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pouring, of a more earnest concern for the salvation of a lost world. I believe that many will derive benefit from the setting up of this Chair largely through the outpouring of the Spirit; and under the generous impulse and stimulating earnestness of Dr Duff, we may, with the blessing of God, look for a decided revival of missionary zeal among the students of our Colleges. (Applause.) I beg leave to move accordingly.

Dr BLAIKIE said-I took the liberty in the Presbytery of Edinburgh, when the duty of recommending a professor to this Chair was before us, of stating that the only difficulty one could have in agreeing to recommend Dr Duff to that office, arose from the fear that that appointment would cause him to resign the office he at present holds of convener of the Foreign Mission Committee; and I said that as a member of the Foreign Mission Committee I knew so well the immense value of the services that Dr Duff was rendering to that scheme as convener, and the immense importance of his services being in some form continued, that a very serious doubt arose in my mind whether the claims of the Chair were really superior to those of the convenership. Holding this view, I should have been under the necessity of asking the Assembly to look at that question on the present occasion; but I am happy to be freed from the responsibility of introducing the question, and likewise from the duty of making any statement in my own name, because I am asked by the Foreign Mission Committee to lay on the table of the Assembly the minute of a special meeting held this morning of the committee bearing on this subject; and likewise, I am happy to say, indicating a solution of the difficulty to which I have referred. Dr Blaikie then read the minute, which, after referring to the circumstances that led to Dr Duff's appointment as convener, to the way in which he had managed the business of the mission, to the enlarged plans for the consolidation and expansion of the mission which he had originated, and to the influence he was exercising in the promotion of a missionary spirit, indicated the great desirableness of his continuing to act as convener, and pointed to the appointment of Dr Murray Mitchell and Dr Thomas Smith as viceconveners, by whom the main burden of the correspondence might be undertaken, as an arrangement that would be very acceptable to the committee, and, as they hoped, agreeable to the feelings of these two honoured brethren. I hope (said Dr Blaikie, in continuation) that it will not be thought that the Foreign Mission Committee have gone out of their proper sphere in laying before the Assembly this minute; and I trust it will be felt that it was incumbent on that committee to testify here to the high sense which they entertain of the remarkable services which Dr Duff has rendered to this scheme, and to let it be known that there is nothing they would more deprecate than his removal from the position of the actual as well as the nominal head of our foreign mission undertaking. I think the Assembly will rejoice to know that the difficulty that otherwise might have caused hesitation to many in going into this appointment is now in the fair way of being removed. (Applause.) I know quite well that it is not on the present occasion, but when the report of the Foreign Mission Committee comes up to be considered by the Assembly in the ordinary course, that any arrangements, such as those pointed out here, fall to be considered and settled; but I have no doubt that the Assembly will be glad to know that these two

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members of the Foreign Mission Committee, highly qualified as Dr Murray Mitchell and Dr Smith are, may probably see their way to agree to undertake the necessarily heavy labour of the correspondence, in order that the Church may retain the present convener in that office which he has so nobly held for the last three years. (Applause.)

Professor DOUGLAS moved, as a rider to Dr Candlish's motion, “That the terms of this appointment shall not be held to preclude the question whether future appointments of professors shall be made for life or not." He put this rider in such a way as that it might be understood that there was nothing to stand peculiarly in connexion with this Chair that it should not be open to the Church to decide in regard to other Chairs. (Hear, hear.) He thought it must depend upon the position of the Church at any particular time on the one hand, and on the other hand upon the nature of the duties to which any particular professor was called, whether the man ought to hold it for life or for a term of years. This was a most fitting time-now that this Chair was about to be settled -to determine clearly that the appointment of professors for life should not be made a matter of principle, and that it should be left for consideration whether there were any reasons for making appointments only for temporary purposes. There was no reason why there should not be differences in the tenure of professorships. At Oxford some of the professors held their Chairs for life; others held them only for a time, and with the happiest results. In Scotch Universities many Chairs were held to the exclusion of other offices; but others (such as medical and legal Chairs) were held in connexion with the practice to which the holders of the Chairs had devoted themselves. Coming nearer their own halls, the question whether their principals ought to be professors exclusively had never been raised till the latest appointment, when a man was lately appointed principal of one of their halls, he being a town minister. He should like the present question to be left open to be discussed when the matter arose; and his opinion was that when the time came light would be thrown on the nature of this Chair, so as to leave them all at one regarding it.

Mr COWAN, Troon, seconded the motion.

Dr BEGG objected to the adoption of this addition. It seemed to him that, as a general rule, it was never advisable to legislate or to make settlements that were not called for by the existing circumstances of the Church. It would be extremely inexpedient for the Church to raise the general question at the present moment, and he thought that Dr Candlish's motion exhausted the existing duty of the Church.

Mr ADAM, Aberdeen, could not support the motion of Professor Douglas, on the ground that it brought in the general question as to the appointment of their professors.

Mr MURRAY DUNLOP, M.P., (elder,) said he did not see any necessity for Professor Douglas's motion, because the question was an open question, and could be raised at any moment. At the same time, he saw nothing unconstitutional in it, although it was quite unnecessary.

Mr WALTER WOOD, Elie, hoped that, after the strong and distinct statement of Mr Dunlop, Professor Douglas would withdraw his motion.

Dr CANDLISH did not see anything unconstitutional in appointing professors for a term of years, but he doubted whether that could be done

without an overture receiving the consent of Presbyteries. It would be open, however, to any one to raise the question at any time, and to overture the Assembly to consider whether the appointment to the Chairs should be left an open question.

Professor DOUGLAS, with consent of his seconder, accordingly agreed to withdraw his motion, on the ground that the conversation did not give evidence that the opinion was generally held that anything more would be needed at any time than a vote of the Assembly.

Mr M GREGOR, Paisley, thought the House should not allow the motion to be withdrawn. He thought no harm could be done by the Assembly declaring what was the fact regarding the professorship, and whether, in making this appointment permanent, they left it an open question whether it should be always permanent.

Dr RAINY suggested to Mr M'Gregor whether his views might not be satisfied by bringing in an overture through the committee at a future diet of the Assembly.

Mr M'GREGOR said if that were competent, so as to separate this discussion from the person of Dr Duff, he would be very much relieved. Sir HENRY MONCREIFF said it was quite competent to bring up the matter by overture.

The motion proposed by Dr Candlish was unanimously agreed to. Dr Duff was then introduced by Dr Candlish, and was greeted with loud applause-the Assembly and the audience rising to receive him.

The MODERATOR (addressing Dr Duff) said-It is my duty to inform you that, by the unanimous voice of the Assembly, or rather, I may say, by the unanimous voice of the Church, the Assembly have appointed you professor in connexion with the Chair of Evangelistic Theology, and we expect that much good will result from your acceptance of the office. (Applause.)

Dr DUFF, in reply, said-Moderator, fathers and brethren, before giving my answer to the announcement which has now been made, I may be permitted to make a very brief and plain statement, in order to remove certain doubts and obscurities that have been hanging over the subject, and are still hanging over it in various quarters. I do not mean to address you in any formal or elaborate manner on this occasion; but as various questious have arisen, I think it well that the cloudy misapprehensions connected with them should be at once dissipated. I was asked only the other day what was the object of this Chair of Evangelistic Theology, and whence came its designation? Let me, then, in one sentence, state that at an early period, when passing through the theological curriculum at St Andrews, I was struck markedly with this circumstance, that throughout the whole course of the curriculum of four years, not one single allusion was ever made to the subject of the world's evangelisation-the subject which constitutes the chief end of the Christian Church on earth. I felt intensely that there was something wrong in this omission. According to a just conception of the Church of Christ, the grand function it has to discharge in this world cannot be said to begin and end in the preservation of internal purity of doctrine, discipline, and government. All this is merely for burnishing it so as to be a lamp to give light, not to itself only, but also to the world. There must be an outcome of that light, lest it prove useless, and thereby be lost and extinguished. Why has it got that light, but that it should

freely impart it to others? Years afterwards, on the banks of the Ganges, we heard that this Free Church had determined to set up its Hall of Theology, and that Dr Welsh had succeeded so remarkably in procuring funds-thanks to those who have been so liberal since, the merchant princes of Glasgow!-that, besides the ordinary theological chairs, there were to be Chairs of Natural Science, Logic, and Mora Philosophy-all demanded by the peculiar necessities of the times. 1 could not help feeling that now was the time for advancing a step further, and, on the spur of the moment, was led to write to my noble friend Dr Gordon, the convener of the Indian Foreign Missions to the effect, that surely this was the time and occasion for setting up a Chair for Missions-in short, a missionary professorship-that, as the Free Church, in her General Assembly, had started as a Missionary Church, her New College should start as a Missionary College. (Applause.) In so doing, I could not help writing in this manner-I see that the oldfashioned commonplace nomenclature is coming to an end we were accustomed to talk of the evidences of Christianity, of the evidences of natural and revealed religion: but these are too commonplace now, and we have nothing but apologetics and apologetic theology. And so with regard to doctrine. We were accustomed to talk of the history of doctrine, but now I hear of nothing but dogmatics and dogmatic theology. (Laughter.) Some, it was added, may very likely have an objection to the old term of missions, as too homely and familiar; and therefore if such a Chair as this is to be set up-following the analogy of these other terms-you may call it the Chair of Evangelistic Theology. (Laughter and applause.)

On my return from India I talked of the subject to various influential men in the Church; amongst others to the late Dr Cunningham, who approved highly of the object; but even he did not think the time was ripe for it. Crossing the Atlantic, I was wont to talk of it much to our friends in America, and there was one Synod of the Presbyterian Church there that agreed to instruct one professor of theology to make this a distinct subject of his prelections-namely, to lecture on evangelistic theology; and that is the only lectureship of the kind that I know of. On my last return I felt intensely, looking at the state of the country generally, that there was still much need of such a professorship, and perhaps the more need, because the world is more agitated than ever, and young men more flighty, because of the multitude of openings in every direction; and that there was on many grounds, alike theoretic and practical, a decided call for an institution of this description. Talking about it to various parties, I found many difficulties in the way. At last, however, the prime or chief difficulty seemed to be connected with the means of sustaining such a professorship. It could not be established with the funds at the disposal of the College Committee, already too inadequate, and it seemed as if there must be a separate endowment for it. It was this that originated the idea of obtaining a special endowment for the Chair of Evangelistic Theology. On that occasion one and another asked me who would be proposed as professor, and some suggested that I might allow my own name to be proposed. "No," I said, "no; I peremptorily decline it on many grounds, particularly on the score of my health"-my health being such that for days and weeks, and even months, I was a victim to almost continuous pain and suffering. I

said "It is impossible; I cannot, as an honest man, look at it." Therefore the idea of my having nothing to do with it in the way of being appointed to the Chair emboldened me the more to go forth and plead the cause among those who were able and willing to help it. If I had had any eye towards the Chair myself, I could not have asked for a single farthing, lest it should have been liable to misapprehension, and lest it should have been thought I was looking after self-aggrandisement in some form or another; but, having relinquished the idea of such an object, I could plead boldly for it because it was for some one else. (Applause.)

At last Assembly it was announced that the sum of £10,000 had become available for this purpose from members of this Church, and from members of other Churches, who had confidence that the Free Church would faithfully carry out the design. It was assumed, taken for granted as a matter of course, that if the professorship was to be endowed, it should, with respect to tenure and term of office, be put on the same footing with the other professorships-that whatever was the character of the other professorships at our College, this Chair should partake of that character, be it what it might. And then one other thing, which was assumed, taken for grauted as a matter of course, was, that whilst the great leading principles connected with all evangelic missions are the same, whatever be their objects, whether at home or abroad, it was felt that the vast foreign unevangelised world of heathenism was that which should occupy the largest share of attention; and, therefore, that the person appointed to such an office ought to be one who had experience of the foreign mission field, and who would be able to guide and direct those who were to be sent forth as missionaries.

One other point I feel myself bound, under a sense of gratitude to the God of Providence, to state, because it will not be misapprehended in an assembly like this. If I were addressing a body of unbelievers, it might be different, but I am addressing a body of Christian men. Since last year, every one knows, a terrible crisis has gone over our land, in which many noble men have suffered by no fault of their own, and it so happens that some of the principal contributors to the fund were among the number; and about the eleventh hour it seemed as if it were impossible that the means for a full endowment should be forthcoming. This, I confess, caused a great deal of anxiety, as any one may readily suppose. What is one to do in such a case? Cast thy burden upon the Lord; pour out thine heart before Him in earnest prayer and supplication for direction. I have no hesitation, because it will not be misapprehended here, in saying that I was led to dwell on the character and doings of Gideon, who asked a sign, not on account of want of faith, but rather to confirm the faith he had, so that he might go forth in the fulness of his strength. So I was driven in this manner to feel-if it be the will of the Lord that this projected plan should not go forward, let it be seen that it is so by the withholding of the means that are necessary to establish it, and then I will stop and humbly bow with resignation to His holy will; if, on the other hand, it be of God, and if it be God's design and purpose, then, as He has the hearts of all men at His disposal, let Him put it into the hearts of those who are able and willing to come forward at the eleventh hour for deliverance. "Whilst yet praying "-I may almost use the words of Scripture-a letter came from one of the

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