The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-20 00:00:00

THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

I Though " poor" Mr. Campbell's Bill has beet
shamefully cast away, and the noise about the Non-
Intrusion question has ceased, we judge it expedient
to publish the following resolutions which Mr. Wal-
lace intended to have brought forward when the Bill
went into Committee, They will he read with inte-
rest by the church-going people of Scotland :
That whereas an ardent desire pervades a great majo-
rity of the members of the Church of Scotland to see an
end put to the exercise of Church patronage in that coma-
ca-untry, and to obtain, by legislative enactment, the un-
fettered right to elect their own pastors, and thereby to
remove the chief cause of the present lamentable dissen-
sions in their Church, be it therefore enacted, that
on every occasion whatever when a vacancy shall
occur in the holy ministry in any parish its Scot-
land, that the same shall be filled up, upon the clear and
distinct principle of unfettered election, by those who,
at the time of such vacancy occurring, shall have their
names recorded, in a list kept for that purpose, as per-
sons of good character, and being in habitual attendance
on the ordinances of religion in the parish church.
And whereas it is essentially necessary, with a view
to the people exercising a sound
.judgment in the choice
of their pastors, that they should at all times hare a
knowledge of those divines who, having successfully
passed through the various probationary examinations
and trials enjoined and required to take place before the
Church Courts of Scotland ; be it enacted, that lists shall
be duly prepared and published containing the names of
the divines who have been duly qualified under rules
to be made by the General Assembly of the Church or
Scotland, so that on all future vacancies occurring in pa-
rishes in that country, the parishioners may be able
readily to select from the said list, and are hereby -em-
powered to elect as their future pastor, any Probationer
of Divinity who, having passed through
.0.11 his exami-
nations and trials before the Church Courts, and having
obtained a certificate thereof, and having been accord-
ingly entered on the aforesaid list, shall appear to the
said parishioners to be the person best qualified to be-
come the minister of their parish.
And, whereas it has been vezy gravely alleged, thng
the heart-burnings and dissensions at present so unhap-
pily prevailing among the members of the Church 6f
Scotland, have been considerably augmented. by the es-
tablished clergy taking of late years an unusually active
part regarding the appointment of ministers to vacant
parishes ; and, whereas, it is clearly the interest as well
as the declared desire of the great majority of the mean-
bers of the Church of Scotland, that the already placed,
established clergy should confine themselves to their.
own proper calling, and in noway interfere with the ap-
pointment of those who are about to become their breth-
ren, under the plea or usage of subjecting those newly-
appointed to undergo certain examinations or trials, pre-.
vious to their being placed, during which period, unclear
the present system—namely, after nomination by s
patron, it has been found, in very many instances, that
great excitement and discontent has been created by the
interference of ministers of the Established Church, am!
by other strangers not properly belonging to the parish..
Anti whereas, under a previous clause, provision 1' as
been made for the due examination and trial of pro-
bationers, before the Church Courts, in the fullest and
most complete manner which the General Assembly
may see proper to direct ; and also, with a ♦iew to pre-
vent the recurrence of excitement and discontent, as.
before allude d to, between the choosing and placing of
a minister ; be it enacted, that it shall not be necessary
for the person who has been elected by the parishioners,
to appear before any Church Court for the purpose of
examination or trial, after he has been elected ; and that
his election in the aforesaid manner shall entitle him to
become forthwith to all intents and purposes the minister
of the Gospel in the said parish, and at the same time
that the choice, when so made, shall subject him to the
discipli❑e of the Church and the authority of the Churdi
Courts, in like manner as all other placed clergymen
now are, or shall in future be, amenable to its laws,
and that he shall thereafter proceed with the sacred
ditties of his calling without any other ceremonial than a
formal introduction to these and his parishioners in the
perish church.