a much more formidable opposition than was indicated in the Assembly vote. The future will show what is the reality of this opposition. From our standpoint it is not an opposition in which we can rejoice as its driving power is Voluntaryism.