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General Assembly, meeting now for the first time after these convulsions began, and privileged with the presence of so many representatives of foreign Churches as we are to-night, if we were not only to express our cordial sympathy with our brethren, as I trust we shall do, but to give forth some emphatic, distinct, and clear sound,-lift up some standard which might tend to rally the fragments of the Reformation in the Continental Churches. (Hear, hear.) The Reformation Church on the Continent is more nearly one in all its branches, than perhaps the Church ever was at any period of its history since Christianity came into the world; and it would be a noble thing if we could be instrumental in giving forth some battle-cry which would encourage our brethren on the Continent to make use of their freedom for the purpose of seeking out and taking their stand upon the old paths upon which the Reformers took their stand. (Hear.) Now, I am not disposed to think we can possibly discharge our duty to the Continent at large,-I do not speak of the nations, but the Protestant Churches on the Continent,-by any thing we can do to-night; but I do not despair of the Assembly being led, before it rises, to the adoption of some solemn act, to the placing upon its record some declaration expressive of its sentiments in regard to the position of the Protestant Churches on the Continent,-setting forth somewhat of the historical connection between the Churches of the Continent and the Free Church of Scotland; bringing out emphatically the entire consistency of freedom from Erastian domination, and subjection to the Protestant standards of the Reformation, and lifting up a testimony in favour of those glorious old Confessions which once so nearly united the Churches in former times; the harmony of the Protestant Confessions having been thus more than once vindicated from the false allegations of the Papacy. (Hear, hear.) It would indeed be a melancholy result of the present movements, should we now lose the benefit of the harmony of the Protestant Confessions. We would rejoice if we were enabledand I would not wonder if God had brought us to this hour for such an end-to give some testimony from our elevated position in the eyes of Christendom, in favour of the great Protestant principle of the harmony of Confessions, and the importance of combining the most entire freedom with the humblest subjection, in every particular, to the mind and will of God revealed in his holy word. (Hear, hear.) I allude to this, perhaps, a little out of order, to suggest whether the General Assembly before it dissolves, might not do something in the way of discharging the duty it owes in present circumstances to the Continent. (Hear, hear.) I cannot but advert to the close connection which exists between us and one of the brethren who has addressed us. We have been solemnly reminded to-night as a branch of the Church Catholic. We have been also reminded of our peculiar position as the Free Church of Scotland, emancipated, by the blessing of God, from Erastian thraldom, and free to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and at liberty to follow out fully all the dictates of God's Word. I feel confident that many of us cannot but have been humbled by what we have heard from our brother, Mr Scholl. We have been apt to speak a great deal of ourselves,-to speak of our sufferings,—and we have suffered, by our separation from the Establishment; and it is an interesting thing to trace the exact correspondence between the sufferings we have endured, and those of our brethren in the Canton de Vaud. If they have been charged with seeking political ends, so have we. If they have been debarred from the free worship of God, so have we. If they have been calumniated in their characters, so have we. But there is no comparison, in point of degree, between our sufferings and those of our brethren. God has blessed us with the fullest and freest toleration. The denial of our rights and privileges is with us the exception, not the rule; but when we hear of the sufferings of the brethren in the Canton de Vaud, and hear them spoken of, as to-night we have heard without exaggeration,-without even emphasis, with so much calmness, so much meekness, so much moderation,—I think we may learn a lesson, if the Lord gives us grace to profit by such an example. (Hear, hear.) Our brother, Mr Scholl, was introduced to us-he introduced himself as a banished man-as a man now lying under sentence of banishment to his native parish; and he has most affectingly detailed the recent incident of his being called, along with the widow of Vinet, before the Commission of Police. I will read to you the sentence of banishment. The sentence in reference to the fine is longer, and I will not read it, more particularly as Mr Scholl has permitted

me to retain it for the use of the Church. (Hear, hear.) But the other sentence I may translate as follows:-"The Prefect of the District of Lausanne, to M. Scholl, demissionary minister.-I have the honour to inform you,-(laughter)-[the civility is great, the courtesy extreme]-(laughter)-I have the honour to inform you, that the Council of State has decided upon your immediate return to your birthplace, according to the 7th article of the decree of the 28th of March, in reference to religious assemblies beyond the pale of the National Church. This measure has been resolved upon, because on the 23d of April you officiated in a religious meeting of the kind prohibited by the decree above-mentioned. You are in consequence informed or warned, that a period of six days is allowed to you to betake yourself to your commune. If you do not comply with this invitation(laughter)-[invitation is the word]-it will be necessary to adopt ulterior measures to constrain you. I have the honour to be," tc. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) It is thus, with all possible civility, that the sentence is communicated to our brother, Mr Scholl. When I call to mind the scene which he has so touchingly brought before us, and remember who the lady was who stood beside him in that Policeoffice for it was just a Police-office,-when I call to mind who was his fellow-sufferer then, and is his fellow-sufferer now as being subject to the fine, the widow of the man who was called, and deservedly called, the Chalmers of Switzerland(hear, hear) when I think of such indignities as these,-of the wrong and contumely inflicted on the widow of a man of whom all Switzerland might be proud, and to whose family all Switzerland might rejoice to do honour,-I say I cannot but mourn over the degradation of religion in that unhappy land. (Loud cheers.) Perhaps the deliverance of the General Assembly may be to express our satisfaction with the statements which have been addressed to us by the brethren from the Continental Churches, and our earnest sympathy with the objects and plans of usefulness brought before us; and perhaps, that you, Sir, be requested to acknowledge, in the ordinary way, the kindness of the brethern in visiting and addressing the Assembly. And I would further propose that we should this night, before we separate, if it be the mind of the Assembly, resume the purpose, the solemn purpose formed long ago by this Church, in reference to giving a substantial token of our sympathy with the persecuted Church in the Canton de Vaud. At the period of their Disruption, when they were driven from their charges by their persecutors, it was the earnest purpose of the Free Church to manifest its sympathy by a substantial token; but we were then informed by our brethren themselves, that the most friendly act we could do was to abstain from making any collection for them till a more necessitous time should arrive. That time has now arrived. Two years and a half have now elapsed, during which they have made marvellous exertions for themselves in their small community. But they are now brought into circumstances in which we are loudly called upon to make good our pledge. I cannot doubt that our people will heartily rejoice in having the opportunity of manifesting their sympathy for their suffering brethren by a substantial token. The Continental Committee, as you have heard from the Report, has advanced £500 in anticipation of a general collection being made. But this is a mere trifle compared to the urgency of the case. I do not wish to interfere with any arrangements as to the collections for the year, which will be brought before you in the Report of the Committee on the collections for the Schemes. But I do think we are in circumstances to-night for fulfilling the pledge which we formerly gave. And I cannot believe that our doing so will be misinterpreted by any one as interfering with the general collections for the year.

Mr A. DUNLOP, advocate, said he desired cordially to second the resolution which had now been made. He accorded entirely in the sentiments of Dr Candlish as to their general duty in regard to the Continent at large, and their particular duty in regard to the demissionary ministers of the Canton de Vaud. He thought they were called on with a loud voice to take advantage of the open door which the shaking of the nations was presenting to them to exert themselves in the evangelization of the Continent, and more particularly to respond with heart and hand to the call now made on them from the Canton de Vaud. (Hear, hear.) To that Church they stood in a peculiar relation. They were sailing on the same voyage, and under the same pilotage, and the only difference between them was, that our brethren in

the Canton de Vaud were exposed to storms from which we were entirely free. He felt with Dr Candlish, that it impressed one with a sense of humiliation to think of what we had said about our sufferings in this country, as compared with the example of humble and patient resignation which they had witnessed this evening. Even if we could not sympathize with their sufferings, these statements touch a chord in our old associations; for every one of the evils they are now suffering, even to the minutest particulars, was experienced by our forefathers. I could not but be struck with the minuteness of the resemblance in the description of the meeting of a few friends for worship, in the private house of a lady, and the fine and banishment consequently inflicted. It was but the other day that I read of a case of the same nature in an account of the "Martyrs of the Bass." A minister officiated in a private room in Edinburgh; several ladies attended the meeting, one of whom was the widow of a minister in the west of Scotland, who had been banished, not to his own parish, for the practice of the time was to send such men away from their own parishes, but banished "north of the Tay." His widow, an ancestress of my own, and certain other ladies, were called up. The minister was banished, some of the ladies were fined, and the minister also; and my ancestress was honoured by being debarred from coming within a certain number of miles of Edinburgh without the licence of the Privy Council. So that the sufferings of our brethren resemble, even in the most minute particulars, those of our forefathers; only the latter were not so smooth and polite, but more manly, rough, and like the thing. (Cheers.) They were inflicted by a despotic monarch in a despotic way,— roughly trampling on the liberties of his people, while here the persecution is inflicted under the name of "Liberté et Patrie!" Hear, hear.) These things being now done under the name of liberty which the tyrants of former days did in the name of determined despotism. (Hear, hear.) He agreed with Dr Candlish in the proposal to fulfil the promise they had formerly come under, to give their brethren a substantial token of sympathy, and he was persuaded that the people of our Church would be willing, if it were necessary, even to make sacrifices for this purpose. (Hear, hear.)

The following was the deliverance of the Assembly:

:

"The General Assembly having heard their brethren from the Continent, express the satisfaction which they have experienced by their presence, and in hearing from them the interesting statements which they have made of the condition of the continental countries, in reference, more particularly, to the events which have recently occurred, and their probable bearing on the advancement of the cause of Christ. And the Assembly express their earnest desire for the continued success of the Evangelical Societies of Belgium, France, and Geneva, through whose efforts so much has already, by the Divine blessing, been accomplished for the spread of gospel truth, and their anxiety to help forward their brethren in the good work of the Lord by every means in their power.

"The General Assembly desire especially to renew their expressions of affection for their brethren of the Free Church of the Canton de Vaud, and to sympathise with them under the heavy trials to which they are still subjected, driven, as M. Scholl and many of his brethren in the ministry have been, from their beloved and attached flocks by a persecuting law, which permits not the worship of God, excepting in connection with the Church of the State.

"The General Assembly request their Moderator to return the thanks of the House to their respected brethren who have now addressed them, which was accordingly done in suitable terms, the Moderator expressing the feelings of high satisfaction which the Assembly had experienced in the appearance of their brethren on

this occasion.

"The Assembly approve of the Report of the Continental Committee, which is hereby re-appointed with its former powers; and farther, the Assembly, feeling the obligations resting on this Church, to give a substantial expression of their sympathy with the Church of the Canton de Vaud, resolve that a collection on behalf of their brethren be made by the congregations of this Church, and appoint a Committee to prepare an act thereanent, and the said Committee are requested to consider as to a suitable time for making the collection."

The MODERATOR then addressed the deputies, expressing the satisfaction of the

Assembly at their presence, and the gratification derived from their addresses. We are keenly alive, he said, to the interesting condition of the Continent of Europe at this time, and to the loud call addressed to us to exert ourselves amidst the shaking of the nations, to do what we can, by the blessing of God for the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom; and I trust that these exertions will not be awanting. You cannot, dear brethren, be ignorant of the comparative infancy of this Church, and of its limited resources, seeing that it has so recently renounced its connection with the State. We cannot therefore do all that we could wish to undertake, yet I may say that our desire is to be honoured to be fellow-workers with you on the Continent. We are not ignorant of the interesting situation of Belgium, in regard to the Roman Catholic faith; neither are we ignorant of the strong excitement prevailing in France, and the remarkable energy of the efforts there put forth in behalf of the gospel. We know that every Frenchmen who comes under the power of Divine truth becomes a Christian missionary in his own little sphere, and I trust that France is yet destined to become an important agent in the evangelization of the Continent. I am especially gratified, my dear friend, Mr Scholl, at seeing you in our Assembly. I have myself been an eye-witness of some of the dark scenes to which you have alluded. You have said that there are tokens for good in the midst of all your trials; God wisely afflicts his own children that he may sanctify them. It was said to me in the Canton de Vaud that we had historical recollections in this country to encourage us which they did not possess. I said to them, if you have not the history which we have, you are making a history for yourselves, and I do trust that what you are now doing and suffering may lay the foundation of lasting benefits to future times. I cannot, especially at this late hour, give utterance to the feelings which press upon me at the very name of Switzerland, nor can I do more than express the heartfelt sympathy which we feel for you all, and especially for Mr Scholl, and it is our earnest prayer that you may soon be enabled to return to your flock with a double portion of the Lord's presence.

The Assembly next took up a

REFERENCE FROM THE PRESBYTERY OF CUPAR.

The parties in this case were Mr M'Gillivray, Mr Murray, and Mr Brodie, for the Presbytery of Cupar. Mr Makgill Crichton and Mr Donaldson appeared as protesting against the reference, but having entered no complaint, could not be heard. The reference, which was stated by Mr M'Gillivray, was for leave to expunge certain minutes which were informal in the case of Mr James Walker, and to be allowed to begin the case anew.

The Assembly dismissed the reference, on the ground that there were no materials on which they could adjudicate, and instructed the Presbytery of Cupar to take steps to bring this case to a conclusion, according to the laws of the Church, and empowered the Commission to decide in any reference or complaint that might be brought up in this matter.

The Assembly adjourned about two o'clock on Tuesday morning,

TUESDAY, MAY 23. 1848.

Act regarding Collection for the Canton de Vaud-Report of Building Committee-Speeches of Dr Begg, Mr Dunlop, Mr Gibson, Dr Candlish, Mr M. Crichton, Mr J. F. Macfarlan-Depu tation from the Presbyterian Church of Ireland-Speeches of Mr M'Clure, Professor Gibson, Dr Macfarlan, Mr Tweedie, Mr M. Crichton, and the Moderator-Call to Mr Macnaughtan of Paisley-Speeches of Mr M'Queen, Mr Andrew, Mr Thomson, Professor Gibson, Mr Brough, Mr Macnaughtan, Dr Candlish, Dr P. M'Farlan, Mr R. Paul, Mr Gibson, Mr Gardner, and Mr Nixon-Report of Sustentation Committee-Speeches of Dr Buchanan, Professor Miller, Dr Cunningham, and Mr M. Crichton-Kilbride Case.

The Assembly met to-day at twelve o'clock. The Minutes of last diet were then read and approved of.

Mr GRAY of Perth said, that last night the Assembly appointed a Committee to prepare an act for the collection in behalf of the Free Church of the Canton de Vaud, He hoped the House would now allow him to read the draft of the act which that Committee had prepared. (Hear, hear.) He might state, the Committee had con

sulted with another Committee which had been named for the purpose of making arrangements as to the Schemes, and it was agreed that that collection should be made on as early a Sabbath as possible; not only on grounds which were stated last night, namely, the necessity of the case, but that it was so desirable for facilitating their own business. He then read the Act which is as follows:

"The General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland appoint a Collection to be made on the second Sabbath of July, being the 9th day of the said month of July, in all the Congregations and Preaching Stations under their jurisdiction, on behalf of the Free Church of the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland; provided always, that, in those cases where the Sacrament of our Lord's Supper falls to be celebrated on the Sabbath aforesaid, the Collection hereby appointed shall be made on the Sabbath immediately preceding. The General Assembly appoint this Collection for the following reasons; viz. First, That they may testify their sympathy with their beloved brethren of the Canton of Vaud, now suffering a cruel persecution: Secondly, That they may testify their admiration of the stedfastness and devoted spirit which these brethren have manifested under trials which are unparalleled in modern times: Thirdly, That they may indentify themselves before the world with the brethren of Vaud, in maintaining the great principle of the freedom of the Church from the dictation of the Civil Magistrate, and the subjection thereof to Christ as its only Lawgiver and Head: Fourthly, That they may proclaim their belief in the union of the Church with Christ, whereby it comes to pass that the sufferings of the Church in any of its branches are the sufferings of Christ, and their belief also in the unity of the Church through its glorious Head, whereby it comes to pass, that when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it: And, finally, That this Church may have an opportunity of humbly expressing her gratitude to God, through whose good providence it is, that in maintaining the doctrine of the Headship of Christ, she has not been exposed to the same severity of trial and persecution as has fallen to the lot of the brethren in Switzerland.

"The General Assembly appoint this Act to be inserted among the printed Acts of the Church, and to be read from all the pulpits on the Sabbath immediately preceding that on which the Collection is to be made; and the Board of Missions and Education is hereby directed to take all necessary steps for promoting its ob

servance."

Mr CARMENT of Rosskeen suggested that the collection should not be entirely made for the Canton de Vaud, but that it should be also made for the Evangelical Society of Geneva.

Dr CANDLISH said, Mr Carment would remember that that collection was agreed to be made for a special purpose, namely, for the Canton de Vaud, and that it was for the Continental Committee to assist other societies on the Continent.

BUILDING COMMITTEE.

Dr BEGG said,—I rise to give in the Report of the Committee for managing the General Building Fund. I do not intend to read it, but I respectfully solicit the attention of the Assembly to a few statements which I venture to submit, because I am convinced that whilst it is a pretty general opinion that the Building Committee have discharged their work, the real fact is, that its work is scarcely half discharged in the way of building churches, and scarcely discharged at all in the way of taking care of the titles of the churches which we have already built. It is right, however, to refer, in the first instance, to what must be suggested by the circumstance of my giving in such a Report,-to the great loss which this Church has sustained since last Assembly, in the death of the late excellent and lamented Convener. Perhaps I can do this best by reading to the Assembly a minute which has been inserted in our records in regard to our excellent friend Mr Hamilton. In regard to him we venture to record, that "his sound judgment, his untiring diligence, his prudence, his zeal, his conciliatory deportment, his firmness under difficulties, his confidence in the cause to which he so entirely devoted himself, and in which he so heartily engaged, were brought to bear on the objects of his exertions with a persevering energy and sustained hope which overcame obstacles, and encouraged all who wrought along with him, and were elevated by a fervent desire for the best interests of his country and his fellow-men, and sanctioned by the all

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