of its existence. The meeting was thrown open for remarks and suggestions bearing upon the points referred to in the circular. Among the gentlemen who spoke were Revs. Messrs Douglas and Renfrew, Glasgow; Jackson, Hamilton; Brisbane, Cambuslang; Moir, Greenock; Rutherford, Kilsyth; Captain Brotchie, and Messrs Hamilton and Beveridge, Greenock; J. H. Watt, Muir, Caldwell, M'Naughton, Glasgow; Henderson, Parkhead; Spence, Carswell, and Reid, Paisley; and others. A very strong opinion was expressed by several speakers as to the desirability of giving the temperance cause a prominent and permanent position at the annual meetings of the Congregational Union; and the following resolution, moved and seconded by Messrs Caldwell and M'Naughton, deacons in Eglinton Street Church, was very cordially passed :-" At a conference of temperance friends connected with the Congregational Churches of Glasgow and neighbourhood, held in Glasgow on 15th February 1876, it was unanimously resolved that the Secretary of the Conference of Scottish Congregationalists be requested to secure the sanction of the Conference Committee to a resolution being introduced to the Conference of the present year, expressive of the gratification of the Conference at the increased interest manifested throughout the country in the temperance cause, and its earnest desire that the Christian community warmly support all efforts on the part of our legislators and magistrates to restrict, as far as possible, the liquor traffic."

It was also resolved to hold a public meeting for the advocacy of temperance principles in the most convenient place the committee can secure, on Tuesday afternoon, 4th April (week of Congregational Union meetings), tea to be provided at five o'clock. It was also recommended that the Annual Report of the Society should be published along with the Reports of the Union, and also that the Committee take the necessary steps to have a paper prepared and read at the Conference, to be held in Aberdeen in 1877. Deputations to churches and to church temperance societies were also recommended. In closing the meeting, the chairman made a few judicious and pertinent remarks as to the need of earnest persevering effort in forwarding the cause, and urged upon the most advanced temperance men to co-operate with all who, though not abstainers, wish to reduce the number of publichouses, and thereby lessen the temptation to intemperance. Hearty votes of thanks were proposed to Mr Livingston for providing the tea, and to the Secretary for convening the meeting, and to the Rev. Mr Russell for presiding.

CONFERENCE OF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES.

We have been requested by the Conference Committee to insert the following:

At the Annual Meeting of the Conference of Scottish Congregational Churches, held on the 22d April 1875, the following recommendations by the Committee were laid before it :

In compliance with the remit of the Annual Meeting of the Conference of Scottish Congregationalists, held in Edinburgh on the 22d of April 1874, instructing the Committee to consider the principles upon which, and the mode by which, Churches applying for fellowship with the Churches in connection with the Congregational Union of Scotland should be received into fellowship, the Committee begs to report that it has done so. In as far as the Committee has been able to ascertain the existing mode of recognising Churches it is eminently unsatisfactory, and the Committee begs to recommend the following scheme:

I. That it is a fundamental principle of Congregationalism that an applicant shall apply to the Church with which he desires fellowship, and that the Church shall, in the way deemed by itself fit, satisfy itself as to the profession, the views, and the life of the applicant.

II. That the same fundamental principle which regulates the admission of individuals to a Church should regulate the admission of Churches to the fellowship of each other.

III. That all applications from Churches for fellowship shall be made to the nearest Churches, of which the number shall not be less than five; that the decision shall be by the majority; and that the pastor of the nearest Church shall be expected to convene the representatives which the respective Churches shall appoint for mutual counsel.

IV. That, in addition to the remit, the Committee begs to submit that, prior to the formation of a new Church, it is extremely desirable that the approval of the nearest Churches should be obtained, and that the procedure in obtaining it be as noted in No. III.

At the same Meeting, a paper was read by the Rev. Henry Batchelor, on "Advisory Councils;" and the following resolution was adopted :-"That Mr Batchelor's paper should be printed and circulated, and that it be remitted to the Committee to reconsider the question, taking into account that paper and the remarks made by the speakers at the Conference."

In compliance with this second remit, the Committee has reconsidered the question, and begs to report that Numbers I. and II. of last year's recommendations should stand as they are, and to recommend that the following be substituted for Numbers III. and IV. :-

III. That all applications from Churches for fellowship shall be made to the Churches in the district in which they are situated, as delineated in the districts embraced by the four District Committees of the Congregational Union of Scotland, which Churches shall appoint representatives to consider and determine the same.

IV. That when a new Church is about to be formed, the brethren intending to do so shall make application to the existing Churches in the district in which it is situated for counsel and approval.

V. That in the event of a difference arising between a Church and its pastor, or between a member of the Church and the Church in a case of discipline, or of any difference arising affecting a Church or Churches-should the parties agree—it is recommended that the points in dispute be referred to the Churches in the district for counsel, and that, where practicable, the parties agreeing to the reference should end the dispute by binding themselves beforehand to abide by the finding of the referees.

VI. That the Council of Reference shall consist of the pastor and two representatives of each Church in the district.

VII. That, in order to facilitate arrangements, it is recommended that all communications to Churches be made through the conveners for the time being of the District Committee of the Congregational Union of Scotland, to whom the Churches shall send the names of the representatives appointed, and by whom they shall be summoned to dispose of the matters referred to them.

VIII. That a Council shall always be appointed with the express understanding that it dissolve as soon as its specific work is done.

THE SCOTTISH

CONGREGATIONAL MAGAZINE.

APRIL 1876.

CHURCH EXTINCTION.

BY PROFESSOR ROBBIE.

THE Outcry which has been lately raised against the existence of our smaller churches we should regard with more concern than we do, were we convinced that it indicates any wide-spread or general feeling among us. This conviction we decline to entertain till we have other and better evidence of it than any yet offered. It is true that we have heard somewhat truculent speeches in favour of this policy, and apparently it has found a printed medium for its advocacy, but we venture to doubt whether either can fairly lay claim to a representative character. At all events, since this Magazine, while open to any fair criticism of the action of committees, has been from the beginning the consistent exponent of a totally different feeling as regards the value of our smaller churches, we cannot remain silent now, or leave to the brethren thus assailed the defence of their own cause.

A stranger to the facts of the case observing the attempts to get up an agitation among us on this subject, would be disposed to say, "Surely there must be some very large interests at stake here, which have hitherto been negligently watched over, abuses getting worse year after year, till earnest, progressive souls can stand them no longer, but must come forth from their places of retirement with austere mien and stern denunciations like some ancient seer or iconoclast? We would have to inform that inquiring stranger with shame and confusion of face, that all this noise is about the distribution of a paltry sum of a few hundred pounds, the allocation of which is committed to honest and intelligent men, drawn from a wide circle, whose action is subject to the check of local committees, the business of which is to see to the right application of the fund in question so far as their own neighbourhood is concerned. Would not our intelligent stranger be ready to say, "Well, you Independents must be a very jealous sort of people, and must also have a great faculty for getting up tempests in tea-pots."

G

Why should this outcry about our smaller churches have been raised only now? It seems to us that it might have been raised with as good reason any time during the last half-century. If they had once been large flourishing communities upon which some blight had come, reducing them to their present state of weakness, such a reverse of fortune might have given rise to serious considerations. But since the fact is that these churches, with a few exceptions easily accounted for, are as strong as they ever were, notwithstanding a diminished population and the entrance of other religious bodies on the field, one fails to see any special reason for treating them otherwise than we have been doing for many years past.

Then we would ask, Who are the persons composing these churches? They are persons who have accepted the principles which we have been endeavouring to inculcate respecting the constitution and order of the Church of Christ. Some of these principles are not favourable to a great increase of numbers; the demand for credible evidence of spiritual character in the membership alone must be a hindrance to that kind of progress which shows itself in a large communion roll. Well, we have been preaching up certain unpopular doctrines, and have induced brethren in different parts of the country to believe and act upon them; in doing so they have burdened themselves with heavier pecuniary responsibilities than they would have incurred by remaining in other churches; their. numerical weakness, which is perhaps the measure of their fidelity to principles, which we have been holding up as true and sacred, renders necessary some help from without; ought we not to feel that these brethren have a just claim upon us for that help? Unless we greatly err in our estimate of the spirit of our people, the ungenerous policy that would abandon these churches to dissolution, and their pastors to painful embarrassment, will find few supporters among us. Those pitiful calculations of how much each member costs a-head, are not much to our taste, as they certainly do not afford us much help in determining the question of duty. Some denominations, it seems, have the members of their aided churches, at the low figure of fourteen shillings each, while ours cost a good deal more. We would venture to suggest that a church member may be very dear at fourteen shillings, while another at a much higher price may form a very good investment.

THE PRINCIPLES AND USAGES OF CONGREGATIONALISM.

BY REV. T. BRISBANE, CAMBUSLANG.

THE Right Honourable W. E. Baxter, M.P. professing to be a congregationalist, evidently does not look very kindly upon his ecclesiastical Alma Mater. Not even in his youth did he esteem her very highly.

A quarter of a century ago, "the spirit of exclusiveness and self-importance, not to say self-righteousness was too painfully characteristic of the sect," in his estimation. He charitably hopes, indeed, "that we have got quit of that spirit," in the interval. But be that as it may, there are still things about us, it appears, fully as bad as "exclusiveness," "self-importance," and "self-righteousness." "There are practices prevailing among the Scotch Independents, regarding the admission of members, the celebration of the communion, and the business of churchmeetings (which have really nothing to do with their particular form of government) which, whatever may have been their origin, are inquisitorial, inconvenient, and deterrant to all well-balanced, refined and cultivated minds." Surely the denomination which has such sweeping charges fulminated against it, by one of its professed adherents, at a public meeting, whence they are blared all over the land, may well pray, "Save us from our friends." It is much more easy to make than to refute such an accusation as this. Indeed refutation is rendered impossible by the generality of the terms used. It is much to be desired that the Right Honourable Gentleman had specified what there is in our practice, on the points referred to, meriting such severe public censure. Job said, "My desire is that mine adversary had written a book." It is even questionable, varied as our usages happen to be on those points, whether Mr Baxter has such full knowledge of them as warrants him passing judgment upon them. Granting, however, that those practices are so bad, to what source are we directed to have them corrected? "They cannot too soon give place to the general usage of Christendom," says Mr Baxter. Let all Scotch Congregationalists note, and, if they can, inwardly digest that. "The general usage of Christendom" is, henceforth to be your Bible, regarding "the admission of members, the celebration of the communion, and the business of church-meetings," and not the Acts, "earlier models, and the epistles of Apostles inspired to set in order the things" to be done in the churches. Did the Right Hon. W. E. Baxter learn that principle from "those lovely precepts which were given to man on the hillsides of Galilee?" Surely he forgot he was about to say, in almost the next sentence of his speech, "Let there be no unwritten creed in our minds foreign to those lovely precepts." Is not this, verily, handing us our unwritten creed? And what a medley of a creed! Does Mr Baxter not see anything "foreign to those lovely precepts given to man on the hillsides of Galilee," in his own advice to make the prevailing "general usage of Christendom" the rule of our conduct in church matters ? We commend to him a fresh study of those lovely precepts, as given in the fifth and sixth chapters of the Gospel according to Matthew. Did the Preacher on the hillsides of Galilee himself adhere to the general usage of Judaism in his days? And does the Right Hon. Gentleman not perceive that to adopt the general usage of Christendom as our guide in church matters is to set