This

flowed to Scotland and the world, from the glorious Reformation from Popery in 1560, and to acknowledge the manifold obligations which rest upon us to maintain and extend the blessings of that Reformation in a spirit of prayer and of humble effort, not only in Scotland, but to all lands and to the latest generation. The Assembly, whilst desiring to maintain in all their integrity the distinctive principles of the Scottish Reformation, feel bound to record their deep humiliation because of our own failure to improve past mercies, the many sins and shortcomings of all classes of the community, the continuance of Popish darkness in many parts of the world, and the revival of Popish principles and Popish influence to some extent in our land. They desire, at the same time, earnestly to record their deep sense, not only of the long-suffering and tender mercy of God in all the way by which this Church has been led, and to rejoice and give thanks that He has not only continued to us all our privileges, notwithstanding our great unworthiness, but that He is now, in the present signal revival of His own work in many parts of the land, giving us a time of refreshing from His presence and the glory of His power. Assembly desire to be impressed with a sense of the renewed obligation under which they are thus laid, not only to 'contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints,' but to abound in all efforts to extend the cause of God. Finally, the General Assembly appoint Thursday the 20th day of December next, being the Tricentenary of the first meeting of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland emancipated from Popish thraldom, as a day of public thanksgiving and humiliation in all our congregations, on which day every minister shall explain to his people the principles and facts of the Scottish Reformation, and stir them up to the appropriate discharge of duty. And inasmuch as the General Assembly of 1859 highly approved of the establishment of a Protestant Institute at Edinburgh for the training of students on the distinctive principles of Popery and Protestantism as the best memorial of our zeal on behalf of the Reformation from Popery,' this Assembly recommend that the collection made on the 20th of December shall be devoted to the fund for the promotion of this object.”

The following deliverance was also unanimously adopted :-"The General Assembly further resolve to appoint a Committee for the purpose of considering what measures should be adopted towards securing the full accomplishment of the great aims and objects of the Scottish Reformers, with power to communicate, if they see cause, with other public bodies on the subject, and with instructions to submit any suggestions which they may be prepared to make to the Commission at its stated meeting in August or November, and that to this Committee the Overtures relative to grants to Popery and the commemoration of the Tricentenary of the Reformation be remitted."

FRIDAY, MAY 25.

THE Assembly met this morning at ten o'clock for private conference on Home-Mission and Evangelistic Work.

twelve.

The House met in public at

Mr WILSON said the members of Assembly were aware that a conference had been held this morning, at which the overtures anent the state of

religion and revivals had been considered. It was necessary to renew the subject now; and he proposed that one of the overtures should be read, with the view of having the matter regularly reported in the minutes.

The CLERK (Dr Clason) then read the overture by the Synod of Fife, praying that the General Assembly should hold a conference, "to take into consideration the remarkable work of the Spirit throughout the Church, with a view to adopt such measures as may seem best fitted for promoting and directing this work within all our borders."

On the motion of Mr WILSON, the following deliverance was agreed to :—“ The Assembly having called for the overtures anent the state of religion and revivals, cordially approve of the object of these overtures; but having fully considered them in conference, do not deem it necessary to pronounce any more formal deliverance regarding them, inasmuch as a Pastoral Address is to be issued by this Assembly, which it is understood will deal with the subject."

RETURNS TO COLLECTIONS.

Sir HENRY MONCREIFF read the Report of the Clerks of Assembly anent returns to collections. The Report was approved, and the following deliverance adopted :- -"In accordance with the Report, the General Assembly instruct the Clerks to prepare lists annually which shall embody, with respect to each appointed collection, a statement with respect to each congregation, as to whether the collection has been made or not, and a statement of the reason for any neglect of it. The General Assembly also instruct the Clerks to send to each Committee the list which specially concerns it, immediately after the rising of each Assembly. The General Assembly at the same time instruct each of the Committees to deal with the list sent to it, by communicating, according to their discretion, with Presbyteries, or Sessions, or Deacons' Courts thereanent, or by reporting on the subject of it to the Assembly, if they shall deem it expedient; and, finally, the General Assembly exhort all the Presbyteries to continue and increase their diligence in making due inquiry, the first meeting after the time appointed for each collection, with respect to the making of collections within their bounds, and the reasons for any omission."

FUND FOR PRE-DISRUPTION MINISTERS.

Dr JULIUS WOOD gave in the Report of the Committee on the Distribution of the Fund for Ante-Disruption Ministers. (See Appendix.) The funds placed at the disposal of the Committee by 428 Disruption, 336 post-Disruption charges, and 26 stations, and otherwise, amounted to £5028, 18s. 8d. From 42 congregations no collection was received, whereof 9 are Disruption charges, and 33 post-Disruption charges. The expenses have been £159, 18s. 7d., being a net fund of £4869, Os. 1d. The Committee had to take into consideration what sources of income should be kept in view in ascertaining the amount of stipend of the pre-Disruption ministers, and they were of opinion that the following, for the year to Whitsunday 1859, should be so, namely:-The equal dividen; the allowance of £5 from the Supplementary Sustentation Fund; the congregational supplements; the allowance from Mrs Mackay's fund; and the allowance from the Ferguson Bequest. After a careful examination of the materials before the Committee for ascertaining the income from these various sources, and of the funds already collected, and that might

yet be expected, it appeared to them that there would be sufficient to make up the stipends of all ministers who had given up parochial charges at the Disruption, and were still in full charges, to £200, and of those who had given up quoad-sacra or missionary charges to £160. In the end of December cheques were transmitted to all the pre-Disruption ministers in full charges; and these were generally found to be a very seasonable addition to the limited incomes of many highly-respected fathers and brethren. Some representations soon reached the Committee of mistakes in the information before them, and of peculiarities in the positions of ministers, which they were requested to take into view. It was represented by a few ministers that the congregational supplement for the year to Whitsunday 1859, appearing in the printed statement issued by the Church as paid to them, was either wholly, where it was small, or in part an allowance for communion expenses; and by a few other ministers it was represented that their supplements were in whole or in part for house-rent in consideration of their having no manses. And these parties maintain that, to the extent of these expenses and rents, their supplements should have been left out of view. Had the Committee known of any of the exceptional cases now mentioned before making their arrangements for a division of the fund, they would have laid aside a reserve, by making up the stipends of the pre-Disruption ministers who left parochial charges to £195 only. Claims were also made by ministers who, not from illness, but rather at the request of the Church, and to make way for new arrangements, had retired from their charges, but were still at the service of the Church; on considering these, the Committee took it upon them to make an allowance of £15 to such ministers who had given up parochial charges, and of £10 to such as had given up quoad-sacra charges. The Committee also considered the cases of pre-Disruption ministers, who, from illness or age, have retired altogether, and are not engaged in any work. The Committee feel doubtful in how far the cases of these ministers lie within their province; but there are six of them to whom, if the funds will admit of it, they would respectfully recommend £10 to be given. Claims were also made by a minister who was in Van Diemen's Land in 1843, and by one who left a quoad-sacra charge in 1843, but in 1850 went to a charge in Nova Scotia, and by others. The Committee, however, were of opinion that the fund at their disposal was for ministers who gave up charges in Scotland, and have not left it to join other churches, either in England or the colonies. The whole sum distributed amounts to the sum of £4846, 10s., leaving a balance of £22,9s. 5d.

old

Mr HUTCHESON, Johnstone, expressed his opinion that, in regard to the Ferguson Bequest, the Committee had exceeded their powers; and he said that, if the same mode of action were carried out by the Sustentation Fund Committee, that Committee might intercept some of the funds coming from private parties to them.

Mr DALZIEL said there was no matter connected with the Free Church that he had felt a deeper interest in than the case of the pre-Disruption ministers. Until last year nothing was done for them, and this he deeply lamented. They had made very great sacrifices,-sacrifices which the laity to this day had never valued as they ought to have valued, or rewarded as they ought to have rewarded. (Hear, hear.) What had been stated by Mr Hutcheson gave him an opportunity of dispelling a misapprehension

that existed in some quarters with regard to those clergymen who derived benefit from the Ferguson Bequest; and he was in a position to state this fact, and he stated it upon the authority of one of the recipients of the fund,—that he received, (1st,) his equal dividend of £138; (2d,) his supplement; (3d,) his sum from the Ferguson Bequest; and (4th,) the contribution of the congregation corresponding to the sum from the Ferguson Bequest. In giving this instance, he was not blaming any one individual, but he was speaking of a system; and he thought that the parties who were receiving the benefit of the Ferguson Bequest should be the last in the Church to ask a fifth contribution from the ante-Disruption Ministers' Committee. (Hear, hear.)

Professor GIBSON held that Mr Dalziel's remarks were apt to create a wrong impression as to the ministers in the West who received the benefit of the Ferguson Bequest. It appeared that the amount distributed among eighty-seven congregations had been about £2000. That might seem a large amount; but, if they put pencil to paper, they would find that it was only £26 that each of these West-country ministers received from the Bequest Fund. He did not think this was a very great sum. He expressed his concurrence with the principle of Mr Hutcheson. He did not think that they were entitled, in matters of this kind, to count what was received from the Bequest Fund into the public income, for the simple reason, that though the Bequest Fund was a permanent fund, it did not secure a permanent distribution to the ministers who had the benefit of it, for they required to apply for it every year.

Mr SMITH of Borgue said that in his own case he had no such sum as the fourth referred to by Mr Dalziel. Last year he only got £20 from the Ferguson Bequest, instead of £30 as before, and yet this Assembly counted it as £30. He expressed his approval of the remarks of Professor Gibson. Mr DALZIEL then moved the adoption of the Report.

Mr THOMSON, Paisley, seconded the motion, and said, every one must agree that the Committee deserved the gratitude of the House for the able manner in which they had discharged a very difficult and delicate duty. He did not sympathise with Mr Hutcheson's or Professor Gibson's objections, and maintained that this fund was permanent. He did not think this fund was to be looked upon at all in the same light as a minister's private income; it was given for a public purpose,-for the discharge of a public duty. (Applause.) If the ministers in the West who got the benefit of the Ferguson Bequest were to get the advantage of this fund too, they would be depriving these venerable ministers in other parts of a large portion of their income. (Hear, hear.)

Mr EDMONDSTON, Ashkirk, was of opinion that ministers who had retired from their public duties should be considered more favourably than the Committee had done.

Mr THORBURN, Leith, said the Committee would have been very glad to have adopted Mr Edmondston's suggestion, but they were in a great measure shut up by the remit of the Assembly to distribute the fund to those who were in the active discharge of the duties of the ministry.

Mr ADAM, Aberdeen, expressed his opinion that a considerable portion of the collection which had been made specially for ante-Disruption ministers, had been devoted to parties-quoad-sacra ministers and missionaries -who instead of losing by the Disruption, had gained by it. (Hear, hear.) Dr Wood said the Committee very much sympathised with Mr Adam's

view, but there were great difficulties in the way, and they found it most convenient and most conducive to harmony to adopt a general rule. Many quoad-sacra ministers had made sacrifices, for if they had remained in the Establishment they would have been certain of parishes.

Mr NIXON reminded the Assembly that a great many chapel ministers had suffered half their lifetime before the Disruption took place, and it would be very hard to perpetuate their suffering. A large number of them were the light and strength of these dark days.

Mr BURNSIDE, Falkland, said he had a strong feeling that the fund should have been in the first instance appropriated to widows and children of the ante-Disruption ministers. It was almost impossible to manage the fund so as to give universal satisfaction. (Hear, hear.)

Mr JAMES BALFOUR (elder) said the principle that had been alluded to of the prospective injury to quoad-sacra ministers created by the Disruption was erroneous. They must only take into consideration the actual loss which had been sustained. (Hear, hear.) If the principle he had referred to were acted on they might have claims made by probationers. thought Mr Nixon's argument was a bad one.

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Mr EDMONDSTON said he was inclined to move, if any one would support him, that the Committee should be instructed to give more ample consideration to the cases of ministers retired from active service.

Mr MILROY said the Committee put the ministers who had manses on the same platform with those who had no manses, which he did not consider right as a matter of justice.

Mr LUNDIN BROWN, Largo, said it would be very ungracious and ungrateful if this subject were closed without a word of acknowledgment from any of the ante-Disruption ministers. It was not they, it was the elders, -who had always brought forward and advocated what they called their claims. They (the ante-Disruption ministers) never held or thought they had claims, and they uniformly resisted every proposal of benefit to themselves at the expense of their brethren-(hear, hear)-as, for example, the proposal to allot a part of the Sustentation Fund before it was divided. But when this bounty came to them as a testimony to their principles, and as a token of gratitude for their faithfulness, their obligation to the Church was felt, not as a burden or a grievance, but as an honour, which was equally shared by those who gave and those who received. If any grudged their people an opportunity of expressing their sentiments, he would humbly beg it might be considered that the Sustentation Fund itself owed its existence to the ante-Disruption ministers; that the elders might take up their case in a less favourable form; and that, at any rate, the time was rapidly approaching when the necessity, or, if they pleased, the duty, of this collection should cease for ever. Might he express it as their prayer, that on the Church, particularly the elders, Mr Dalziel and others, our gracious God, may multiply a thousandfold, the great kindness and the real benefit received at their hands.

Dr CLASON seconded Mr Edmondston's motion.

He thought that those who had retired from the active duties of the ministry should not be altogether neglected.

Mr DALZIEL assured Mr Edmondston that the Committee would give the matter he embraced in his motion their very serious consideration; whereupon Mr Edmondston withdrew his motion.

Mr WALKER, Carnwath, said they should all join heartily in this cause,