The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-04-05
LSESTABLLSH1[ENT IN SCOT
LAND.

titude of godly men on the other side of
the Atlantic with regard to the incorpo-
ration of the Church in the State. The
matter seems to us so plain that we never
pause to consider it. Having long ago
gotten clean out of that sort of thing, we
are free from observations that appear to
invest the minds of those who have grown
up under these entanglements to degree
that it Is almost impossible for us to un-
derstand. Even the leaders in the great
Disruption movement of 1843 in Scotland
trembled in the presence of this question.
The boldest of them saw it through a
glass darkly. The Presbyterians of Eng
land in the 18th century regarded State
Church as the normal condition of that
kingdom which Christ had explicitly de-
clared to be "not of this world"
Theoretically, one would suppose there
could be little hesitation in Judging that
a spiritual body like the Church could
not properly be married to secular
power which should preside over it, and
even appoint its ministers. We can I'M
derstand how Christian men in a great
establishment like that of the Church of
England. which is SO benefcent in its
operation in many ways, should shrink
IN practical view of the matter from
overturning such an edifce. The mere
charities of the Church of England are
enormous. The ready method provided
tor the maintenance of the ecclesiastical
establishment is an obvious consideration
in its favor. Those who have never tried
it may naturally shrink from leaving the
support Of such body of clergy to the
caprice of private benevolence. We can
understand how the leaders in the Free
Church movement in Scotland, forty
years ago, viewed the experiment with
apprehension and misgiving.
But the question of the ability of an
unstipended Church to maintain itself is
now conclusively settled. We have tried
the experiment in America for century,
and with what success is open to the OBJ
servation of the whole world. The great
free church organisations of America are
Just as prosperous, just as rich, Just as
well supported as the national churches
of Germany, England, or Scotland. They
send out as many missionaries to the hea-
then, they pay their ministers just as lib
orally, they are characterised by more
devotedness and zeal. And so in Eng
land and Scotland, the dissenting church
es are as well maintained by voluntary
contributions as the establishments are
from the public taxes. The Free Church
of Scotland and the United Presbyterian
Church Of Scotland, so far as we know,
are not a whit behind the National Church
In pecuniary point of view
Disestablishment is bound to occur in
both England and Scotland at no remote
day; it is only question of this year or
the next. The agitation led by Principal
Rainy of the Free Church in favor of set
thing the matter at once in Scotland can
not, therefore, be regarded as in any way
remarkable. Professor Rainy observes
that there Is only one important body in
Scotland who oppose Establishments as
institutions, which, in all cases, are un-
lawful, being beyond the province Of the
State, and injurious to the Church. This
is the United Presbyterian Church. Many
Free Churchmen too, he remarks, espe-
cially among the laymen, have arrived
at the same conclusion but this is not
the position taken by the Free Church as
a body. There does exist in this Church
a lively disbelief in Established Churches,
as they exist, or are likely to exist there
IS thorough dissemination to be re-es-
tablished but still the Free Church, as
a body, has never abandoned its old the
oretical ground, that Establishments, in
suitable circumstances, if based on right
principles, "are fair application of the
general principle that States and nations
should know and honor Christ's revela-
ton"
What, then, is the foundation of the
present agitation for disestablishment in
Scotland DR.. Rainy, in an article in