FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

a Presbyterian Church organized as a separate body from the Established Church in May, 1843. The Queen Anne Act of 1712, which restored patronage in Scotland, was for long the chronic cause of schism and discontent in the Scottish Church, unwelcome clergymen being often under it appointed to church livings. In 1834 the General A embly pa ed a veto act, which declared that no minister should be intruded into a parish church against the will of the people, and that a majority of male heads of families, full members of the church, should be jable to bar an obnoxious presentee. This act before long created litigation, and the ecclesiastical and civil powers came into conflict. The struggle was brought to an i ue by the judgment of the House of Lords in 1842, affirming a decree of the Court of Se ion, which required the Presbytery of Auchterarder to induct the presentee to Auchterarder parish without regard to the di ent of the parishioners. In May, 1843, the members of the General A embly had been elected and were convened at HWdinburgh, when the Rey. Dr. David Welsh, who had been Moderator of the last A embly, instead of constituting the meeting in the ordinary manner, rose and read a protest, pointing out that FREE CHURCH the civil courts had undue powers of interference with the HE stablished Church, and concluding by a erting the right of the protesters, in the circumstances, to withdraw to a separate place of meeting for the purpose of taking steps on behalf of themselves and their adherents for separating in an orderly way from the Establishment, but still maintaining the Confe ion of Faith and Standards of the ~ Church of Scotland as heretofore understood. After reading this docu-— ment the Moderator and other members of A embly, together with those adhering to them, withdrew to another place of meeting (the Tan field Hall, Can on mills), and constituted themselves the Free Church of Scotland. They elected Dr. Chalmers as their Moderator, and proceeded with the busine before them. Although thus denuded of the temporal] benefits of an establishment, they declared themselves to be the true National Church of the Reformation, and did not object to the endowment and establishment of religion by the State. In late years, however, a decided majority of the Free Church clergy gave up the doctrine of the lawfulne of the establishment of the Church by the State, and became converts of the ‘voluntary principle.’ The deed of demi ion, or resignation of livings, was signed by 474 ministers and profe ors. A sustentation fund was instituted for the maintenance of the ministers, to be supplied by the voluntary offerings of the people. In the first year after the disruption the sum of £366,719 was contributed for the erection of churches, between 700 and 800 of which had to be provided for congregations which left the Establishment with their ministers. Colleges for the theological training of the ministry were subsequently erected in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. Schools were added to the churches in town and country, and normal schools for the training of teachers were instiuted. In 1900 the Free Church joined the United Presbyterian Church (established in 1847 on the voluntary principle), to form the United Free Church of Scotland. A small minority of Free Church ministers and members, who were nicknamed the ‘Wee Frees,’ refused to accept the union and claimed to be the true Free Church 0} Scotland, a claim which the law decided in their favour, the Church property pa ing in accordance with the decision. The inability of the (new) Free Church to make full use of the churches and other property thus a igned led to legislative interference and to a Roya] Commi ion of Inquiry. In 1905, following on the 576 FREE CITIES Commi ioners’ report,an Act of Parliament, The Churches (Scotland) Act, was pa ed, under which an Executive Commi ion was set up for the purpose of allocating the property in proportion to the number of the adherents. The Free Church consists of 5 synods, 12 presbyteries, and foreign mi ions. In 1919 there were 150 congregations and 89 ministers. From 1909 the General A emblies of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church were moving towards reunion. The negotiations were interrupted by the War, but were later resumed. In May 1929 the two bodies resolved on an incorporating union of the two Churches. The Union was consummated on 2nd October, 1929. Just before the union the Free Church had a membership of over 500,000— BIBLIOGRAPHY: R. H. Story, The Church of Scotland; W. Stephen, History of the Scottish Church; A. M. Stewart, Origins of the United Free Church in Scotland; Peter Bayne, The Free Church of Scot i and.