R e l igion .
s C H A, P T k l i E , I flij S P
'Religion. — EcclefiaJlkM; Geography. — Government — haws. -P^p^atjm .y--
' Colonies.
SINCE the revolution* i 68j8, the fxcleijaflicaL Government of fjcot-
land is o f the Prefbytprtan form • a n eftaMyhment -Ittompted in
the fixteenth century, but uniformly oppofed by the" monarcps,,, a sju a -
favourable to the ro y a l influence. Experience has fliewn th a t the prejudice
was unfounded; b u t ^violent '’commotions happened bp|are;4|he
Prefbyterian triumph became firm.' T h e 'number <?f pariflies iiS sc o t-
land is 9 4 1 1 ; contiguous parifhes unite in what is, cafled;a.P"relfyf er y,
o f which denomination. th |re are f ix ty nine. ^ The provincial i ® d s
amounting to fifteen, are compofed o f feveral a^jaeeut prefbyteries -jBut
the grand ecclefiaftical court is th e . General Aflembly, which meets
.every year, in .th e fpring, th e king appointing a commiflioner toA^pre-
fent his perfon, while the me~mbers nominate their moderator or pre-
fident. T o this eeclefiaftic council laymen are alfo admitted, u n d e rth e
natne o f R uling Elders, and conftitute about’ one th ird tg f' this yencjFahle
body. This Court difcuffes and judges, all clerical affairs, and admits
o f no'' appeal, except to the parliament o f Great Britain. In general
th e Scotifli clergy deferve the higheft praife, as men' o f ^nljghtqned
minds, and moderate condudt; and a. fir^ular.^pro^f o f }the/djffi^fion
o f talents among them, has recently appeared in the Statiftical Account
o f Scotland, publilhed by Sir Jo h n Sinclair, in twenty-one volumes ;
for there are Few parifhes of'which the account is not ably delineated
b y the clergyman h imfelf; a phoenomenon in the literary -’^ o ijd ,
which will hardly be rivalled by 900 philofophers, or rather thgorifts
of-the modern fchool,.
As whatever eftablifliment is; effeded in a free country, opposition
will always arife, the eftabliihment of the Prefbyterian fyftem, was, in
* Statift. Account.
the
the fpaefe óf »'brie generation,) followed by the feeeflion. In.1732, about
forl-y fninifters prfeferited'an" addrefs to the general affembly, fpècifying
,federal ‘defedfons, which, iri tfe ir t Opinion,- had taken place, from, the
original Cotóitutioniöf the church, wliichvTif tru th ,; had to^ltouch of
the'ri'gbQr of Calvin. Some^öf' the feceders^werei'deprived'.of<:their
livings b y a ccMilitte'e ©f the'-general aflembly." .Perfecutlon, as ufiial,
producedfo lm ^ ê r s /'and the feeèders Toon formed) a numerous party.
About'the-year 1 ^47, tMy-'Wèfé.'thdi&felres,divided into two deaomi-
hatidns; called' the Burghers ;ahd- tb e-Ariti-burghers, becaufe the divifion
‘aröfé’xo’ïilieSnng fhATeptlity o f-th e OatM' taken -by the burgefies of
fome of the föyaTBóêónglre ; the former athbwmg th a t'th e bath !is proper,
while thfe latter" öhjtódt;1 thte former are the mote numerods,s.the
nurribfer of 'fheït' minift'ers bbièg jóörriputed at about ió o , and at a medium
each has a 'congregation o f hbout rbdA; l *
Many refpddable families in -Scotland1, embrace the epifcopal form of
the Church' o f England.;' T h e 'other deferiptions o f retigusus profef-
fi’ori^a re t*Thfire are but' few' Rotoari'GatfröSes, even in
the retootC Highlands, the 'fcheme o f education being excellent, and
generally Ttrpllortéd' xvithJRberahty.' 1
To aéilneatè 'tB'è* T e tie fe n tta i Geography é f1>JStodaïid; wshld be to
enuéieWté,Ks|,^&imfsJf ' itot ale theprefbytëriès arid fynods o f ïbch ao-
■a'sTdff-iriflii'enóë tfféT'Me' -of thettfewns w h e re 'th e y afleenbk.
The ancient httablithment compriffed; twtr areiffiffic^iifes^:^hbfet c^sSt.
Andrews, and, G l^ A iy V and eleven" bilhoprirs ‘(‘that öf.Tdi&Burgh
bavln^yfonly^been 'eftablrfhed'' by CnmlèêH) which, in the ordeT of
m a y ’ be thus enumerated f fJGaflé%iayu(St. Andrews) Duri-
keld? Moray . fiv^ra^hded by David I, Brecfhiri, Drimblane, Aberdeen,
flfóls ’ ( ^ h f ^ o t^ jy ï''th’at ‘ó f ' Aigyle, 'd r ' Lifmore, -\kas Tötadêd abouh
tRe year 'th e hftfBèps of' Dunkeiti ’did n o t fpeak the
Iriih tonghe.“ T h e bilhops ó f Orkney”, and 'óf the W-êftwri>Mands, date
e*My 'Jïètfód, while the jr feek wbre not fubjedt to the Scotifli
c r ó w ö ; ’
’ "The > GhvWhnieril óf Scotland',''fines the unfei$,'‘ has'* befen blended
with'tM t’‘ó f En'glahtd.“'H The -chief 'diftirifUbn between the original oom-
ftitüiib'n o 'fth êW o <countries, was, that- Scotland' had- rio houfe o f ednu-
x 2 - .mons,...
*55
R eligion.
EcclefiafHc
Geography.
Govern nent