The Lords on Monday gave their decision in the great
case of the United Free Church of Scotland against the twenty-four ministers who object to the fusion of the Free Church with the United Presbyterians, which was voted in 1900 by majorities so great as to amount practically to unanimity. The twenty- four contend that, as the Free Church has in this fusion given up the principle of Establishment as a righteous ideal, and has liberalised the dogma of predestination as defined in the Westminster Confession, they and their five thousand .com- municants constitute the true Free Church of Scotland, and are entitled to administer its corporate funds, amounting to considerably over a million sterling; and the Lords have decided that the contention is good in law. In addition to this great sum, the " Remnant," as the Scotch call them, have become entitled to all the churches and manses not protected by special trust-deeds. The blow is a terrible one for the United Free Church. An appeal to Parliament is spoken of ; but unless the victorious party agree to that, it is impossible to override a legal decision by an as post facto statute.
Bank Rate, 3 per cent.
Previous page
