The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-01-03

under Providence, TO contend for those great prn.
might he right he should take the liberty ofmpressng
upon the meeting general consideration of small
importance. 1t was this-shat the circumstance OF the
controversy in which for years past they uhe Free
church, had been engaged in Scotland and which ended
in the entire disruption of the establishment and in the
secession Of large number of its minister's and Of still
larger number Of its elders and people just hsthat
after long and melancholy period ofal and declenson
rity in characters which during the last century especi
ally the latter half of D had to large extent overspread
the established church Of system which they
there accustomed to call by the name OF moderation
After long period characterised by every thing which
a Christian church ought to want and by the NIB
sence of every thing which Christian church ought
70 possess, God In his mercy was pleased to grant
a revival of true religion and evangelical princi-
pie. At length, through the prevalence of sonnder
| views of Christian doctrine and a higher stand
ard Of Christian character leavening to considerable
the community and even influencing to some degree
nate and present ministers result that the
| gcca clergy and elders gained the ascendepcy in
the assembly and havng gained the ascendency in
the courts Of the church they resolved, in coDssten
cy with all the views they had possessed to apply
to the transaction of the business of the Church
Courts the same scripturai and evangelical principles
which they had learned from the word Of God and which
they had long manifested in their preachipgs iron the
pulpit and in the general discharge OF their ministerial
duties All this done fairly md honestly. II was
now nine years ago since the Evangelical party first
gained the ascendancy in the Church Courts and the
and substance Of the whole controversy in which they
had since been engaged whatever forms and aspects Il
assumed whatever pretence closked was just this
that the civil authorities the patrons the arlstocracy
an ungody and irreligous world woud not endure the
honest and faithful application of scrptural and Evange
ical principles the actual regulation of the affairs OF
the Church. This was in truth the substance and es
sencc OF the whole matter. The enmity OF the world
rebelled against the views which the Evangelical party
propounded and the which they in consequence
adopted hostility therefore excited, and they were
cast off The speaker here paid tribute OF respect ia
the conduct Of Dr. Chalmers upon this question: whose
name he observed, in all the churches OF Chris
throughout the world and who had been eminently hon
ored OF God as leading instrument in bringing abou
this important change. For preaching sound doctrine
and asserting principle the Doctor had beer
driven from the very establishment which hsbad done
much to purify and glorify Now while he Or Cunning
ham, could not doubt the general OF the Amc
rcan churches in the great undam" a principles upor
which the Free Church of ScotaL had acted they wou
perhaps ish for little information Enough lac would
not 90 into much dcaiD To the moro immediate cause
which led to the disruption of the establishe,
Church and to the position which the Free Church new
occupied The controversy, as he had remarked, com
menced with the determination OF the Evangelical party
wherever they gained the ascendancy that
ing the existence Of the law Of th'
law nv which the sole right OF nominating or presenni
ministers TO all the parishes in Scotland was vested In
single individual who held II as civil right, which h
derived by inheritance from his fathers which might b
hequea,hed him by friend purchased in the mar
ket and n whom qualification whatever was required
who need not be member of the Church established b,