THE General Assemblies of the Church of Scotland and the Free Church began their deliberations on 24th May. The Church of Scotland Assembly met as usual in Edinburgh under the Moderatorship of Rev. James Black, D.D., Edinburgh, while the Free Church Assembly met this year in Glasgow under the moderatorship of Rev. J. M. MacLennan, Lairg. The Lord High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland Assembly was Sir John Gilmour, Bart. In his address to the Assembly Sir John said: “By one of those curious coincidences of history I come to-day before you as the Laird of Lundin, in the Kingdom of Fife. A previous appointment as Lord High Commissioner, dating so far back as 1580, is recorded when the Laird of Lundin and the Prior of Pittenweem held joint office; the General Assembly met at Dundee in mid-July of that year, and Mr. James Lawson was Moderator.”
CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
Iona Scheme.—On Tuesday Dr. Macleod of Govan’s scheme of the Iona brotherhood was discussed in the Assembly. It is quite a new venture in Scottish Presbyterianism but it received the blessing of the Assembly and twelve ministers were set apart as “Evangelists of the Church.” At a later date further reference may be made to this scheme.
Foreign Missions.—There was a more cheering note for this year’s Report, but the Convener warned the Assembly that the crisis was not over. The Moderator’s Fund to liquidate the debt of £67,000 had brought in £40,000. The Assembly decided that there should be no retrenchment.
Judicial Commission.—The Assembly are finding considerable difficulty with this proposed commission which is meant to hear appeals in cases of trial by libel affecting the character or conduct of a minister or probationer (but not his doctrine). The overture had been sent down to Presbyteries through the Barrier Act; 29 Presbyteries expressed approval and 29 disapproval. Dr. Cox in moving that it be sent down to Presbyteries again, said that
some of the criticism was “unintelligent and prejudiced.” That all this difficulty should be experienced in a church whose procedure is supposed to run as smoothly as machinery on oiled wheels, is somewhat strange. But the best equipped institutions with legal advisers and men of long experience in ecclesiastical procedure find themselves in difficult situations at times. It is only the untapped talent that is pouring out its garnered wisdom in the columns of the northern press, that can find a solution to every difficulty and deliver its verdict with an assurance which may satisfy the writer or writers, but which gives very little confidence or satisfaction to the readers.
Increase of the Minimum Stipend.—The minimum stipend was increased by £5. This result was brought about by the number of congregations which had been united since 1929, and not owing to the increased givings. Of course, it is to be borne in mind that most of the ministers of the Church of Scotland have salaries beyond the minimum stipend.
Church Extension Scheme.—It was reported that £162,000 had already been spent on sites and church buildings and had incurred future liabilities to the extent of £154,000, while in the Supplementary Scheme a further £36,000 had been earmarked for additional buildings making a total of £353,000.
Scottish Divorce Bill.—The Bill had been reported for the third reading in Parliament it was intimated, and the Assembly accepted insanity continuously for five years as ground for a divorce. This brings the Church of Scotland right up against the teaching of the Confession. Insanity is not a sin but a disease. There are other diseases more serious and revolting than insanity. Why should it be specially singled out? Why not paralysis which may render a partner utterly helpless for long years? Dr. Gardiner, Edinburgh, and Dr. Cromarty Smith, Coatbridge, opposed the inclusion of insanity as a ground of divorce, but only found seven supporters.
Order of Deaconesses.—The proposal to extend the function of the Order of Deaconesses to include teaching and preaching
was not discussed, it being decided that it would be better first to have the views of Presbyteries submitted.
FREE CHURCH.
In his moderatorial address Rev. J. M. MacLellan called attention to the swing towards Episcopal Worship in the Church of Scotland, to games on the Sabbath, etc.
Dr. P. D. Thomson’s Criticism of the Moderator’s opening Address.—When the Assembly met on Wednesday night to commemorate the Glasgow Assembly of 1638, the Rev. Dr. P. D. Thomson, an ex-Moderator of the Church of Scotland was one of the speakers invited, we presume in accordance with the plea of Dr. D. Maclean in his last year’s moderatorial address as a protest against that exclusiveness, which is so distasteful to some in the Free Church. At the forenoon session of the Assembly the Rev. K. Macrae, Stornoway, protested against Dr. P. D. Thomson being invited to take part in the proceedings of the commemoration. He expressed the opinion that the Church of Scotland to-day was not in full accord with the Reformed Faith. Rev. John Macleod, Hope Street, asserted that the Church of Scotland was a bulwark against Romanism in Scotland to-day. The proposal to ask Dr. P. D. Thomson to take part in the proceedings was approved. Before the proceedings connected with the commemoration had commenced in the evening, Mr. Macrae and several others left the Church. In his speech Dr. Thomson gave a point blank denial to the Moderator’s strictures on the drift of the Church of Scotland towards Episcopacy. As Dr. Thomson was the guest of the Assembly the criticism was out of place and in bad form and it seems very strange to us that the Assembly did not resent it. Dr. Thomson should have chosen another time and another place to make his criticism, which he was entitled to do if he saw need for it. On Friday a lay member, whose name is not given in the press reports, criticised a minister’s attack on alleged tendencies towards Episcopacy in the Church of Scotland. Rev. M. Campbell pointed out that these leanings were giving grave anxiety to evangelical ministers in the Church of
Scotland as was evidenced by correspondence in the press of the subterranean movement of Scoto-Catholicism. Mr. Campbell also made reference to Dr. Thomson’s speech. Mr. Rounsfell Brown protested against Mr. Campbell’s remarks and asserted that there was a movement among the younger ministers of the Church of Scotland to hark back to the historic Reformed standpoint. The Church of Scotland has wandered far from the doctrinal and ecclesiastical position she occupied in 1843. We wonder if ministers and elders in a Free Church Assembly, say in 1843 or 1844, would be as concerned to defend the Church of Scotland as some Free Churchmen in the Assembly, and the press, have been so eager to do. Mr. Macrae has been asserting in the press that the Church to which he belongs is the only true representative in Scotland of the Church of the Disruption. Is he of that opinion after last Assembly we wonder?
Finance Report.—In commenting on the Finance Report submitted by Mr. Donald MacArthur, Mr. George H. Macdonald said that it was the most satisfactory report they had had for many years. Ministers’ salaries were raised from £245 to £250 in addition to the premium of £7 paid to the Widows’ and Orphans’ Fund. £80 was allocated to ministers on special arrangements, so that their salaries would not be less than £200 or more than the equal dividend. Two hundred pounds were allocated to supplement the salaries of lay agents. Mr. Rounsfell Brown pointed out that the income of the Sustentation Fund amounted to £30,500 of which nearly £10,000 came from invested funds.
Classes for the Study of Anthropology Criticised.—These classes were sanctioned by the Assembly last year. The press report says: “Strong opposition was shown to the innovation, and after a debate of an hour and a half in public, much of it referring to procedure and an hour’s discussion in private on the merits of the issue, it was decided to appoint an advisory committee to conduct an inquiry and report to next General Assembly. The matter was brought before the Assembly by overtures from the Synod of Sutherland and Caithness and the Presbytery of Lewis.
The Lewis overture asserted that “the Scottish Anthropological Society is radically unsound in its views as to the creation of man and God’s place as Creator in His universe.” Prof. D. Maclean, in proposing to appoint an advisory Committee, as reported above, said that his whole aim was to create harmony and unity and remove bickering and suspicion. “These overtures,” he added, “are not only a censure on the last General Assembly but an indication of want of confidence in the Senatus of the College, which did nothing more than carry out the instructions given by the General Assembly.” There were serious premisses in the overtures that might have serious consequences, and if the Assembly were going to discuss them he claimed the right to ask that they meet in private. Prof. Duncan Blair seconded.
Case of Alleged Irregular Procedure.—The Training of the Ministry seems to be often in deep waters, judging by Prof. Kennedy Cameron’s slashing criticism in his recently issued book—Assembly Clerks. Rev. R. A. Finlayson, in submitting the report of the Committee, called attention to what is regarded as a case of irregular procedure—the licensing of a student from the Australian Church while his course was irregular. He proposed that the Act governing Australian students be repealed, in so far as it applied to the licensing of students by Presbyteries of the Free Church. On a vote being taken authority to repeal the Act was given. Prof. Maclean entered his dissent as he regarded the decision an “unfriendly act towards a sister communion” and a breach of covenant between two communions without the second party being consulted. The Rev. John Shaw, Senior Clerk, also dissented. If Prof. Maclean is right in what he said, probably more will be heard of this.
No Binding Effect.—At the conclusion of the Assembly on Tuesday (31st May), Rev. W. Macleod, Dornoch, submitted a statement in which the following sentences occur:—”In an Assembly with an audience of over 1200 people the cordial appreciation of the co-operation of sister Churches with them in commemorating the events of 1638 was graciously and with
Christian dignity and restraint expressed by our Moderator, and it is by that sincere and unmistakable act we wish and ought to be judged, and not by anything else.” These words after the actions of certain members of the Assembly may mean a great deal to them.