صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

said chapter of the Confession, All synods and councils since the apostles' times, whether general or particular, may err, and many have erred, therefore they are not to be made the rule of faith or practice.' If it be said that acts of assembly are standards of discipline, in the same manner as the Confession or Faith is of doctrine, I hope it will be considered that when we subscribe the Confession of Faith, we subscribe our belief of every article of it as an article of our faith, clearly founded upon the word of God. But I suppose none will pretend to believe that every act of assembly is an infallible standard of discipline, else why were there so many former acts of assembly reversed? And why such a number of instructions from pres byteries, that this present act should not have the force of a law, even when it had the sanction of the assembly for a year? And it is more than probable, that instructions will be renewed for repealing of it, all which would be absurd if it were a standard of discipline, in the same manner as the Confession is of doctrine."*

Reasons of dissent were also lodged by Mr. Alexander Moncrief, and the ministers and elders we have already enumerated as adhering to him, fraught with the most cogent arguments, though couched in the modest form of supplication rather than assertion; but they had all one fate, that is, not one of them received the least attention, further than being considered great aggravations of the original offence.

On the seventh of May, the appeal of Mr. Erskine was remitted to the committee for overtures, that they might make preparation for facilitating the assembly's procedure therein. On the ninth the assembly resolved to take it up, after having settled the business with the presbytery of Dunfermline, respecting the intruder upon the parish of Kinross. On the fourteenth they approved the proceedings of the synod, and to terminate the process, appointed Mr. Erskine to be rebuked and admonished by the moderator at their own bar, which was done accordingly. Mr. Erskine, however, declared that he could not submit to the rebuke and admonition, and gave in a protest for himself, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Moncrief, and Mr.

* True State of the Process, &c. pp. 45, 50.

Fisher, all of whom wished to be heard on their reasons of appeal, but were refused, Mr. Moncrief and Mr. Wilson immediately by the assembly, and Mr. Fisher by the committee of bills refusing to transmit his reasons-which were left upon the table of the house, and next day the assembly gave the following deliverance upon the whole matter.

"The General Assembly having at a former diet considered an appeal entered by Mr. Ebenezer Erskine, minister at Stirling, from a sentence of the synod of Perth and Stirling, wherein the said synod had found ground to censure him, and appointed him to be rebuked on account of several indecent expressions uttered by him in a sermon preached before the said synod in October last, tending to disquiet the peace of this church, and impugning several acts of assembly, and proceedings of the church judicatories, and had appointed him to behave orderly for the future. The assembly found these expressions vented by Mr. Erskine, and contained in the minutes of the foresaid synod's proceedings, with the answers thereto made by him to be offensive, and to tend to disturb the peace and good order of this church. Therefore, they approved the proceedings of the synod, and appointed him to be rebuked and admonished by the moderator at their own bar, in order to terminate the process, which was done accordingly. But the foresaid Mr. Ebenezer Erskine, together with Mr. William Wilson, minister at Perth, Mr. Alexander Moncrief, minister at Abernethy, and Mr. James Fisher, minister at Kinclaven, gave in a paper at the assembly's bar, subscribed by them, craving and protesting that the same might be read and recorded in the minutes of the assembly, but the assembly having represented to them the irregularity and danger of such a practice, and desired them to withdraw their paper and protest, and they refusing to do it, and withdrawing, they were cited to the next diet, and a committee was appointed to consider the paper, and their conduct in this affair, and to bring in by an overture what might be fit for the assembly to do upon the whole affair. This day the said four brethren having compeared the assembly to show all tenderness towards them, appointed a committee to confer with them, and endeavour to persuade them

to withdraw their paper and protest, and submit themselves to the assembly, who having retired, did return, and showed that these four brethren continued fully resolved to adhere to their said paper and protest. Then the committee reported that they had considered the paper given in by the foresaid brethren the last night, and the whole of their conduct. The said paper being produced, was read, the tenor whereof follows:

"Protest by Mr. Ebenezer Erskine and others, given in to the assembly, 1733.

"Although I have a very great and dutiful regard to the judicatures of this church, to whom I own subjection in the Lord, yet in respect the assembly have found me censurable, and have tendered a rebuke and admonition to me for things I conceive agreeable unto, and founded upon the word of God and our approven standards, I find myself obliged to protest against the foresaid censure, as importing that I have in my doctrine at the opening of the synod of Perth, October last, departed from the word of God and the foresaid standards, and that I shall be at liberty to preach the same truths of God, and to testify against the same or like defections of this church, upon all proper occasions. And I do hereby adhere unto the testimonies I have formerly emitted against the act of assembly, 1732, whether in the protest entered against it in open assembly, or yet in my synodical sermon, craving this, my protest and declaration, be insert in the records of assembly, and that I be allowed extracts thereof, Ebenezer Erskine.

"We, under subscribing ministers, dissenters from the sentence of the synod of Perth and Stirling, do hereby adhere to the above protestation and declaration, containing a testimony against the act of assembly, 1732, and asserting our privilege and duty to testify publicly against the same or like defections, upon all proper occasions, William Wilson, Alexander Moncrief.

"I, Mr. James Fisher, minister at Kincleaven, appellant against the sentence of the synod of Perth in this question, although the committee of bills did not think fit to transmit my reasons of appeal, find myself obliged to adhere unto the foresaid protestation and declaration, James Fisher.

"The committee offered their overture upon the whole affair, which being read and considered, the assembly, by a very great majority, enacted as follows:

"The General Assembly ordains that the four brethren aforesaid, appear before the commission in August next, and then show their sorrow for their conduct and misbehaviour in offering to protest, and in giving in to this assembly the paper by them subscribed, and that they then retract the same. And in case they do not appear before the said commission in August, and then show their sorrow, and retract as said is, the commission is hereby empowered and appointed to suspend the saids brethren, or such of them as shall not obey, from the exercise of their ministry. And farther, in case the saids brethren shall be suspended by the said commission, and that they shall act contrary to the said sentence of suspension, the commission is hereby empowered and appointed, at their meeting in November, or any subsequent meeting, to proceed to an higher censure against the saids four brethren, or such of them as shall continue to offend by transgressing this act. And the General Assembly do appoint the several presbyteries of which the said brethren are members, to report to the commission in August, and subsequent meetings of it, their conduct and behaviour with respect to this act."*

Upon this sentence being intimated to them, the said four brethren offered to read the following as their joint speech. "In regard, the venerable assembly have come to a positive sentence, without hearing our defences, and have appointed the commission to execute the sentence in August, in case we do not retract what we have done, we cannot but complain of this uncommon procedure, and declare that we are not at liberty to take this affair to an Avisandum." The assembly, however, would not give them a hearing, and they left their paper on the table under form of instrument.+

This assembly, which was the same day dissolved with the usual forms, still stands distinguished for having by rash and violent stretches of power, inflicted a wound upon the church of Scot

Printed and Unprinted Acts of Assembly, 1733.

+ Present Truth, or a Display of the Secession Testimony, vol. i. p. 30.

land, which no succeeding assembly has had the wisdom or the will to heal, a wound which haughty churchmen have often affected to treat as insignificant, but which has been deepening and widening ever since, and a wound, the final issue of which, the most profound mind, even yet, dare scarcely venture to predict, though the probability is, that it will reduce her to the alternative, if she has an alternative left, of adopting plain and honest reform, or submitting to direct and remediless ruin.

By this conduct on the part of the assembly, a deep and an universal sensation was excited in every corner of the country, and when the four brethren, as they were called, appeared before the commission in the month of August, numerous representations from various quarters were presented in their behalf, stating the evils that were likely to result from persevering in the measures that had been adopted towards them, and recommending caution and delay as the only means whereby matters might be accommodated, and the peace of the church preserved. "Mr. Erskine's character," say the presbytery of Stirling in their representation," is so established amongst the body of professors of this part of the church, that we believe even the authority of an assembly condemning him, cannot lessen it, yea, the condemnation itself, in the present case, will tend to heighten it, and in his case, should the sentence be execute, most lamentable consequences would ensue, and most melancholy divisions will be encreased, the success of the gospel in our bounds hindered, reproach, clamour, and noise take place, our congregations torn in pieces, ministers of Christ deserted and misrepresented, and our enemies rejoicing over us." The kirk session of Stirling make the very same observations, which are still farther confirmed by the town council. "We beg leave," say they, "briefly to represent, That Mr. Erskine was settled as an additional minister amongst us, for the greater edification of the place, and that with no small trouble and expense; that we have always lived in good friendship with him, after now two full years' acquaintance; that we find him to be a man of a peaceable disposition of mind, and of a religious walk and conversation, and to be every way fitted and qualified for discharging the office of the ministry amongst us, and that he has accordingly discharged the same to our great satisfaction; that there

« السابقةمتابعة »