The Eldership Question [pp. 231-246]

240 TH~ ELDERSHIP QUESTION. LAprW
Government, Discipline, &c," published at Glasgow in 1771,
as bei~g at that date, "Of public authority in the Church of
Scotland."
At what time the periodic election of elders ceased, or fell
into disuse in the Church of Scotland, and presumably in the
Irish churches which drew their nsages from Scotland, even
so thorough a historian as Dr. Miller is unable to decide
(Rnling ~~lders, p. 276.) We can, however, trace the tendencies which led to it. From the beginning the election had
been by the people, (First Book of Dis. Chap. VIII.) "Ho~
the votes and suffrages may be best received with every man's
freedom in voting, we leave to the judgment of every particnIar ~irk." The "Second Book" leaves this unchanged.
(Chap. VI.) In Chap. II. on office bearers in general, it
affirms that, "In the order ot election is to be eschewed,
that any person be intruded in any offices of the Kirk,
contrary to the will of the congregation to which they ar&
appointed, or without the voice of the eldership." But in
1642, the Assembly "ordains the old session to elect the new
session." The election was then taken from the people, and
elders made their own electors, in case of ree~lection, and
that ree~lection was rendered almost certain, as each elder
was also an elector of his fellow elder. Yet the form of annual elections seemS to have been adhered to until 1705,
when it was changed to quadriennial.
During the "dreary reign of Moderatism," beginning with
the reign of William in 1688, and extending to the very close
of the 18th century, many changes were made in the practice of the church, without, however, the sanction of the organic law. iletherington tells us that in 1757, "The only
quaii{~cation regarded (by the Moderates) as indispensable for
an elder, was that he possessed political power, or was connected with those who did, and about this time, the practice
was introduced of ordaining young lawyers to the eldership,
that they might sit in Assemblies, exercise their oratorical
1)owers, and swell the Moderate majorities" (p. 365.) Such
elders would be very likely to "rectify" annual elections, or
any other which might endanger their power.