THE PROPOSAL OF ABERDEEN.
[To THE EDITOR OF TNZ “srscr.troa."1
Snt,—Your correspondent, " Spero Meliom," puts the case very mildly indeed, when he says that "there are difficulties un- doubtedly in the re-endowment matter" of this proposal. The proposal is that there should be Disestablishment without dis- endowment in Scotland, upon the basis that the other Presby- terian churches in the land should get a share in the present endowments.
Now, I leave Free-Church brethren to speak for themselves in this matter, but I trust you will permit me to say that, from the United Presbyterian point of view, the difficulties that stand in the way of such a proposal are manifestly insuperable. For nearly half a century this Church has been publicly declaring that these endowments are not warrantable on any ground of Scripture or justice, and we cannot be expected to regard it as either kind or complimentary, in this view, to have such a proposal made to us. It is an affront to our intelligence, and to our honesty, or to both, to expect that we could entertain such a proposal. In the debates on the subject in the Aberdeen Synod, it seemed to be assumed that "the pions ancestor" theory of these endowments had never been looked into by the voluntaries of Scotland, and that, so far forth, our decision on the question of endowments was not intelligent, and ought to be reviewed and reversed. This is an entire mistake. As united Presbyterians, we have intelligently made, up our minds as to the nature of these endowments, and have deliberately condemned them.
And if our Established Church brethren account us to be intelligent in our voluntaryism in this particular, how can they imagine that, as honest men, we can accept any share in these endowments, which we have all along consistently and per- sistently condemned P—I am, Sir, &c., D. K. AUCHTERLONIE.
Craigd,am Manse, Aberdeenshire, April 14th.
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