Acts: 1821

The principal acts of the general assembly, convened at Edinburgh, May 17, 1821.

I. Sess. 1, May 17, 1821.—The King's Commission to George Earl of Morton produced, and ordered to be recorded.

The General Assembly, &c.

II. Sess. 1, May 17, 1821.—The King's most gracious Letter to the General Assembly, presented to them by his Majesty's Commissioner.

George, R., &c.

III. Sess. 3, May 19, 1821.—The General Assembly's Answer to the King's most gracious Letter.

May it please your Majesty, &c.

IV. Sess. 3, May 19, 1821.—Address of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to his Majesty.

Most Gracious Sovereign,
We, your Majesty's dutiful and affectionate subjects, the ministers and elders met in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, eagerly embrace this opportunity of approaching the throne, to renew the assurance of our cordial attachment and unshaken fidelity to your Majesty's person and government.

In common with all the well-disposed and loyal parts of your Majesty's subjects throughout the realm, we have beheld with sentiments of the deepest concern and unfeigned abhorrence, the criminal attempts to undermine the religious principles of the people, and to create a spirit of disaffection and hostility to our invaluable institutions, sacred and civil, so frequently made by unprincipled men, taking advantage of the temporary distresses of the public, and abusing the liberty of the press, by the circulation of the most pernicious writings; but we rejoice in the mercy of Providence, that indications everywhere appear of returning prosperity in the manufactures and commerce of the country; and it affords us no ordinary degree of satisfaction, that the restless spirit to which we allude, so eager to catch at every passing event, as the means of exciting agitation, has already received what, we earnestly hope, will prove an effectual and lasting check.

With reference to this, we are happy again to bear our testimony to the steady faith and unshaken loyalty of the great body of your Majesty's subjects in this part of the United Kingdom. Even in districts where the worst symptoms of disaffection and disorder had been manifested, so great is the change which has taken place, that it is with the most heartfelt satisfaction we can now congratulate your Majesty on the evident return, in the minds of the people, to sounder principle and better feeling, and even a sense of the grievous delusions under which they had laboured. And, deploring the infatuation of those who have endeavoured so nefariously to create disrespect for the constituted authorities of the land, we solemnly pledge ourselves to your Majesty, that we will exert, with zeal and diligence, all the means in our power to counteract the progress of those principles of infidelity and irreligion, which tend to incite to the perpetration of the most atrocious crimes, amidst confusion and every evil work, and which, indeed, are so intimately counected with disloyalty, insubordination, and licentiousness, in all their froms. We will earnestly strive to cherish and maintain among the people under our pastoral charge a due spirit of veneration and love for that system of religion and government, of whose inestimable advantages we have had so long, not only the personal, but the recorded experience, which has been matured by the wisdom of ages, and which challenges the admiration of the world.

We could not fail to contemplate with much interest those occurrences on the Continent, which lately threatened the peace of Europe. It is fortunate for this island, that no intention exists on the part of its Sovereign to interpose in the dissensions of Foreign States, except in cases of urgent necessity. As servants of the Prince of Peace, we trust that the same pacifie maxims will ever actuate the executive councils of the nation.

Remembering, with the liveliest sentiments of gratitude, the paternal regard to the National Establishment of which we are members, uniformly evinced by your Majesty's Illustrious Predecessor, who, during a long and eventful life, approved himself a patriot King and a true Christian, the Father of his people, and the great pillar of the Constitution in Church and State, we feel it truly gratifying to see your Majesty, in the exercise of your high constitutional functions, following the example of a Sovereign, whose memory will never be recalled without admiration and delight, while the noblest qualities of human nature are esteemed and respected amongst men. Under the government of a Monarch animated by the same paternal feelings, and ruling by principles so truly laudable and patriotic as those of your Majesty, we fondly anticipate the perpetuity of the honour, the glory, and the prosperity of the British empire. We are inspired with the firmest confidence in the permanent security of our rights and liberties, sacred and civil. We trust in the strength of the Most High, that no event will occur to endanger the existence or privileges of that Church which was established by the zeal, energy, and blood of our fathers, and which, we hope, will, under God, continue to form the consolation and blessing of future generations in this land, through many succeeding ages.

That Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, may bless your Majesty, direct your councils, and establish your throne in righteousness and peace; that your Majesty may be the instrument of Divine Providence to maintain inviolate our glorious and happy constitution of government; that, after a long and prosperous reign over a free, a loyal, and a happy people, your Majesty may be exalted to a crown that endureth for ever; and that the descendants of your Illustrious House, which has so long been the ornament and blessing of these kingdoms, may continue to sway the British sceptre till the latest posterity, are the sincere and fervent prayers of,
May it please your Majesty, your Majesty's most faithful, most loyal, and most obedient subjects, the Ministers and Elders of this General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Signed in our name, in our presence, and at our appointment, by
Duncan Mearns, Moderator.

V. Sess. 9, May 26, 1821.—Commission of the General Assembly to certain Ministers and Ruling Elders for discussing Affairs referred to them.

The General Assembly &c.

VI. Sess. 9, May 26, 1821.—Commission to some Ministers and Ruling Elders for the Reformation of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and for Managing his Majesty's Royal Bounty to that end.

The General Assembly, &c.

VII. Sess. 9, May 26, 1821.—Overture and Interim Act for the more effectual Preventing Simony.

(Re-transmitted.)

VIII. Sess. ult., May 28, 1821.—Act appointing the Diet of the next General Assembly.

The next General Assembly of this National Church is appointed to be held within the New Church Aisle of Edinburgh, on Thursday, the 16th day of May 1822.

Extracted from the Records of the General Assembly,
Andrew Duncan, Cl. Eccl. Scot.