The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-01
THE SCOTCH CHURCH.
Pastor Gosh Talks About the
Land of John Knox.
RELIGIOUS EQuALiTYMovEMENT
The Established Church That Of the
Minerity-Ths states Endswmsnts
Hopes OF Unity.

Kew. Nathan Gosh. Of the Free Church
manse. Dairy. Scotland, who Is in the city
on visit to his brother. James Gosh, il an
instructive talksr, and In an interview
with reporter Of the Posr-IsTELLTGKscER
last evening. he gave some interesting
facts touching the various Presbyterian
bodies OF Scotland and the progress Of the
movement on foot towards the disestab-
iishment Of She established church. Mr..
Gosh said:
In Scotland there are three strong
Presbyterian bodies-the Established, the
Free and the United Presbyterian church.
In their belief and form of worship they
are ali alike, subscribing to the same con-
iession OF faith. One of the three is sin
gled cut BY the state aud is the recipient
OF special privilege in the shape Of endow-
ments- They are all actively and earnestly
engaged IN doing good work. The United
Presbyterian church took form as q seces-
sion from the Established church about
1853, under the leadership of the Erskins;
the existence of the law OF patronage had
great deal to do with this. The Free
church, or. rs it may be termed. the
Church OF Scotland Free, took its present
form In 1873 and seeded from the Es;ab-
hsned church for very much the same
reason as the United Presbyterians.
These two churches have been drawn very
Closely together, and, as they have almost
everything in common, the day is not far
distant when they will be united under
one name.
with regard to disestablishment, while
of course the established church will OPP
pose it bitterly. we believe that measure
of disestabiishment and abandonment
will be beneficial to the highest interests
OF the country. Inasmuch as We believe
that the established church has only q
minority of the population, basis of re-
hgious equality is imperatively demanded.
This measure is at present one OF the
items in the programme of the Liberal
party in the house of commons aud we
believe that in a few years the measure
will become law.
The endowments, which. generally
speaking, are derived from the land-the
I old 1.-THE system,-amoun to $50, oD0 per
AMMAN. In the bill introduced in the
house of commons by Sir Charles Cam
eron, NJ. p. for Glasgow, is q provision TO
the effect that the present incumbents of
these parishes shall be life rented in these
endowments, and that at their death the
moneys shall be devoted TO parochiat pur-
poses, not necessarily religious.
with regard TO doctrinal questions the
churches in Scotland are pretty well adj
vanced and tolerabiv liberal in their views.
In the Free church efforts have been made
to charge certain OF her professors with
holding erroneous views on the inspira-
tion of the Scriptures. the great central
truth of the atonement of Christ and the
genuineness OF certain books of the Bible,
but We may say in every case the charges
were not sustained.
Generally speaking. the churches in
Scotland are doing excellent work and
they all cherish very warm respect and
high sdmiration for the work that is being
done by the different sections of the church
in the United States.
II have been exceedingly pleased with
eli that have seen in the United States,
and ia travelling from New York TO Seattle
L have been much impressed with the
vastness and diversity and infinite re-
sources of this great country and shall
carry back to Scotland many happy men,
cries of my visit to the New World"