if not previously conversant with the subject, into the midst of the "conflict," would have been to surround him with combatants whose ensigns he could not interpret, and whose war-cries would seem little better than a jargon of unintelligible sounds. For the purpose of avoiding this grave inconvenience, he is withdrawn at the outset to some distance from the field, and is invited leisurely to survey the ground which the contending forces are to occupy, and to examine their movements and trace their progress as they are seen advancing towards it. Both scripture and ecclesiastical history—and, in particular, the ecclesiastical history of Scotland—are freely though concisely employed to assist him in these preliminary studies. When he descends at length from this quiet eminence, to mingle in the shock of battle, and to find himself surrounded with the dust and noise inseparable from all human contestsinseparable even from those which are occupied with the assertion and vindication of the noblest truths and the most sacred interests for which men can be called to contend-it is hoped he will no longer be at any loss to discover what is at stake or to appreciate its magnitude and worth.
The Disruption, and the influence it is destined to exert,
Reasons why its history should be written now,
Importance of the subject, and its bearing on the present times,
The two aspects of the Question, the Constitutional and the Scriptural,
The Question is that of Christ's Headship over the Church,
What the Church is, its right and power of self-government,-its subjection to
Christ implies its subjection to His word,
Bearing of the subject on the spirituality, purity, and prosperity of the Church of
Christ,
The office of the Church, and the manifestation to be made by it of the divine glory,
The Church sees Christ in the Word,-the world sees Him in the Church,
The bearing of the question of Christ's Headship on the election and ordination of
ministers, &c.,
The Reformation, and the subjection of the Church to the State which almost every-
where ensued,-D'Aubigné on Church and State, and the Reformers of Germany,
The English Reformation,-the papal jurisdiction attached to the crown-per-
nicious consequences in England of the civil supremacy in matters spiritual,
The Swiss Reformation,-Ecolampadius remonstrates against the usurpations of
the civil power, in his letter to Zwinglc-that great Reformer blind to the danger, 38-40
The Reformation in France,-the Protestant Church crushed by persecution, and
enslaved by the civil power,
Struggle for evangelical doctrine with the Church of Rome-Hamilton, Wishart,
Knox, the Bible their only rule,
Peculiarities of the Scottish Reformation,-circumstances which favoured the inde-
pendence of the Reformed Church,-in embracing the reformed doctrines, the
people went before the government, the civil power not strong enough to deprive
the Church of its liberty,-provinces of Church and State kept distinct from the
first,
What was done, and what was not done by the State, when Popery was abolished
and the national sanction given to the reformed religion,
CHURCH AND STATE IN SCOTLAND,-FROM THE REFORMATION TO THE REVOLUTION.
Symptoms of disunion between the secular and the spiritual adherents of the
Reformation,
The First Book of Discipline-the principles it lays down as to the rights of congre-
gations-the censures of the Church-the support of the ministry-of the poor,
of education, &c.,
Privy Council refuse to sanction it, this fact puts the Reformers on their guard,-
the return of the Queen strengthens the party opposed to the Church,—Knox's
conference with the Court party, on the liberty of the Church,
The Church left to organize itself, apart from the State, continues unestablished
for seven years, its proceedings during that period,
The Convention of Leith, and the sanction it gave to a modified Prelacy,
Andrew Melville returns to Scotland in 1574,-Morton attempts, in vain, first to
bribe and then to terrify him-the Assembly, under Melville's guidance, declares
against Prelacy,
The Second Book of Discipline completed in 1578-M'Crie's opinion of it-the
broad line which it draws between the civil and the ecclesiastical jurisdiction,
The principle of Non-intrusion,-the First and Second Books of Discipline com-
pared on this point,
Prelacy abolished by the Assembly in 1580-the State attempts to force it on the
Church, and the consequent collision in the case of Montgomery,
The government gives way before the firmness of the Church,
The Black Acts of 1584, investing the King with the supremacy in matters spiri-
tual-the Church protests, and refuses to yield-events which favoured the
church, the Act 1592, the great charter of the Church-its important provisions, 96-106
Renewed attack of the King on the Church's ratified liberties,—his character, and
policy, and persecutions-Prelacy and the civil supremacy restored-the As-
sembly, bribed and browbeaten, gives way, and the King has his triumph, 107-112
The reaction, the Glasgow Assembly of 1638-its proceedings-the Church recovers
its Presbyterian constitution, and its lost liberties,
The sense in which the Church understood it illustrated by a long series of deci-
sions,-Spynie, Aberdeen, Old Machar, Kinnaird, Currie, Biggar, Glendovan, St.
Ninians,
Sense in which Queen Anne's Act was understood by the Courts of Law,-sentiments
of Lord Kames on the subject,—decisions of the Court of Session in 1735, 1749,
1794,
Origin of the Moderate party,-introduction of the conforming curates,-letters of
King William and the Earl of Crawford on the subject,—the decline of vital reli-
gion, the concomitant of the law of patronage,-Sir Richard Hill's definition
of a Moderate,
The self-seeking of the Moderate leaders,-unsoundness in doctrine prevalent among
the clergy, Erskine's correspondence with Warburton on the subject,-the
low state of religion in society,-Principal Hill, his character,
The Anti-Missionary Assembly of 1796,-Dr. Erskine and his opponents,
The period of re-action takes date from the French revolution,-men in power, and
society in general, take alarm at the revolutionary spirit of infidelity,-consequent
disposition to look more favourably on the evangelical party in the Church,
The men who chiefly contributed to the revival of the evangelical and reforming spirit
in the Church,-sketches of Erskine, Moncrieff, Thomson, Chalmers, M'Crie, 205-222
Mr. Dunlop heard as counsel for Chapel Ministers at the bar of the Assembly,"
1833,-discussion on the subject,-Dr. Cook's motion carried,
The Veto-law proposed by Lord Moncrieff,—his speech,
Dr. Mearns and the Aberdeenshire opponents of the measure,-Dr. M'Crie on the
hereditary Moderatism of that county,-speech of Dr. Mearns,
Amendment of Dr. Mearns, the regulations of Dr. Cook's committee of 1833,
Reply to the argument of Dr. Mearns,
The Parliamentary Churches Act approved by the Judges of the Court of Session,
Review of Dr. Cook's argument,
Speech of Rev. D. Carment of Rosskeen,
Glasgow Church Building Society,-its connection with the Chapel Act,
Church Accommodation Committee,
Early efforts of Dr. Chalmers in this cause in Glasgow,
A preparation going on, through his influence, in the public mind,
His success dates from 1834-Dr. Brunton resigns the convenership of the Church
Accommodation Committee, and Dr. Chalmers takes his place-Dr. C.'s trium-
phant report to the Assembly of 1835,
Great promise of prosperity to the Church, and of blessing to the country,
Application to government for Endowments to new churches-Royal Commission
issued to inquire into religious destitution in Scotland-Reports of Commission
as to Edinburgh and Glasgow,
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