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and votes marked, it carried first motion by 189 to 127; wherefore, the General Assembly, being deeply impressed with the importance of establishing and maintaining a high standard of qualification for candidates for the ministry, did, and hereby do, approve generally of the Theological Curriculum for the New College, as proposed in the Report of the College Committee; and farther, the General Assembly are of opinion, that the Church is not called upon at the present to make provision for extending the means of Theological Education by establishing another full Divinity Hall.

From this judgment Dr Robert Brown dissented, in his own name and in the name of all who may adhere to him.

25th May 1848. Sess. 11.

The following members signified their adherence to the dissent from the judgment of the Assembly last night, viz. Dr P. M'Farlan, Mr James Gibson, Mr David Simpson, Mr John Mackay, Lybster.

Dr Brown then gave in and read Reasons of Dissent from the foresaid judgment, which the Assembly order to be inserted in a separate record.

29th May 1848. Sess. 18.

The Assembly having resumed consideration of the Report of the College Committee, approve of the Report (of the College Committee), and of the Reports of the Sub-Committees on Scholarships, and on the Building of the New College.

Express their deep interest in the system of Scholarships which has now been for some years in operation, and their gratification at the results with which it has been attended; instruct the Committee to adopt efficient measures for securing the continuance and extension of the present provision for Scholarships, and strongly recommend this object to the liberality of the friends of the Church; sanction the measures taken by the Committee, with a view to raising funds for carrying on the Building of the College; adopt the Minute of the Committee upon this subject, and in accordance therewith, direct the Trustees, in whom the property of the College is at present vested, to hold that property for the repayment, in preference to all other claims and objects, of the money that has been or may yet be borrowed for the purpose specified.

Instruct the Committee to make provision, as heretofore, for the teaching of Hebrew at Aberdeen, and to make regulations suited to existing circumstances for the Theological Curriculum there, and the payment of fees by the students, after consulting upon these subjects with the Presbytery of Aberdeen and Professor M'Lagan.

Find, that the course which has been pursued by the Presbytery of Glasgow for the instruction of Theological Students who could not attend the Divinity Hall in Edinburgh, is sanctioned by the existing regulations of the Church, and authorise the continuance of the same or similar arrangements for another session, if the Presbytery see cause.

Remit to the Committee the returns of Presbyteries upon the draft of the proposed Constitution of the New College, and instruct them to report upon the whole subject to next Assembly Authorise the Commission, at its ordinary meeting in August, to make an appointment to the Theological Chair, vacant by the resignation of Dr Candlish; and empower the Committee, if they think

proper, to suggest to the Commission one or more Ministers, whom they may may consider best qualified to fill the vacant Professorship: Re-appoint the Committee with their former powers, Dr Cunningham, Convener.

The General Assembly agree to transmit as an Overture to Presbyteries, the following resolutions anent the College and Theological Education :

1. That no person shall be enrolled as a student of Theology, unless he has gone through a full academical curriculum of Literature and Philosophy, and has acquired a knowledge of the Hebrew language.

2. That, in addition to the Presbyterial examinations at present required by the laws of the Church, all students shall, before entering the Divinity Hall, be examined upon their previous course of study by a Board of Examiners to be appointed by the General Assembly, and shall be again examined by the same Board at the conclusion of their Theological course; and that none shall be enrolled as students of Theology, or be taken on trials for licence, without a certificate that the Board of Examiners are satisfied with their proficiency.

3. That the ordinary Theological curriculum shall consist of four years' regular attendance upon the Divinity Hall; that in no case shall less than two years' regular attendance be sustained; that exemption from four years of regular attendance shall be granted to particular students only, by a Board appointed by the General Assembly; that two enrolments in different sessions shall be required for each of the two sessions for which exemption from regular attendance may be granted; and that all students exempted shall be yearly examined upon books and subjects prescribed to them.

4. That the Theological Faculty shall consist of five Professors, who shall give instructions both in Exegetical and in Systematic Theology, during all the four sessions of the curriculum.

5. That attendance be required of all Theological students, for one session, upon the class of Natural Science.

Extracted from the Records of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, upon this and the eleven preceding pages, by

THOMAS PITCAIRN, Cl. Eccl. Scot. Lib.

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.Dr BUCHANAN.

.Dr CUNNINGHAM.

.Dr DUNCAN.

.Mr P. C. MACDOUGALL.

.Mr A. C. FRASER.

.Dr BLACK.

....Dr FLEMING.

The Rev. J. MILLAR has Classes for GREEK and LATIN, auxiliary and subsidiary to the Curriculum prescribed by the Laws of the Church. Mr MILLAR'S Greek Classes, however, do not supersede attendance for one Session at a Greek Class at one of the Universities.

Professors

COMMITTEES.

GENERAL COMMITTEE.

The Rev. Dr WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, Convener.

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Ministers

Mr M'DONALD, Blairgowrie.
Mr SYM.

Mr ANDREW GRAY.

Mr W. BUCHAN.

Mr BONAR, Glasgow.
Elders-

Mr MONTEITH.
Sir D. BREWSTER.

Right Hon. Fox MAULE.

Mr DUNLOP.

Mr CAMPBELL, Monzie.

Mr R. PAUL.

Mr THOMSON, Banchory.

Mr J. MURRAY.

Mr F. B. DOUGLAS.

Mr BUCHAN of Kelloe.

Mr HOG of Newliston.

Mr H. COGAN, Glasgow.
Mr JOHN BAIN,

do.

Mr JOHN BLACKIE, do.

Mr J. F. MACFARLAN.

Mr J. WRIGHT, Glasgow.

Dr RUSSELL.

Mr WILLIAM BROWN, Aberdeen.
Major-General M'DOWALL.

JAMES BONAR Secretary.

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REPORT

OF

COLLEGE COMMITTEE.

THE College Committee have little to state to the Assembly, in the way of narrating what they have done during the past year, and must turn their attention chiefly to matters that are still in some measure prospective. The Assembly is of course aware of the arrangements made by the Commission in August, in virtue of the powers conferred upon them by last Assembly, for supplying the vacancies occasioned by the lamented and irreparable loss of Dr Chalmers. These arrangements were acted upon during last session of College, as far as circumstances admitted of it.

The Committee, in accordance with the instructions of last Assembly, examined the Reports transmitted to them by the Presbyteries of University Seats, on the subject of theological education, and prepared Observations upon them, which they transmitted along with the Reports themselves to all the Presbyteries of the Church. The opinion which the Committee formed upon this question, and the grounds of which are stated in their Observations, was adverse to the extension of theological education, i. e., to the establishment of any other full Divinity Hall than that which at present exists. They gave no opinion in their Observations, as indeed they were not called upon to do, upon the necessity or permanence of any provision at present existing for theological education; and while the opinion they expressed, and the grounds on which they rested it, implied that they did not at present see any reason why the

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