The United Presbyterian Church of Scot This organization originated 13 May 1847 in a union between the United Secession and the Relief Churches. These churches had originated from doctrinal differences in the past, and the harsh exercise of discipline in the establishment. The United Church has been distinguished for its missionary zeal and pro gressive spirit. It has been said of it, that it has done more for the diffusion of the gospel throughout the world than any other denomina tion of its size, except the Moravians.
As early as 1862 negotiations for a union of this branch of the Church with the Free Church were begun, and they were continued from time to time till 1873 without any manifest re sults. In 1896 the United Presbyterian Church again took up the matter of union with the sister body, and the following year the Free Church responded by appointing a committee of conference. The United Presbyterian Church did the same and a remarkable and happy agreement was discovered between these two bodies both as to doctrinal standards and their methods of work. A common constitution was adopted and in 1900 the way for a complete union was open. The general assemblies of the two bodies met in their respective places on the thirtieth of October and the next day the °United Free Church' was constituted and en tered upon its career. The small body claiming for themselves the title of the °Free Church of Scotland' resisted the union and the contest for the property was carried through various courts and up to Parliament, with the final deci sion which deprived the °United Free Church' of all the property of the original Free Church and left it in the control of the very small body claiming to be the °Free Church of Scotland. That body in 1901 had only 25 ministers and 63 congregations. They were largely the churches of the Highlanders and protested against all relaxation in the terms of subscrip tion, against the disestablishment of the Church, against the use of hymns and organs, against the toleration of Glasgow professors in their chairs.
While the general decision of the highest court remained, final arrangements for the use of the property of the °United Free Church' were made, by which, in cases where the "Free Church' could not use or occupy, it might go to the United body. Under the decision of the appointed commissioners the Assembly Hall with new college buildings and the High Church were to be the property of the °United Free Church.' The allocation of the churches
from the one body to the other has been slow, but in 1908 over 100 churches had been assigned to the use of the °United Free Church.' That body now carries on missions in India, Man churia, Africa, Melanesia and in the West In dies. It has three divinity halls at Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh, is progressive in all its educational and missionary work. By the latest available statistics the °United Free Church' has 512,000 communicants.
The Presbyterian Church of England.— Presbyterianism in England is associated with the great Puritan movement in that country. It manifested itself in the famous Westminster Assembly, 1643. When prelacy was abolished by the Long Parliament, Presbyterianism was established in its stead, 29 June 1647, and for 20 years it was the national church of England. But opposed by Cromwell and Independency, on the one side, and by the Episcopal Church on the other, it was destined to lose its position. After the restoration of Charles II, and on Saint Bartholomew's Day, it was disestablished and 2,000 ministers, most of them Presbyterian, were ejected from their parishes. In 1686 Presbyterianism was, by act of Parliament, denied civil and religious rights. The passing years brought some amelioration, as a more tolerant spirit pervaded legislation; but from that time until 1850 it had only a feeble exist ence. Since the latter date, through the union of various scattered churches, Presbyterianism has greatly revived in England.
Thus, in 1876, the English congregations of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland, which was strong in the three districts of Northumberland, Lancashire and London, were gathered into one synod with the Church of England and known as the Presbyterian Church of England. In 1897 it founded the Westminster College at Cambridge for the pur pose of securing a home-bred ministry for its churches. In recent years there has been some revision of its standards but without setting aside its Westminster Confession. Twenty four Articles of Faith have been adopted. In these, however, there is no essential change of doctrine, but rather of emphasis. According to the statistics of 1916, the Presbyterian Church in England and Wales numbers 88,166.