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The First Secession was an exodus of ministers and members from the
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
in 1733. Those who took part formed the Associate Presbytery and later the United Secession Church. They were often referred to as Seceders. The underlying principles of the split focused upon issues of ecclesiology and ecclesiastical polity, especially in the perceived threat lay patronage represented to the right of a congregation to choose its own minister. These issues had their roots in seventeenth century controversies between presbyterian and episcopal factions in the Church of Scotland. This was complicated by the fact that most ministers, by tradition, were the younger sons from the aristocratic families, and those same families were usually the local landowners. The local landowner therefore would often act as a "patron" to the church, not only through gifting of money, but through supply of their own relatives to fill the role of minister. There were some ministers from more humble backgrounds, but these frequently found it hard to receive nomination for any post, lacking the family connections then required. Unlike later schisms, where the country congregations were the main participants, the main advocates of the Secession Church were the town dwellers, and most large Scottish towns had a Secession Church.


History

The
Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1711 The Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1711 ( 10 Ann. c. 21) or Patronage Act or the Veto Act is an act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The long title of the act is ''An Act to restore the Patrons to their ancient Rights of presenting Ministe ...
laid a bed of general unrest amongst the
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
, laying down set rules on how ministers were to be chosen and based on very non-Scottish ideas of feudal hierarchy, more a product of the
Act of Union 1707 The Acts of Union refer to two acts of Parliament, one by the Parliament of Scotland in March 1707, followed shortly thereafter by an equivalent act of the Parliament of England. They put into effect the international Treaty of Union agree ...
than of traditional Scottish approach to issues. The First Secession arose out of an act of the General Assembly of 1732, which was passed despite the disapproval of the large majority of individual presbyteries. This restricted to Heritors and Elders the right of nominating ministers to vacancies where the
Patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
had not nominated within six months. When Ebenezer Erskine wished to have his dissent recorded, it was found that a previous act of the General Assembly of 1730 had removed the right of recorded dissent, and so the protests of the dissenters were refused. In the following October, Ebenezer Erskine, minister at
Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
, and, at the time, Moderator of the Synod of Stirling preached a sermon referring to the act as unscriptural and unconstitutional. Members of the
synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...
objected, and he was censured. On appeal, the censure was affirmed by the Assembly in May 1733, but Erskine refused to recant.Fraser, pp. 384 et seq. He was joined in his protest by William Wilson, Alexander Moncrieff and James Fisher. They were regarded by the Assembly as being in contempt. When they still refused to recant, in November the protesting ministers were suspended. They replied by protesting that they still adhered to the principles of the Church, whilst at the same time seceding. In December 1733 they constituted themselves into a new presbytery. In 1734 they published their first testimony, with a statement of the grounds of their secession, which made prominent reference to the doctrinal laxity of previous General Assemblies. In 1736 they proceeded to exercise judicial powers as a church court, published a judicial testimony, and began to organize churches in various parts of the country. Having been joined by four other ministers, including the well-known Ralph Erskine, they appointed Wilson Professor of Divinity. For these acts proceedings were again instituted against them in the General Assembly, and they were in 1740 all deposed and ordered to be ejected from their churches. Meanwhile, the membership of their 'Associate Presbytery' increased, until in 1745 there were forty-five congregations, and it was reconstituted into an 'Associate Synod'. In 1747 the Secession Church split following introduction of the Oath of Burghers, creating the Burghers and Anti-Burghers. In towns where the split occurred the churches were known as the Burgher Church and Anti-Burgher Church. In towns without such a split it continued to be known as simply the Secession Church. A Second Secession from the
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
occurred in 1761, with Thomas Gillespie and others. This was called the '' Presbytery of Relief'' or more usually simply the ''Relief Church''. In 1847, this denomination united with the United Secession Church (formed in 1820 from the union of the New Licht Burghers and New Licht Anti-Burghers) to form the United Presbyterian Church.


Theological professors

* William Wilson (1736–1741) * Alexander Moncrieff (1741–1747)


See also

* Marrow Controversy * Thomas Mair * Thomas Nairn


References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Bibliography

* ''Acts of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland'' 1730, 1732, 1734. Church Law Society, Edinburgh, 1843, British History Onlin

* Knight, Charles. ''The English Cyclopaedia: a New Dictionary of Universal Knowledge,'' Volume VIII, pp. 487-494. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1861

* Fraser, Donald. ''The Life and Diary of the Reverend Ebenezer Erskine, A.M.: of Stirling, Father of the Secession Church, to which is prefixed a memoir of his father, the Rev. Henry Erskine, of Chirnside.'' W Oliphant, Edinburgh, 1831

* VanDoodewaard, William. ''The Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition.'' Reformation Heritage Books, Grand Rapids, 2011

{{Secession Fathers Schisms in Christianity 1733 in Scotland 1733 in Christianity History of the Church of Scotland Presbyterianism in Scotland Church of Scotland