United Irishmen
a secret society of a republic in Ireland. Being arrested, having for its object the establishment and sentenced to death by a military commission, he committed suicide in November, 1798.
UNITED KINGDOM. See GREAT BRITAIN: BRITISH EMPIRE, THE.
UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, a religious body in Scotland, constituted in 1847 by the amalgamation of the "Secession" and "Relief" churches At first composed of only four minis ters, the "Secession Church" rapidly began to gather strength. Little Christian societies were everywhere formed, which were gradually supplied with pastors either from the Establishment or from youths trained to the work of the ministry by Erskine and his friends. The "four brethren" drew up a testimony declaring their reasons for separation. What they sought was the vindication of what they held to be evangelical truth, much more than of the mere right of popular election. So much popular indignation was excited by their deposition that it was thought desirable by the majority of the Moderate party to make certain concessions to the Evangelicals, or Marrow party. The General Assembly of 1734 passed some measures distinctly favorable to the latter party, and empowered the synod of Perth and Stirling to remove the censures from the four brethren, and to restore them to their respective charges; but Erskine declined to be "reponed." In December, 1736, appeared the pamphlet commonly known as the "Judicial Testimony," which is a sort of survey of the whole ecclesiastical history of Scotland from the Reformation downward. In 1737 four other ministers joined the original four. In 1738 the commission of Assembly libeled the "eight brethren," and summoned them to appear before the Assembly of 1739, which they did; and after a year of grace the General Assembly of 1740 solemnly pronounced deposition, and the connection between Erskine and the church of his fathers was forever at an end.
The career of the United Presbyterian of uninterrupted prosperity. In point of Church as a corporate body has been one doctrine it adheres (like all the other UNITED PROVINCES Presbyterian churches of Scotland) to the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. But in 1879 a Declaration Act was adopted, setting forth more clearly and fully the view which the Synod takes of the teach ing of Holy Scripture in reference to redemption, the divine decrees, man's depravity, salvation, the civil magistrate , the maintenance of the church, and liberty of opinion. Its form of church government is Presbyterian; but, unlike the Established and Free Churches, it has no intermediate courts between presbyteries and the supreme court, the Synod, really an assembly of the whole clergy, with one elder from each kirk-session. It has a Theological Hall and Library in Edin- UNITED STATES assisted by a legislative council of 50 members. Pop., about 48,000,000.