principle which might affect the Church? If acting on any such supposition, we thought them grievously mistaken, for they ought to be fully aware, that the dissenters, infidels, and latitudinarians, seize every opportunity of supporting measures hostile to the Church; and although they know or care nothing about the Free schismatics in Scotland, they will gladly use them as a cat's paw for furthering their own ends. To us the measure appears to be one of unmixed tyranny and injustice; founded, too, upon that gross and dangerous delusion, that every man has a right to carve out a religion for himself, and have that religion recognized by others; and it is an atrocious violation of the rights of property to give to a band of sectaries the power of intruding themselves on private possessions. Scotland seems a most ill-chosen theatre for such a measure. The religious establishment of that country, theologically unsound and schismatical as we are compelled to consider it, is guarded with parental care by the State. The parochial places of worship, and the residences of parochial ministers, are built and kept in complete repair for the incumbents; their salaries are secured to them without trouble or risk; and in short, no religious minister in the world need be so free from worldly care, and have so much leisure to attend to his spiritual duties, as a Scottish Presbyterian. When therefore we see a body of these men quitting the spiritual mother who had brought them up, and throwing up their benefices, not on account of any religious persecution or any dominant heresy in the establishment, but simply because they were too stiffnecked to submit to the laws of their country, we cannot but consider it as the very acme of presumption in them, to expect another establishment from the laws which they have insulted, and the state which they have defied. Most inconsistent also is such a course with their professed principles. Rejecting with disdain the right of the laws to interfere with themselves in ought pertaining to matters ecclesiastical, with what face can they apply for, or even accept a power from the laws enabling them to exercise in the same matters a most despotic tyranny over others? Wonderful, however, is the facility with which that most convenient scapegoat, conscience, can be made to suit the purposes of sectarians. An English dissenter feels his conscience sorely troubled with having to pay imposts with which his property is charged, if they are appropriated to the support of the Church, its ministers, its fabric, or the decencies of its public worship, but the same conscience

never rebels at the thought of getting rich, without compensation, of these charges, subject to which the property was acquired or inherited, and which, therefore, belongs as much to others, as the bulk of the property does to the holder of it. And so a free schismatic in Scotland is outrageous at any regulations imposed by law on the appointment of his preacher, and yet has no scruples against forcing a proprietor, by means of a special act of Parliament, to sell him ground whereon he may erect a conventicle, hostile in every way to that proprietor's religious principles. And he would have accepted for illegitimate purposes, as it has been properly termed, that State authority, which, for legitimate purposes, he has declined.

We have a right to suppose that it was with the full consent of the sect that the measure was brought forward, as Mr Fox Maule in the Commons, and the Marquis of Breadalbane in the Lords, their two principal leaders, strongly advocated it. The latter seems to have fully expected the success of the measure, as, in a very foolish speech, made on the occasion of presenting to the House of Lords a bundle of parchments, called petitions in favour of it, he expressed his intention of reserving others until the Bill should reach their Lordships' House! Happily this expectation was disappointed. The House of Commons came to its senses, and on the motion for a third reading, threw out the Bill by a majority of 39, the number being 98 to 59. We truly rejoice that this infamous measure was extinguished where it had its origin; but we cannot understand why it was suffered to proceed so far. Should a similar measure, in spite of the late decided rebuff, be again introduced, we hope it may meet with a more speedy extinction.

In the course of one debate on this matter, Mr Oswald, the member for Ayrshire, made a comparison between the liberal subscriptions of the Free sect, and the small ones given in behalf of the Episcopal Church, and was answered by Mr Forbes Mackenzie, the member for Peebleshire, who observed that it was an erroneous statement to say that the Episcopal Church of Scotland, of which the hon. gentleman as well as himself were members, starved its bishops, and that the maximum stipend of its clergymen was £95 a-year. He knew many clergymen of that church who had many hundred pounds a-year of stipend, although he admitted there were some smaller.' Now, we must remark that until last year, the maximum stipend of Scottish Clergymen was £80; it was then

raised to £90, but whether the funds will allow of that being continued, is as yet uncertain. And we should like to know from Mr Mackenzie where the many clergyman are, 'possessing many hundred pounds a-year of stipend.' We cannot hear of more than ONE! It is true that the stipend in some of the congregations in towns may amount to a liberal sum, but this, independent of other charges on it, is always shared between two officiating clergymen. St Paul's and St John's in Edinburgh have each considerable stipends in comparison with the generality of the Church, but, of course, we do not wish to go into details of this kind. Suffice it to say, that out of Edinburgh, there are not half-a-dozen clergymen possessing a stipend of £200 a year; and the average of stipends generally is much below £150 per annum. Observing that Mr F. Mackenzie mentioned Mr Oswald and himself as members of the Scottish Episcopal Church, we had the curiosity to refer to the last printed report of the Episcopal Society, containing the contributions towards the purposes of the Church. We know nothing, of course, of the private donations of those gentlemen, but in the published list we find the name of Alexander Oswald, Esq., member for the county of Ayr, who commented upon the smallness of the Episcopal subscriptions, as an annual contributor of £1, 1s. !

Mr F. Mackenzie's name does not appear at all.

ESTABLISHED PRESBYTERY, PERTH.

BLESSINGS OF PARITY.

THE blessings of Presbyterian parity were fully developed last month at Perth by the Established ministers. One of them, a Mr Murdoch, was pleased to run a muck at his brethren, by way of retaliation for their equilateral censures of himself in his absence. As it is generally supposed that the Spirit of Christ peculiarly dwells in Synods which are not oppressed with prelatical supremacy—we shall give a sort of florilegium of the spirituality dominant in the godly meeting. One minister he warned that he would have to give account of some namby pamby concern in the manse of Forteviot.' Another he reminded of his ratting about non-intrusion and patronage. Another's head he compared to his kirk bell, possessed of

more sound than brains.' Another's character as a father's, the master of a family, and the minister of Scone, he called in question. As a set off to this, Mr M'Lean 'animadverted upon Mr Murdoch in terms of the most galling invective.' This is a short outline of a godly meeting's bitterness for five hours. Where was the Moderator, -the primus inter pares? What was the age of him? What a pity Bishop Phillpotts was not there to gag the spirit of Established prophecy. At any rate, it seems that the man who played at being an ephemeral bishop was a nonentity, till he left the chair, and then he tried more soothing doctrine. Certainly, if these are the fruits of Presbyterian parity, we may be thankful that our lot is cast with diocesan Episcopacy.

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

I HAVE heard gardeners say that the old strawberry was the best: so I think the old Church of England is the best. Oh, let us remember that the blossoms of our Church are to be made fragrant by the dews of heaven, and then its leaves will form the brightest portion of the laurel which enriches our land. It has been said of ships constructed of British oak, that the ball pierces through them, but such is the elasticity of the materials of which they are composed, that in a few minutes it appears a very small hole, and admits but very little water. So may it be said of our Church; she has been assailed by numerous foes, and received many injuries; but such is her texture, that the apertures have been filled up, and she is sailing on without leaking; she appears before us in the beauty of her doctrines, in the activity and zeal of her clergy; and I believe, after all anticipations to the contrary, she will be brought safe into the haven under the protection of our GOD.-Toronto Church.

Printed by GRANT & TAYLOR, 21 George Street, Edinburgh.

THE

SCOTTISH MAGAZINE,

AND

CHURCHMAN'S REVIEW.

OCTOBER 1848.

ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH DEGREES.

(From a Correspondent.)

IT is one of the necessary qualifications of a person applying for ordination to a Scottish bishop, that he shall have received an academical education. The same rule obtains in England; and in both countries occasional exceptions are allowed. There is a difference, however, in the practice of the English and Scottish bishops as to the proof required of this university education having been received. In England, no mere attendance at the university is sufficient, unless the student has actually taken his degree; but in Scotland, an attendance at college which qualifies the student to be examined for his degree (what is called the completion of the curriculum), is considered sufficient, without the degree itself.

We cannot but disapprove of this practice, since it takes away the best incentive to a regular and connected course of study, which is to be found in the requiring a proof at the conclusion that the student still retains the knowledge he acquired; and, in particular, it prevents the practice of keeping up accurate classical knowledge, because in the Scottish universities the last two years are generally devoted to natural and moral philosophy.

But it is not so much on this account that we regret that any of the clergy in Scotland should not rank among graduate and university men. It is rather because it is a falling away from the ancient and honoured practice of the Church in Scotland, and because it prevents the renewal of the connexion between the Scottish clergy who are VOL. I.

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