The Sun.
London, England, 1840-05-29 00:00:00

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

The General Assembly of he Church of Scotland
assembled on Thursday. As usual, Lord Be:haven,
her Majesty's Commissioner, held a levee in Holyrood
House, which was numerously attended, there being no
fewer that three hundred and twenty Noblemen and
Gentlemen present.
After sermon by the Rev. Dr. Duncan, Moderator
• of last Assembly, his Grace the Lord High Commis-
sioners, with the members of the Assembly, returned
to the Tron Church, when the chair was taken by Dr.
Duncan.
On the roll of members being read over by the r.gent,
when he' came to the returns for the Presbytet y of
Strathhogie,
Mr. DUNLOP rose and said, he thought necessary to
intimate now, that before they proceeded to the election
of -Moderator or anything else, he should propose that
the names returned by the Presbytery of Strathbogie
be not called.

The Roll having been called,
Mr. DUNLOP said he should now propose that those
names be not called. They were not now to enter into
the validity of the Commission, and therefore he did not
mean to say whether Mr. Hope or-Sir James Forrest
Were to be considered as the elders from the presbytery
of Strathbogie. The Assembly knew nothing of the
parties by whom either were elected ; the clerk had en-
rolled them both ; and, therefore, so far as they were
concerned, it was to be considered as a double return.
But with respect to the ministers returned, the case was
very different, for they stood at that moment suspended
from the functions of their office by a sentence of the
Commission of the General Assembly. That sentence
might be set aside, as being beyond the powers of the
Commission, but until it was so set aside it must be re-
cognized by every Church Court as a valid sentence.
Dr. Coos: said they were not formally constituted,
and they knew nothing as an Assembly of what was
done by the Commission till their records were laid
in a formal manner upon the table, or till certain pa-
pers transmitted by those Reverend Gentlemen ware
transmitted to them by the Committee on Bills. Were
they in possesion of all the requisites that were neces-
sary for forming a judgment on this, the most momen-
lons and important subject that ever came under the
consideration of the Assembly? Suppose that they
she old be pushed to enter upon the merits of this
question, while many of them were in ignorance of all
the faets in the case, it might turn out, after they had
decided, when they had obtained additionalinformation,
that :hey had pronounced a sentence which they them-
selves were forced to condemn. Under these circum-
stances, be was clearly of opinion that they should nut
allow eith.,r the one party or the other to vote till their
Commissiori were regularly returned, and by that time
they would have the papers before them, and would be
Perfectly prepared td meet the gentlemen on the me-
rits of the question. He intreated gentlemen, by
a regard to the peace and trlnquillity of their proceed-
ings, that the matter should not be discussed now ; but
that both parties should be suspended, or both allowed
N) tender their votes under protest, which came to the
sacoe thing.
After some desultory discussion, the Procurator sug-
gested that Dr. Cook's plan should be agreed to, allow-
ing both parties to vote under protest, which was
agreed to.

ELECTION OF MODERATOR.
The Moine...Too said that it bad been the custom,
for a number of veers past, -fo-r the last Moderator to
Propose his success er ; but circumstances, to which it
was unnecessary for him farther to allude, made him
feel it to be his duty to decline the task.
Dr. P. MACFARLAN proposed Dr. Hill of Dailly.
He noticed that Rev. Gentleman's eminent qualifica-
tions for the office—qualLications acknowledged by
opponents ; and censured the departing from the usual
mode of electing the Moderato!.
Sir C. D. FERGUSON seconded the motion.
Principal DEWAR proposed Dr. M'Kellar of Pent-
caitland, who, he remarked, united :softness anti gentle-
Oen of manners with firmness—a combination of quali-
ties especially necessary at the present emergency.
Mr. BUCHAN of Kelloe seconded the motion.
Dr. CEIALMERS said, when the proposition first to op-
Pose De, Hill was made, I think, in December last, it
met with sty strongest disapprobation. I felt that such
an attempt might be in the highest degree injurious to
the cause which was intrusted to a Committee of last
General Assembly. I stood aloof for three months—
A I saw an accusation made against Dr.
Hill, that he had put his mime to a document which, I
believe, if it were carried out into effect, would prove the
death warrant of our Church Establishment. And that,
loot by the hand of external violence, but by the vo!un-
tary surrender from within, of the spiritual to the civil
Power. I was staggered by that charge so distinctly
made, and I made no secret of what I felt. I said openly,
that if this charge weretrue I would not vote for Dr. Hill
to be Moderator. I made the requisite inquiries into its
truth, and after that, to my infinite regret, I ascertained
the fact. I wrote to Dr. Hill to say I could not support
him I had rejoiced in the prospect of fighting the
Little of the Church side by side,—there is no differ-
ence in our principles—the only difference is in our
objects.—(Laughter.) I confess that, apart from all
tironsiderations of the substantive good or harm of the
,position, it does appear to me to be violently out of
leering, to commence our business by electing a Mode-
eutor hostile to that principle, which, I trust, it will be
*he disOsguishing glory of this Assembly to perfect and
to establish. Let us suppose that in virtue of some
controversy, it had been the work of this commencing
Assembly to enforce and assert some leading article of
ov r confession--say the divinity of Christ—l ask, what
`would be thought should you commence your proceed-
ings by elevating to the Moderator's chair, a minister
bores that body—(Cries of " No, no," and " Hear,
hur")—who, but a few weeks or months before, had
writtekt a book—(Loud cries ot. i• Order," and" Hear")
----7inetvred with Socinianism, an one of whose bad-
innag,chapt ers was an explicit avowal of the heresy ?
Thou gh ye are not called on to do this— ,Lette'h it .1,
not a vital theological principle, still it is a vita) ecclesi-
astical principle with which we have to eo. It is
the divinity, but what in professional language is termed
The, Headabip sof the Lord :esus Christ ; and the
treat spiritual task which circumstances have de-
volved on this Assembly, is to define and defend the
limits within which, as the substantial and exclusive ju-
risdiction of the Church, no civil power shall be suffered
to enter. Now the declaration to which 1 have alluded
forstalls the Assembly—having undertaken our work,
it has done it wrong. It was a few weeks no that I
near,' of Another declaration being in progress through
the Church,—not like the former, vitally wrong in
Principle, but so far wrong in sound and right policy,
that had Dr. M'Kellar signed that document I would
have had great difficulty in supporting him. I wrote to
Dr. M'Kellar, and, to my'-infinite relief and enlarge-
!).t, I learned from himself that he bad no connec-
tion with it. He is not the representative of any section
or sub-section of this house, and, while lie is a firm and
t.tneielding friend of the Non•intrusion principle, he is
ire; 'o entertain any proposition for giving effect to it,
Whether it may come from a Bill by Lord Aberdeen, or
from any other quarter or point of the political compass.
There was, however, one overt act with which Dr.
*Kellar stood notoriously charged, which was most
honourable to hie'', and which marks him out. as the
most proper representative of the Church in. this most
arduous crisis. Vu a memorable occasion, when the
Presbytery of Ddekeld was before the bar of the Court
of Session, Dr. Mq.i.ellar stood by their slde.—(Loud
applause.) He did there what, I know, he may be
called to do again. He lifted up his calm and intre-
pid front before the scowl of offended Judges and the
sneers of ungodly men.. (freers.) He knew how to
meet the displeasure of the Court, and the insolence
of the crowd, with that dignified bearing which ought
ever to enitinguish a Christian minister.
Mr. Gibbon of Lommay, and Mr. Bisset of 13ourtie,
supported the motion. Mr. Binnie objected to the
Thole system of the initiative of the Moderator's elec-
tion. Mr. Brown of Largo supported Dr. 11I'Kellar ;
and Dr. Simpson, at some length, explained his rew..ons
for voting for Dr. Hill. The house bciog impatient
for a division, Dr. Macfarlan replied, after which the
vote was taken, when 195 voted for Dr. M-Kellar and
147 for Dr. Hill.
Dr. M'Kellar was then introduced and took his seat.
His Grace the Commissioner then addressed the As-
sembly. He said, it had pleased her Majesty rgain
to appoint him to represent her Royal person and
authority in this Assembly, and her Majesty had com-
manded him to express to them the high respect which
het: Majesty entertained for everything that concerns
the Church of Scotland. Her Majesty relied with un-
doubted confidence on their zealous exertions in pro-
*kiting the best interest of the country. Her Majesty
'Was too well Aware of the vast benefits which the
People of Scotland had for a long time c'erived from
the Established Church in the land, and which had
Proved, under Providence, the source of all their pro-
sperity and happiness, not to feel more. then ordi-
narily anxious respecting the peculiar circumstances
which they were recently placed ; and while
Tier Majesty recognised, in the fullest manner their
undoubted right to discuss with entire freedom
every subject which might come b ;fore thorn, (and
,fie was commanded by her IVlejesty. to afford them
sevry facility for doing so,) her Majesty trusted that
the:le deliberations would be conducted with that calM-
ness, decorum, and moderation, which was also a pecu-
liar distincOon of their venerable body. Her Majesty
sincerely prayed that all their discussions might tend to
the glory of God,— !o the peace and tranquillity of the
Church,—end to the
ppiness and prosperity of the
land. It should be his study
to do everything in his
Power that would conduce to t::* comfort and con-
•
cvernenee during their sittings. He he:e concluded by
Presenting the usual Royal donation of 2,00/. for the
ropagation of the Gospel in the Highlands.
'rho Moderator replied to the several topics adverted
to in his Grace's speech ; but in so low a tone as ren-
dered his address inaudible where we were sitting.
After disposing of some routine business, the As-
sembly adjourned about 6 o'clock.
FRIDAY, MAY 22.
This day was, as usual, chiefly oceup7ed in devotional
exercises.