no other"
which had received the authority of the Church. Yet it had other
results which were evil. The discussion over the "Auchterarder Creed"
led to the re-publication of the "Marrow of Modern Divinity," and the
"Marrow Controversy" led directly to the secession of the Erskines.
The _origo mali_ was in Auchterarder.

The "Rising" of 1745 did not interfere so much with the business of the
Presbytery as that of 1715 had done. During that eventful year it
continued to hold its meetings as usual. The only reference is that on
May 1, 1746, a fortnight after Culloden, the Presbytery appoints that
if His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland shall come this way in his
return from the North, certain members should wait upon him to
congratulate him upon the victory obtained by him over the rebels.

On December 14, 1756, the celebrated tragedy of _Douglas_, written by
John Home, minister of Athelstaneford, in East Lothian, was acted in
Edinburgh. This atrocious fact caused much searching of heart in all
ultra-evangelical circles. The awful news reached Auchterarder.
Meeting in Glendevon Church on May 12, 1757, for the ordination of Mr
David M'Gibbon, the Presbytery came to the following resolution:--"The
Presbytery, taking into their serious consideration the general fame
that a minister of this Church has composed the tragedy of _Douglas_,
and has been at great pains to get it represented on the stage both at
London and at Edinburgh, to the scandal of very many; and the
Presbytery further considering how hurtful stage plays are to the
interest of religion, and to the morals of the people, and always were
held to be so in every well-regulated government, heathen as well as
Christian, therefore did and hereby do instruct their representatives
in the ensuing General Assembly humbly to insist with the venerable
Assembly that they would be pleased to make effectual enquiry, without
loss of time, into the ground of the above flame; and if it shall be
found to be indeed true {114} that ministers of the Gospel, members of
this Church, have done and behaved as above alledged, that the General
Assembly would be pleased to enquire if such adequate censure has been
inflicted on these brethren as their crime deserves; and if it has not,
that the venerable Assembly would order it to be done, and that they
would be further pleased to give some publick testimony of their
abhorrence of such practices, that the world may see the just
r