Theological Essays and Other Papers, vol 2 | Page 9

settled prosperity. And
finally, for both has arisen a half century of new light--new zeal--and,
spiritually speaking, of new prosperity. This deduction it was necessary
to bring down, in order to explain the new power which arose to the
Scottish church, during the last generation of suppose thirty years.
When two powerful establishments, each separately fitted to the genius
and needs of its several people, are pulling together powerfully towards
one great spiritual object, vast must be the results. Our ancestors would
have stood aghast as at some fabulous legend or some mighty miracle,
could they have heard of the scale on which our modern contributions
proceed for the purposes of missions to barbarous nations, of
circulating the Scriptures, (whether through the Bible Society, that is
the National Society, or Provincial Societies,) of translating the
Scriptures into languages scarcely known by name to scholars, of
converting Jews, of organizing and propagating education. Towards
these great objects the Scottish clergy had worked with energy and with
little disturbance to their unanimity. Confidence was universally felt in
their piety and in their discretion. This confidence even reached the
supreme rulers of the state. Very much through ecclesiastical influence,
new plans for extending the religious power of the Scottish church, and
indirectly of extending their secular power, were countenanced by the
Government. Jealousy had been disarmed by the upright conduct of the
Scottish clergy, and their remarkable freedom hitherto from all taint of
ambition. It was felt, besides, that the temper of the Scottish nation was
radically indisposed to all intriguing or modes of temporal ascendency
in ecclesiastical bodies. The nation, therefore, was in some degree held
as a guarantee for the discretion of their clergy. And hence it arose, that
much less caution was applied to the first encroachment of the
non-intrusionists, than would have been applied under circumstances of
more apparent doubt. Hence, it arose, that a confidence from the
Scottish nation was extended to this clergy, which too certainly has

been abused.
In the years 1824-5, Parliament had passed acts 'for building additional
places of worship in the highlands and islands of Scotland.' These acts
may be looked upon as one section in that general extension of
religious machinery which the British people, by their government and
their legislature, have for many years been promoting. Not, as is
ordinarily said, that the weight of this duty had grown upon them
simply through their own treacherous neglect of it during the latter half
of the eighteenth century; but that no reasonable attention to that duty
could have kept pace with the scale upon which the claims of a new
manufacturing population had increased. In mere equity we must
admit--not that the British nation had fallen behind its duties, (though
naturally it might have done so under the religious torpor prevalent at
the original era of manufacturing extension,) but that the duties had
outstripped all human power of overtaking them. The efforts, however,
have been prodigious in this direction for many years. Amongst those
applied to Scotland, it had been settled by Parliament that forty-two
new churches should be raised in the highlands, with an endowment
from the government of [pound symbol]120 annually for each
incumbent. There were besides more than two hundred chapels of ease
to be founded; and towards this scheme the Scottish public subscribed
largely. The money was intrusted to the clergy. That was right, but
mark what followed. It had been expressly provided by
Parliament--that any district or circumjacent territory, allotted to such
parliamentary churches as the range within which the incumbent was to
exercise his spiritual ministration, should not be separate parishes for
any civil or legal effects. Here surely the intentions and directions of
the legislature were plain enough, and decisive enough.
How did the Scottish clergy obey them? They erected all these
jurisdictions into bona fide 'parishes,' enjoying the plenary rights (as to
church government) of the other parishes, and distinguished from them
in a merely nominal way as parishes quoad sacra. There were added at
once to the presbyteries, which are the organs of the church power, two
hundred and three clerical persons for the chapels of ease, and
forty-two for the highland churches--making a total of two hundred and
forty-five new members. By the constitution of the Scottish church, an
equal number of lay elders (called ruling elders) accompany the clerical

elders. Consequently four hundred and ninety new members were
introduced at once into that particular class of courts (presbyteries)
which form the electoral bodies in relation to the highest court of
General Assembly. The effect of this change, made in the very teeth of
the law, was twofold. First, it threw into many separate presbyteries a
considerable accession of voters--all owing their appointments to the
General Assembly. This would at once give a large