UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, a religious body in Scotland, constituted in 1847 by the amalgamation of the "Secession" and "Relief" churches.
At first composed of only four minis ters, the "Secession Church" rapidly be gan to gather strength. Little Christian societies were everywhere formed, which were gradually supplied with pastors either from the Establishment or from youths trained to the work of the min istry by Erskine and his friends. The "four brethren" drew up a testimony de claring their reasons for separation. What they sought was the vindication of what they held to be evangelical truth, much more than of the mere right of popular election. So much popular in dignation was excited by their deposition that it was thought desirable by the ma jority of the Moderate party to make cer tain concessions to the Evangelicals, or Marrow party. The General Assembly of 1734 passed some measures distinctly favorable to the latter party, and empow ered the synod of Perth and Stirling to remove the censures from the four brethren, and to restore them to their respective charges; but Erskine declined to be "reponed." In December, 1736, ap peared the pamphlet commonly known as the "Judicial Testimony," which is a sort of survey of the whole ecclesiastical his tory of Scotland from the Reformation downward. In 1737 four other minis ters joined the original four. In 1738 the commission of Assembly libeled the "eight brethren," and summoned them to appear before the Assembly of 1739, which they did; and after a year of grace the General Assembly of 1740 sol emnly pronounced deposition, and the connection between Erskine and the church of his fathers was forever at an end.
The career of the United Presbyterian Church as a corporate body has been one of uninterrupted prosperity. In point of
doctrine it adheres (like all the other Presbyterian churches of Scotland)to the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. But in 1879 a Declaration Act was adopted, setting forth more clearly and fully the view which the Synod takes of the teach ing of Holy Scripture in reference to re demption, the divine decrees, man's de pravity, salvation, the civil magistrate, the maintenance of the church, and liber ty of opinion. Its form of church gov ernment is Presbyterian; but, unlike the Established and Free Churches, it has no intermediate courts between presbyteries and the supreme court, the Synod, really an assembly of the whole clergy, with one elder from each kirk-session. It has a Theological Hall and Library in Edin burgh, and a staff of professors. Though inferior in point of wealth to the Estab lished and Free Churches, the United Presbyterian Church has honorably dis tinguished itself by its general liberality and occasional munificence. Negotiations for union between the United Presbyte rian and Free Churches failed ".n 1863 1873, but were reopened in 1897. In the year 1875 about 100 congregations of the United Presbyterian Church situated in England were transferred to the "Pres byterian Church of England." But the mother church in Scotland counted in 1897 about 580 congregations and 192,000 members.
In 1919 the United Presbyterian Church in the United States reported 991 churches, 995 ministers, and 160,726 communicants.