REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, or CAMERONIANS, a body of Christians who profess to hold the principles of the Church of Scotland at the period of the second Reformation be tween 1638 and 1650. They claim to be the legitimate successors of that section of the Covenanters which was headed by Cameron and Cargill, who consid ered that Charles II. had forfeited all title to their allegiance, having broken the solemn vows which he made at his coronation. When William of Orange was called to the throne in 1688 they were among the first to welcome him; but while they avowed their readiness to yield all loyal obedience and submission they openly declared their dissatisfac tion with the Revolution settlement. In 1690 Presbyterianism was established in Scotland, but because the state claimed a certain control over the Church this settlement was also repudiated by the Reformed Presbyterians. The position which the sect was thus compelled to oc cupy was that of dissenters from the Church and protesters against the state.
For upward of 16 years after they had publicly avowed their principles they re mained in an unorganized condition and without a regular ministry. The first who exercised this office was the Rev. John McMillan, who in 1706 demitted his charge as parish minister of Balmaghie, and in 1743 he met with a coadjutor in the Rev. Thomas Nairne, whereupon these two constituted a Reformed pres bytery in 1743. In 1810 three presby teries were formed, and in 1811 a synod was constituted. The number of pres. byteries was afterward increased to six, and the number of ministers rose to about 40. In 1876 a large portion of them united with the Free Church of Scotland. The Reformed Presbyterians in the United States in 1919 had about 10,000 members.