next ordinary meeting, to adjourn to Inverkeithing, in order to Mr Richardson's settlement there, on any day most convenient betwixt and the 1st of May, and to report their proceedings to the next Assembly.

Assembly 1752, May 16.-The commission's appointment to the synod of Fife to admit Mr Richardson as minister of Inverkeithing was not complied with. Upon this there was a complaint to the Assembly by the patron and others against both the presbytery and synod. There was likewise a complaint by the members who dissented from the judgment of the commission in March. It was resolved to take up the case on Monday the 18th.

May 18.-After reading the report of the visitors of the commission-book, and hearing parties, the Assembly agreed, without a vote, "that the commission in March had exceeded their powers, and had not done what they were bound to do conform to the powers given them by the last Assembly."

A motion was then made, "That the Assembly do now appoint the presbytery of Dunfermline to meet at Inverkeithing on Thursday next at eleven o'clock, and admit Mr Richardson-that all the members be ordered to attend; that there be at least five ministers as a quorum to execute this appointment; and that each minister of that presbytery be required to appear at the Assembly-bar on Friday next, at twelve o'clock, to give an account of his conduct." This motion passed 102 to 56, and a dissent was entered by several members.

May 22. The presbytery being called to the bar, they all appeared except those who were excused on account of ill health, &c. Mr Thomson, of Dunfermline, reported, that he had gone to Inverkeithing on the day appointed, and there met Messrs Liston and Bathgate; but there being only three, and not a quorum, as required by the Assembly's order, they could not proceed with the settlement. A document called a " Representation" from six of the recusant members of presbytery,

explaining the grounds of their disobedience was produced.

After much reasoning, it was proposed to resolve, That one of the six disobedient brethren should be deposed; and the question being put, " Depose" or "Not," it carried "Depose," 93 to 65. Some dissents were entered.

May 23.-The six brethren were called in, and after some questions were put and explanations given, a vote was taken, “Which of the six should be deposed ?" The votes stood thus:-For Mr Stark, 1: for Mr Darling, 1: for Mr Fernie, 1: for Mr Spence 1: for Mr Gillespie, 52; and 102 declined voting. Mr Gillespie was accordingly deposed, in the following terms: The General Assembly did, and hereby do, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the sole King and Head of the church, and by virtue of the power and authority committed by him to them, DEPOSE you, Mr Thomas Gillespie, minister at Carnock, from the office of the holy ministry-prohibiting and discharging you to exercise the same or any part thereof within this church in all time coming; and the Assembly did, and hereby do, declare the church and parish of Carnock vacant from and after the day and date of this sentence."

With respect to the other disobedient brethren,

"The General Assembly, taking to their consideration the case of the remaining five disobedient brethren of the presbytery of Dunfermline, who had signed the representation to this Assembly, and that by the deposition of Mr Thomas Gillespie, at Carnock, they not only have asserted the authority of this supreme court, but have inflicted upon him a censure adequate to repeated acts of disobedience, adhered to tenaciously at the bar; and that, albeit the remaining offenders may have deserved the same censure, as being involved in the same transgression, yet, being desirous to mix mercy and lenity with their judgment, do, therefore, remit to the presbytery of Dunfermline to settle and admit the said Mr Andrew Richardson, as minister of the parish of Inverkeithing, on or before the 18th day of June next to come; and order

an exact list of the ministers who shall be present on that! day, for the effect foresaid, to be made up and entered into the minutes of the presbytery, with such excuses as may be made by any of them who shall happen to be absent; and the Assembly empowers and requires the synod of Fife, at their first meeting after the said admission, to consider the said excuses, and either to sustain or refuse the same: And the General Assembly hereby suspends such of those who shall be absent and shall not send excuses, from and after the day of the said sentence; and such of them whose excuses shall be rejected, by the said first meeting of the synod after the admission, from and after the date of such sentence of the synod, from the exercise of their offices in all presbyteries, synods, and General Assemblies, aye and until they shall respectively testify their sorrow for their disobedience to the acts and ordinances of the General Assembly, either to their own presbytery or synod, or to any Assembly or commission thereof; upon entering of which into the minutes of the presbytery, synod, or commission, they are empowered and required to take off this sentence of suspension, and to repone them, or any of them respectively, to the full exercise of their office in their judicative capacity: and it is hereby declared, that it shall be competent for any member of the said synod to dissent from the judgment of the synod, sustaining or rejecting the excuses offered; and such dissent shall be a sufficient foundation for renewing that sentence in the ensuing General Assembly."

The presbytery of Dunfermline were appointed at their ordinary meeting on the first Wednesday of June, to fix the day for Mr Richardson's admission, in pursuance of the above recited act of Assembly.

[The presbytery met on 3d June, and fixed on the 18th of that month for Mr Richardson's admission. Mr Fernie (whose turn it was in the course of rotation) was excused, for reasons assigned by him, from presiding, and Mr Spence of Orwell was named in his room-Mr Hunter to serve the edict. On the 18th, when the presbytery met, it was reported that Mr Hunter had not served the edict, but that, in his absence, the precentor had done so,

in obedience to the presbytery's instruction, and it was returned with an execution. Mr Spence did not appear, and no letters of excuse were sent by Messrs Hunter, Steadman, or Daling. Mr Liston excused himself on the ground of indisposition and the state of the weather. Messrs Stark and Fernie wrote that their "difficulties" were not removed, &c., and Mr Stoddart of Culross (whose settlement was disputed at the time) excused himself on that ground. Mr Spence not having appeared, the presbytery appointed Mr Bathgate to preside, and then admitted Mr Richardson to be minister of Inverkeithing, with the usual solemnities.

The excuses of Messrs Stark, Fernie, Liston, Stoddart, and Steadman, for not attending at the ordination, were sustained by the synod of Fife; but Messrs Spence, Hunter, and Daling, were, in consequence of the Assembly's sentence, suspended from their judicial functions in all church courts except their own kirk-sessions, and continued so suspended for thirteen years, until, in 1765, the Assembly removed that sentence and reponed them.

For these particulars connected with the Relief Secession, we are mainly indebted to the very valuable "Annals of the General Assembly," by the Rev. Mr Morren of Greenock-a work which cannot fail to be eminently useful as a convenient repository of valuable information. It seems desirable, however, that the editor would separate the illustrative narratives and documents from the decisions of the church courts, and give the dates of the several decisions as a guide to the acts themselves.]

May 19, Sess. 5.-A petition and complaint of the patron, heritors, and others of the parish of Terreagles, callers of Mr George Heron to be their minister, against the presbytery of Dumfries, for not obeying the sentence of the commission in November last, appointing them to proceed to the settlement of Mr Heron at Terreagles on the 20th of February thereafter, together with a representation by the said presbytery, containing their reasons for delaying to execute the said sentence of the commission in November, until first they had conference with him. As

also, the procurator for certain heritors, and others of the said parish, opposers of Mr Heron's settlement, who had protested for liberty to complain of the said sentence of the commission, heard. The commission found not to have exceeded their powers; and it being proposed that before proceeding to Mr Heron's settlement, there should be a conference held with him by the presbytery, joined with some ministers of the synod,-the Assembly appointed the presbytery to proceed without any conference to the admission of Mr Heron as minister of Terreagles betwixt and the 20th day of August next, and the commission empowered to determine in any reference or appeal that may be brought before them with respect to that settlement. The presbytery of Dumfries are advised to give notice to Mr Heron of the above appointment by writing both to himself and the presbytery in Ireland to which he belongs.

COMMISSION.

gos

May 26.-The commission took into consideration an appeal by William Urquhart of Meldrum, Esq., who had presented Mr Thomas Simson, probationer, to be minister of Cromarty, from a sentence of the synod of Ross, affirming a judgment of the presbytery of Chanonry, by which a call of certain heritors and elders of the parish of Cromarty to Mr Patrick Henderson, minister of the pel, was sustained; and the presbytery thereafter proceeded to his actual settlement there. After hearing parties and reasoning, it was agreed, without a vote, to delay the consideration of the merits of the presentation and calls till November. After further reasoning, the question was put, Whether to proceed to consider the conduct of the presbytery in settling Mr Henderson, or delay the whole affair? and carried proceed. Then the question was put, Reverse the settlement or not? and carried reverse by a majority of one vote. The commission, therefore, reversed the settlement, declaring it void and null, but without prejudice to the merits of the cause.

November 22.-The commission resolved, with consent