Acts: 1730

The principal acts of the general assembly, holden and begun at Edinburgh, May 14, 1730.

I. Sess. 1, May 14, 1730.—The King's Commission to Hugh Earl of Loudoun produced, and ordered to be recorded.

The General Assembly, &c.

II. Sess. 1, May 14, 1730.—The King's most gracious Letter to the General Assembly, presented to them by his Majesty's Commissioner.

George, R., &c.

III. Sess. 3, May 16, 1730.—The General Assembly's Answer to the King's most gracious Letter.

May it please your Majesty, &c.

IV. Sess. 10, May 21, 1730.—Act concerning the Management of the King's Royal Bounty for Reformation of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

The General Assembly did approve of the rules laid down by the committee of the last Assembly for managing his Majesty's bounty for reformation of the Highlands and Islands, in their letters to Presbyteries for the regular distribution of the foresaid bounty, and do appoint all concerned hereafter punctually to observe the same; particularly, the Assembly ordains the several Presbyteries to insert in their registers the committee's appointments of the designations, salaries, and stations, of the respective missionaries, and enjoins them to have an exact regard thereto, in all the letters that they shall write about the said missionaries, and in giving of their certificates to them. And the Assembly also appoints the several Presbyteries to direct all their letters concerning missionaries in their bounds only to the moderator of the committee, and ordains that the said letters be signed, at the appointment of the Presbytery, by the moderator or clerk thereof. And the General Assembly does discharge for the future any payments to be made of the salaries of missionaries, except upon receipts from the missionaries themselves, and upon certificates from Presbyteries, bearing that they have served the time mentioned in the receipts, yet reserving liberty to the committee, when they first employ missionaries, to allow them, upon their own receipts as above, one quarter's salary per advance, if they find it necessary; provided always, that before the said new missionaries receive their second quarter, they produce certificates of their service for the whole half year preceding. And the General Assembly likewise appoints that all the committee's accounts with their cashier be duly signed and attested, and immediately thereafter recorded in the book prepared for that effect; and in regard the Barons of his Majesty's Exchequer did, upon the 7th of July 1729, allow twenty-five pounds sterling per annum of the expenses in managing the royal bounty, to be for the future stated in the accounts thereof that shall be laid before them; therefore, the General Assembly declares the Church's annual allowance of five hundred pounds sterling to be in so far relieved of the burden laid upon it by the Act of the last Assembly, dated the 13th day of May 1729, post meridiem. And the Assembly appoints a particular account of all money disbursed in managing the foresaid bounty to be annually stated by the committee, and laid with their report before the Assembly, for their approbation; and this without prejudice to the other heads of the foresaid Act of Assembly, which the General Assembly appoints to take effect, according to the committee's acts dated August 25, 1725, and May 9, 1726, approven in the subsequent Assemblies.

V. Sess. 14, May 23, 1730, ante meridiem.—Commission to some Ministers and Ruling Elders for discussing divers Affairs referred to them.

The General Assembly, taking into their consideration that there are divers weighty affairs which they cannot overtake, so as to determine therein themselves, for want of time, do therefore nominate, commission, and appoint, the Rev. Mr William Hamilton, Professor of Divinity in the College of Edinburgh, their Moderator, &c.; to be commissioners of this Assembly, and any thirty-one of them are declared to be a quorum, whereof twenty-one are always to be ministers; with power to them to cognosce, and finally determine, as they shall see cause, in every matter referred, or that shall be referred, to them by any act or order of this Assembly; which commissioners are hereby ordained to convene within the Assembly-House at Edinburgh, the first free day after the dissolution of this Assembly, at ten o'clock forenoon, and afterwards the second Wednesdays of August, November, and March next, and oftener, when and where they shall think convenient; with power to them to choose their own moderator. And this General Assembly do hereby renew the powers granted by the late General Assembly to their commissioners, by their Act dated the 14th day of May last, entitled, "Commission to some Ministers and Ruling Elders for discussing divers Affairs referred to them," and the instructions therein mentioned in all points; and ordains this Commission to proceed according thereunto; and all affairs referred to the late Commission, not yet finally determined, are hereby remitted to the Commission of this Assembly, to be proceeded in until the same be finished; and this Commission is to report to the next General Assembly.

VI. Sess. 14, May 23, 1730, ante meridiem.—Commission to some Ministers and Ruling Elders for Reformation of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and for Management of the King's Bounty for that end.

The General Assembly, taking into their consideration the great extent of many parishes in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and that by reason thereof ignorance, Popery, superstition, and vice, do abound in many places therein, and that it has pleased our gracious Sovereign the King, out of his royal bounty, to bestow yearly the sum of L.1000 sterling, to encourage itinerant preachers and catechists to go to the foresaid Highlands and Islands, for assisting ministers established there, in giving the people in those parts such instruction as is necessary to enlighten and arm them against the practices of many Popish priests that resort thither; and finding that divers preceding General Assemblies have appointed some ministers and elders for management of the royal bounty, for the end foresaid; and it being necessary the like be now done, the General Assembly do, by these presents, nominate, commission, and appoint, the Rev. Mr William Hamilton, their Moderator, &c.; to be a committee of this Assembly for reformation of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and for disposing upon the foresaid royal bounty, according to his Majesty's grant; and the General Assembly do hereby renew the powers contained in the 7th Act of the General Assembly, 1729, entitled, "Commission to some Ministers and Ruling Elders for Reformation of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and for Management of the King's Bounty for that end;" and the several Acts therein mentioned, also the regulations and Act of this Assembly, dated the 22d day of May current, which are held as here repeated; and any seven of the foresaid persons are declared to be a quorum, whereof four are always to be ministers; and the foresaid committee are appointed to have their meetings in Edinburgh, in the Hall of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge, the last Thursdays of every month, at three o'clock in the afternoon, and also the first lawful day after the adjournment of the four stated diets of the Commission of this Assembly, at ten o'clock forenoon, except when it falls to be Saturday, and then the meeting is to be on the Monday following; with power to adjourn themselves to such times and places as they shall find needful, and with power to nominate ministers, preachers, and catechists, to go in mission to the foresaid places. And the General Assembly does hereby continue the said Mr John Dundas to be receiver of the foresaid royal bounty, and for laying out the same in the terms of his Majesty's grant, and according to the orders of the foresaid committee; and which committee are enjoined to take special care to observe the whole directions contained in the foresaid 7th Act of the late General Assembly, and the Act above mentioned, in all points.

VII. Sess. 15, May 25, 1730, post meridiem.—Act discharging the Recording of Reasons of Dissent.

The General Assembly appoints that the reasons of dissent against the determination of Church judicatories, in causes brought before them, shall not be entered in the register, but be kept in retentis, to be laid before the superior judicatories.

VIII. Sess. 15, May 25, 1730, post meridiem.—Act for preventing the Spreading of Error.

The General Assembly recommends it to all the ministers of this Church to be careful in their several charges, to guard against the spreading of any errors contrary to our standards of doctrine, and condemned by Acts of Assemblies, particularly such as strike against the fundamentals of our holy religion.

IX. Sess. ult. May 26, 1730.—Act appointing the Diet of the next General Assembly.

The next General Assembly of this National Church is appointed to be held at Edinburgh, upon the first Thursday of May next to come, being the 6th day of that month, in the year 1731, in this place, being the ordinary place of their meeting.

The General Assembly was concluded with prayer, singing of the 72d Psalm, from the 17th verse to the end, and pronouncing of the blessing.

Collected and extracted from the Records of the General Assembly, by
Jo. Dundas, Cls. Eccl. Scot.

May 25, 1730, post meridiem.

OVERTURE IN REGARD TO APPEALS. (fn. 1)

There being laid before the Assembly an overture, proposing that for hereafter the members of an inferior court, from which an appeal is brought, shall not be excluded from judging, nor be reckoned parties, because they gave judgment when the cause was tried before the inferior court, reserving all other grounds of declinature as accords; the Assembly does transmit the said overture to the several Presbyteries of this Church, that they may send their opinions to the next Assembly, whether it be expedient to pass the same into an act.