The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-05 00:00:00

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Edinburgh, Friday, May 22.
The Assembly met to-day at twelve o'clock. After some
time spent in devotional exercises, the following gentlemen
were appointed to preach before his Grace the Commissioner,

viz. :
On Sabbath, 24th inst., Mr. Bruce, of New North Church,
to lecture and preach in the forenoon, and Mr. Maclaggan, of
Kinfauns, to preach in the afternoon. On Sabbath, 31st, Dr.
Black, of Barony Parish, Glasgow, to lecture and preach in
the forenoon, and Mr. Henderson, of Carmunnock, to preach
in the afternoon.
It was then arranged to meet in the afternoon at three
o'clock, for the consideration of various matters, when
Dr. LEE protested against Friday being made a day of busi-
ness, holding, as he did, that the minds of the Members should
be solemnized and prepared for the important business before
them, and therefore ought to be engaged on that day, as for-
merly, in prayer to God.
The Assembly, however, adjourned from two till three, when
they resumed business. The Report of the Committee on
Commissions was read.
Among others, the case of Dunfermline excited some inte-
rest. It appears that the Town Council of that burgh bad
resolved, by a majority of eleven to eight, to delay electing a
Commissioner to the Assembly for three months, or, in other
words, to decline sending a Commissioner at all ; whereupon
the minority protested, and afterwards met by themselves, and
elected a Commissioner. The Committee reported that this
election was invalid ; and, after some discussion, in which
much disapprobation of the conduct of the Dunfermline Town
Council was expressed, the Assembly sustained the Report of
their Committee recommending the rejection of the Com-
mission.
The Committee on overtures reported that there were no
fewer than eighty of these on various subjects.
ORDER OF BUSINESS.
Dr. Coos then announced the business of the Assembly for
the two following days :—Saturday : The Report of the De-
putation appointed to wait on Government respecting increased
Church Accommodation—a communication to the old Mode-
rator from the Original Burgher Synod—the Report of the
Deputation on the Royal Bounty—Overtures on the Synod of
Ulster—Cases of the Minister of Catrine Chapel, and of Mr.
Fraser, an American Minister, requesting admission into the
Church of Scotland. Monday : Reports on the Indian Mis-
sion; on the English Presbyterians; and, on the Colonial
Churches: Cases—of Kilmarnock; o Lady Parish; of Mr.
Niven of Dunkeld ; and, of Mr. Parker.
The Assembly then took up the appeal from a recent deci-
sion of the Synod of Lothian and Tweeddale, reversing a sen-
tence of the Presbytery of Haddington in reference to the case
of Mr. James Grieve, junior, who, it will be recollected, was
appointed Commissioner to the General Assembly from the
burgh of North Berwick, and whose commission was attested
by the Presbytery of Haddington—from which an appeal was
made to the Synod, who reversed the judgment on the ground
that there was no evidence of Mr. Grieve maintaining daily
family worship.
Considerable discussion took place on the point of form
started by the Procurator, namely, that it was incompetent in
the Synod to entertain the appeal from the decision of the
Haddington Presbytery, and that the complainers against that
decision should have come direct to the bar of the Assembly,
who alone were competent to judge of its own constitution, and
of the qualification and rights of its members.
Without going into the merits of the case, Dr. Cook moved,
on the ground taken by Dr. Lee and the Procurator, to sus-
tain the appeal from the Synod of Lothian and Tweeddale,
and reverse its decision in the case.
Dr. BURNS, of Paisley, contended that the proceedings
throughout had been according to the laws and practice of the
Church, and therefore moved that the Assembly dismiss the
appeal, and sustain the decision of the Synod.
After some discussion the roll was called, when Dr. Cook's
motion was carried by 118 to 42.
ST. CYRUS.
The Assembly then took up an appeal by Mr. Cook and
others, from a sentence of the Synod of Angus and Mearns,
reversing one by the Presbytery of Fordun, who refused to
sustain an appointment from the Kirk-Session of St. Cyrus in
favour of Mr. William Malcolm to represent the Session as an
elder to the Presbytery and Synod. The appellants in this
case appeared to have no objection to Mr. Malcolm's charac-
ter, but objected to his appointment solely on the ground that
the Kirk-Session, when he was elected, was not properly
constituted, their meeting not having been moderated by their
minister, Dr. Keith, who was on the Continent at the time,
in consequence of ill health. On the motion of Dr. Lee,
after some discussion, the Assembly sustained the complaint
and appeal, and reversed the sentence of the Synod.
CHURCH OF GENEVA.
Dr. P. MACFARLANE said he had received a letter from the
Venerable Company of Pastors of the Reformed Church in
Geneva, acquainting the General Assembly that they intended
to celebrate, for the third time, the centenary of the Reforma-
tion, which was to take place on the 23d August next, on
which occasion they invited the Church of Scotland to
unite their prayers with them, and, if convenient, to send
a deputation to join them in celebrating the festival. The
"subscribers of the letter he had read were editors of a journal,
called the Protestant, which openly avowed Socinian doctrines.
The Professor of Dogmatical Theology, elected and continued
by the Company of Pastors, is an abettor of the same doc-
trines. Dr. M. then read a series of instructions issued by
the Company in 1817, in which they obliged every Pastor to
promise that, so long as he resided in Geneva, he would abstain
from discussing the doctrines or the divinity of Christ, original
sin, effectual calling, and predestination—that they would not
oppose any Minister who should deny these doctrines, and if
called upon incidentally to mention them, they should adhere to
the language of Scripture, without any attempt at explanation.
There could be but one feeling in the Assembly—that they
could not fraternize with men who avowed such sentiments.
Still, he thought it was the duty of the Assembly to answer
the letter, and he would conclude by proposing the appoint-
ment of a small committee to draw up an answer to it.—mo.
tion agreed to.