Unquestionably the House of Lords" denuded" the present "General Trustees"
of the property possessed by the Free Church on October 30th, 1900. As unquestionably, however, it insisted that the property must be held and administered "subject always to the trusts upon which the said lands, property, and funds were respectively held by the defenders for behoof of the Free Church of Scotland as at October 30th, 1900." The effect of the judgment was, in fact, to issue commands in regard to the temporalities which, as things are at present, are incapable of being carried out. Therefore the decision of the House of Lords must either be rendered impotent in respect of an essential part thereof, or else be supplemented by legislative action. It is greatly to be hoped that the legislation necessary for the creation of the Com- mission will be passed this Session. The Free Church have a great opportunity to show magnanimity, statesmanship, and Christian feeling by refusing to impede the passage of the Act.
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