"Rainy wi'oot the Principal". XXXIII.

At the 1905 United Free Church Assembly, held in the old United Presbyterian Synod Hall, the United Free Church, presided over for the last time by the imposing figure of Principal Rainy, had declared its spiritual independence and its power to alter or amend its creed. Rainy emphasised that the freedom was not a licence to do whatever they wanted. They were not radicals, discarding the doctrines of the Church:
"They were children of the Reformation; they were the children of the Scottish Reformation. They were Presbyterians. They were believers in a great evangelical system of faith. They believed in God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. They believed in the great redemption of Christ. They believed in the office and work of the Holy Spirit. They believed emphatically that salvation was of the Lord always, and in every case it was His wonderful work of saving the sinner. And so it was from no desire to change - he would not say the foundation of the creed - it was from no desire to cease to be Scottish evangelical Presbyterians that they made that assertion. They did it because they must make clear to the world the meaning of the Reformation, and the meaning of the independence of the Church of Christ, which was not concieved by their fathers as something that existed then, and never was to exist any more." Rainy told the Assembly.
The Assembly closed on a high note. They closed awaiting the decision of the Government Commission on the property of the Free Church. While the Citadel was a major issue, the greatest concern was the actual funds of the Free Church. This had been an issue that had been overlooked where congregational property was at stake, and when suggestions had been made that the United Free Church should have given Churches and manses to the congregations of the Free Church minority, but it was of vital importance. Buildings were of little use without the funds to maintain them, and the machinery of a Presbyterian Church cannot be run free of cost. Rainy wrote to the Prime minister on the matter, suggesting that, where there were both Free and United Free Churches, and it was possible, the United Free Church property be divided equitably. If there were two United Free Churches in a locality, they could be united in the larger building, and the Free Church could be given the smaller. If there was a Church Hall separate from the main Church, it should be treated as a separate piece of property and given to the smaller congregation.
At last the day came. To his delight Rainy learned that the Citadel had been returned to the United Free Church, and the Free Church offices next door had been given to the Free Church (this is the present-day Free Church College) for offices and a College. The United Free Church was less pleased by the amount of money that was given to the Free Church - who were in turn not too impressed by the apparent favour that had been shown to the United Free Church in some places - but on the whole the more sober people on both sides were satisfied with what they had recieved.

Rainy had guided his Church through yet another crisis, and now he looked forward to "a little rest." We shall see next time, God willing, how he bagan that 'rest'.