The story of Scotland from the earliest times to the present century .. . well sermonsfrom the ministers to whom they were warmlyattached. It was well known that a startling movewas to be made, but the uncertainty of its formand extent caused an anxiety and uneasiness of feel-ing unexampled since the Union. How would theroyal commissioner Would he dissolve theassembly? Or would he recognise the minority asconstituting it? The assembly met on the i8th of May, Welsh of Edinburgh opened the proceedings, anddelivered a sermon in St. Giles, in which he announcedwhat was going to happ
The story of Scotland from the earliest times to the present century .. . well sermonsfrom the ministers to whom they were warmlyattached. It was well known that a startling movewas to be made, but the uncertainty of its formand extent caused an anxiety and uneasiness of feel-ing unexampled since the Union. How would theroyal commissioner Would he dissolve theassembly? Or would he recognise the minority asconstituting it? The assembly met on the i8th of May, Welsh of Edinburgh opened the proceedings, anddelivered a sermon in St. Giles, in which he announcedwhat was going to happen. He then proceeded toSt. Andrews Church, where the assembly was to beheld, and took his place in the Moderators chair ;and a few minutes later the royal commissionerentered. The church was crowded, and Dr. Welshrose and engaged in prayer. After the members hadresumed their seats, he again rose, and announced :— That in consequence of certain proceedings affectingtheir rights and privileges, which had been sanctionedby the Government of the country ; and more espe-. FINAL SCENE. 305 cially seeing that there had been an infringement onthe liberties of the constitution of the Church, so thatthey could not constitute this court without violatingthe ternns of the union between the Church andthe State in this nation, therefore I protest againstour proceeding further. Amidst profound silenceand intense alarm on the opposition benches, he readthe protest, which fully explained the grounds of thestep they were about to take. When he had finishedreading it, he handed it to the clerk at the table,bowed to the royal commissioner, quitted the chair,lifted his hat, and walked away. Instantly , Dr. Gordon, and the whole of those in theleft side of the church, rose and followed him. Up-wards of two hundred ministers walked out, andthey were joined outside by three hundred clergymenand other adherents. Dr. Welsh wore his Moderators dress, and when heappeared on the street, and t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1890
