The Relief Church was the result of Mr. Gillespie's deposition by the General Assembly in 1752. He had refused to assist in intruding an obnoxious presentee over the parish of Inverkeithing. After his deposition he continued to preach in Dunfermline, but labored alone for several years. At length, being joined by
. Boston and Colier, the three constituted the Eelief Presbytery. Soon after another presbytery was necessary, and in 1775 (Eadie says 1773) the two met as a synod. It was characteristic of the Eelief Church to maintain free communion with all true Christians, and to disapprove of the very principle of establishments. They founded a divinity hall, and increased to seven pres- byteries, 114 congregations, and 45,000 communicants.
These two bodies, the United Secession and the Ee- lief, having so much in common, for some time contem- plated a union, which was at last consummated in Edinburgh, May 10, 1847, in Tanfield Hall, Canonmills. They took the title of the United Presbyterian Church. In common parlance, they are often familiarly spoken of as the " U. P. Church." They constitute a very pop- ular and powerful body of Christians in Scotland, re- porting, as the statistics of May, 1876: number of con- gregations, 620; of elders, 5075; members, 190,242; Sunday-school teachers, 12,129; Sunday-school schol- ars, 92,502 ; total income for 1875, £419,905. In the synod held at Edinburgh May 11, 1876, its sanction was given by a vote of 373 to 45 for the union of the United Presbyterian congregations in England with the Eng- lish Presbyterian Church ; and an animated discussion took place in advocacy of separation of the Church from the State. The following are the articles of the basis as adopted by the two synods :
"1. That the Word of God contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments is the only rule of faith and practice.
"2. That the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, are the confession and catechisms of this Church, and contain the authorized exhibition of the sense in which we understand the Holy Scriptures, it being always understood that we do not approve of anything in these documents which teaches, or may be supposed to teach, compulsory or persecuting and intolerant principles in religion.
"3. That Presbyterian government, without any supe- riority of office to that of a teaching presbyter, and in a due subordination of Church courts, which is founded on and agreeable to the Word of God, is the government of this Church.
"4. That the ordinances of worship shall be adminis- tered in the United Church as they have been in both bodies of which it is formed; and that the Westminster Directory of Worship continue to be regarded as a com- pilation of excellent rules.
"5. That the term of membership is a credible profes- sion of the faith of Christ as held by this Chinch— a pro- fession made with intelligence, and justified by a corre- sponding character and deportment.
"6. That with regard to those ministers and sessions who think that the second section of the twenty-sixth chapter of the Westminster Confession of Faith author- izes free communion (that is, not loose or indiscriminate communion, but the occasional admission to fellowship in the Lord's Supper of persons respecting whose Chris- tian character satisfactory evidence has been obtained, though belonging to other religious denominations), they shall enjoy what they enjoyed iu their separate commu- nions— the right of acting on their conscientious convic- tions.
"7. That the election of office-hearers of this Church, in its several congregations, belongs, by the authority of Christ, exclusively to the members in fiill communion.
"S. That this Church solemnly recognises the obliga- tion to hold forth, as well as to hold fast, the doctrine and laws of Christ; and to make exertions for the uni- versal diffusion of the blessings of his Gospel at home and abroad.
"9. That as the Lord hath ordained that they who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel ; that they who are taught in the Word should communicate to him that teacheth in all good things ; that they who are strong should help the weak; and that, having freely received, they should freely give the Gospel to those who are des- titute of it— this Church asserts the obligation and the privilege of its members, influenced by regard to the au- thority of Christ, to support and extend, by voluntary contributions, the ordinances of the Gospel.
"10. That the respective bodies of which this Church is composed, without requiring from each other an approval of the steps of procedure by their fathers, or interfering with the right of private judgment in reference to these, unite in regarding as still valid the reasons on which they have hitherto maintained their state of secession and separation from the judicatories of the Established Church, as expressed in the authorized documents ot'the respective bodies ; and in maintaining the lawfulness and obligation of separation from ecclesiastical bodies in which dangerous error is tolerated, or the discipline of
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES 520 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES
the Church or the rights of her ministers or members nre disregarded.
"The Dnited Church, in their present most solemn cir- cnmstnnces, join in ex-pre-sim: their LTiateful acknowledg- ment to the ureal He id of the Church for the measure of spiritual good which be has accomplished by them in their separate Btate, their deep sense of the many imper- ii d sins w inch have marked their eccl manugement, and their determined resolution, in depeud- be promised grace of their Lord, to apply more faithfully the great principles of Church-fellowship, to be more watchful in i <-l<-r.-n. ■<• to admission ami discipline, ■ purity and efficiency of their congregations may be promoted, and the great end of their existence a- a collective body may be answered with respect to all with- in its pale and to all without, it, whether members of other denominations or 'the world lying in wli I