Strathendrick, and its inhabitants from early times

THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OE BALFRON
35
But all efforts were unavailing, and at a meeting of the Presbytery 18th March,
1 73 1 the following was entered in the records: —
" This day there was a letter produced and read, directed to the Presbytery,
from the Commission of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, informing
the Presbytery that they had appointed a Committee of Ministers and Ruling
Elders to expede Mr. Sinclair's settlement at Balfron, and to ordain him minister
there before the meeting of the General Assembly in conjunction with such of
the members of the Presbytery as shall join them, and in case they refuse the
said Committee have orders to proceed in that matter without them." " The
Presbytery kaving read and considered the said letter Resolved not to meddle therein." 1
And none of them did so with the exception of Mr. John M'Alpine, minister of
Arrochar.
A contemporary writer gives the following account of Mr. Sinclair's settle-
ment at Balfron on the 25th May 1731, by what was called a "riding
committee" of the General Assembly.' 2 "The day the edict was served was
keeped close from the people, that no objections might be made. Mr. M'Calpin,
Minister at Arrochar, came to the parish under cloud of night, the Saturday
before, and did not advertise the parish he was come. Ther wer no bells rang
till the people wer gone to other churches, and so the Minister had not present
but the thirteen, or a few more, who were for Mr. Sinclair. On the 23rd, when
the ordination was, ther opened a very unusuall scene. When the Committy,
Principal Campbell, Mr. Paton, Mr. James Wilson (Mr. Sidserf soured on the
ordination, though he joyned in the tryalls), but Mr. M'Calpin continoued with
the Committy, and not another from the Presbytery of Dumbartan ; and Mr.
David M'Colm, Minister at Duddistoun, was accidentally there, and joyned ;
when these met at the Kirk of Balfron, on the 23rd or 25th, at ten of the
clock, the heretors and elders came with them when the return was called for,
and gave in their objections by way of complaint or lybell against Mr. Sinclair.
The heretors and two elders, for Mr. Buchanan, with some lafiers, and advice
from Mr. Grant at Edinburgh, their advocat, gave in their complaint in three
branches against Mr. Sinclair ; of which see Letters this moneth. That Mr-
Sinclair had dealt actively with the elders for his oiin settlement, and used
pretty severe threatnings against them, if they stood out. The next was, that
he hired a horse on the Sabbath day, or desired that one might be provided
for him, on the failor of one the night before. There was litle in this. The
1 We have gone fully into this case as Dr. M'Kelvie, in his Annals of the United Presbyteriayi
Church, page 633, makes it appear that the Presbytery of Dunbarton were in favour of forcing
the settlement of Mr. Sinclair upon the parish. The worthy Doctor has been misinformed as
to the facts of the case.
2 Wodrow's Analecta, Vol. IV., pp. 224, 225, 226.