THE PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.

Evening Star, Issue 3405, 20 January 1874, Page 2

THE PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.

Monday, January 19. * ' ! "SUSTENTATION FUND. • -, - The Rev. Mr Bannerman brought up the report of the Sustentation Fund Committee for the year 1873, from which we extract the following:—“ The total sum contributed~for thefirst half-year of 1873 was, including Is 4d of a balance brought forward, and LB7 from Warepa, having been too late to be included to last half-year of 1872,. L 3,242 4s 2d; 'from which had to be deducted LB7 (as above) roturned to.Mr Waters, and allowance,of. L 6 to him on account' of last dividend, together L 93,' thus leaving L 3,149 4s r 2d available for division for the half-yea*; frbnii which a dividend 1 was deckred to each of 33 ministers of L 95 8s 6d, leaving a.bftknooto credit of. next Half-Year of 3s Bd. For the half-year ending 31st December there has been received, including/3s 3d of a balance brought forward, L 3.405 19s lid, from which there falls tq. be deducted L 95 8a 6d allowed Mr Telford, Teviot, on account of his absence on leave, his equal last half-year’s dividend ; atid for printing, postages, &c./a , nd proportion of Synodical expenses, Ll2 4s 6d, togethei i HO7 J l3s. ;; 'There remain'ed l available for division L 3.298 6s lid, out of which the Committee declared riforfleach of‘32 ministers of LlO3 Is 4d, leaving a balance to credit Cf ;,4s, 3d; The diyidendiqr the year-wiR thus be Ll9B 9s lOd, being an increase of LlO 10s 2d to each ’minister;'» The committee noted with pleasure that* four congregationslha ve,increased j their \cbht»butions, while three remain as they were,valid dVCcijt; regrets to -noticejjßhqw jtTt; is, however, believed that m the - latter the decreasecanjin moat cases, bersatisfactorily explained; mile' pleased generally with the state of progress, the committee cannot .shut its eyes to the fact that thfete are still fout congregations contributing under Ll5O, and sixteen codtributing aboVe that sum and under L2OO, most; ,of j: ;which:.the committee ia of ?)?**“<»* poon. by continued efforts, f u py a. yery different and'ra’uch more'satisfactory positibn to our tabular' htatetoent' 1 ’ TM committee has not been able to correctly ascSrtain.the some,congregations which ought, irani their age . and other circumstafiqM, b ® more prosperous ipositioh;. and'eontribute much.more.largely, ,do:ii6t do so,, but is of opinion teatj .the Synod' might : take’ this matter toto ’its seriqds conriderAtich; with’a yxew to ratoedyihg thk state of , toattert :Wbe'rg it Exists;’ 'No retm'h of contributions 'had heCb received from Mount; Ida for the last half-year s(T :that ;Mr iM’Gosh' Smith:. has' not been iffi eluded in the dividend declared; ; The; commit’te?. ' with thanks ,the. following 16s lOd.- i 'Ji' -m v v

Mr J. P. Millar; in the absence of the Hon; J. Patterson, ; the convener pt the committee, moved tne adoption of and in dbiffg remarked, that there ,was, an increase oyer the whole Church to the 1 extent of L 345 2s 8d oyer the. total amount contributed last yeArJ Of course it might be said that two weak charges were taken off. this year.. Granted; aud it wasdioped that; , when they wera replaced, they would come 'back much stroh^r. ; ‘But even after allowing for the two weak congregations, there stilF tomAined a yahpe,; .and it must .be gratifying ,to the Synod that they were progressing, although; perhaps, no/to,B° great an extent as some of them might desire. ,T he reports had all been * received except. in; the J case of North DMedin. - The analysis of the 1 fcongregatibnhl constitution of the Sustentation Fund would show the progress made during the last, five years, numerically as well as financially. ' ' ; asked what was.the gross amount of th'e increased contributionsby thetw.euty-fourcongrqgatiphsj : 'f. r ' ;u - Mr MiLiiAR-: 'give yoii tiiefeittss amount of twenty of the congregations, but the other four are in that peculiar-positidbthat tell the exabt. -increase. , The amount for the twenty is L334125>;2d. : ,: -, r ’ ~j • f. , ihe Rev. Mr Clark also, in explanation of some portion’of the-report, staifed' thAt. As gorded Paltfierstonj ;the-suto oflLlOO had been put to the credit of the fund in their books; of the Bwstentatioh-Fund, .for, haff-

Toko* fflWVfh s ;jt? la t» .instead,- of, dividing ''the amount contnhuted .0,8 - apmpg ’2QQ, .communicants,it f had beeh.creditedto3so, thusmaking the rate per conimunicant look lower than it should {?'■*.: c:\ii: v; 7- v : » u { the could only wye furnished ( by jthe Kirk' Srasioii. I“®. committee, therefore, were exonerated, - r ahe-ReV/fMr proposed the following deliverance. t-es-l ThatftheTf Synod adopt the report, approve of the diligence of the coin', rowtee,. record the .thanks ofythe Synod to the committee, and oOnveheri its thankfulhess at the ■' increase' of the fund j reported hy committee, and recoinmetid tO tbe coQtippa its Efforts for the increase of ; the-fond; .so tbafr.it inay stipend ofX2so;next yew'to each of the ministers'; and further recommend to the committee to institute a (system of congregationaUvisitation;■ with the..Vie#! t<entral Rundidf this Church receiving .the support at the handapf tbe merphers of the Church which the interests and. advancement of; the considered*;mistake had been n»de. had .been, done—in .Victoria*, .the consequence of. .which , was ! that. •their-', ministers rfepeiyed higher salaries did„the ministers hero. Several ofvthe ministers in Victoria were receiving as much: as LSOO-per annum* others received L6OO ; many received LSOO and WOO; and in ( the .country districts, by means ofvthe Sustentation Fund, very few of their ministers were receiving less than L3OO a-year • and he said, .fui'ther,_that prosperity had h'ot been more marked in Victoria, in proportion to the extent of the country and the number of its inhabitants; thah it had beeh in this country looking at the extent of the country and-its population. 1 Looking also at the prosperity the country had met with, the contributions to the ghurch had not been equal to that prosperity. He had said thus much regarding Victoria because opinions to the contrary had‘ : been expressed; and he might add alsd : that many of the ministers there had far better manses than many of our ministers enjoyed. He must, howOVe* express his satisfaction that they had at length' escaped- froili that < downward-gliding state of things that had Vo many yeara.l Still; he could not help saying fhat though some l here, who received'tenssOrho short tone ago; now received their hundreds, yet they had not increased 1 tjieir Contributions to the Church, The rey. gentlemahprooeeded ' to show why he did not consider a minimum , dividend of L2OO adequate, and explained that! in ordinary cases a clergyman’s outlay- and He could _speak from experience on the poinP-tendeo-tci diminish Very materially his dividend from the fund. ■ ' .After some remarks by tlie Revs'. Dr Gop lanp, Dr Stuart, and Mr Rennie, the deliverance was adopted. ■ ! MISSIONS. At the annual Mission . meeting, which was he d m the evening, and largely IttSed IS following report was. regd^ U a “ d^- r i steadfastly and faithfully, amid many difficulties, to prosecute Reveal' t tid neighboring islands. Severn! ietters have been received from Mr Milne since last meeting of Synod, which have been coiqmumcitted.to the .ministers, nnd.members of the Church by means of the ‘ Evangelist. ’ Ihesp letters sufficiently indicate the manifold : Jaoors engaged in by your missionary’ 'labors engaged ih' by Mrs Milne', who has proved hOrsilf JaniiUated'Witlv a title ' r BW W p that;, while .Mr .and 5 I^rsiMilneyet; little .fruit, t ef J their many services, they are not l

b "“ * v^T S J«P year six '(Mhese have been^aptislaft/Attor giving satis%ie there arafiyeofsix e«Aeriy attend--'ing ’the instructions of,’the' missionary, in refa* 1 to whpm your cbminitteo hAve every hope they win erejpng embrace the Christian faith. Native catechist to the aboriginals of the Province, has continued his services at the Heads, conducting Divine seryice each- Lord’s Day. Mr Blake has visited the Heads quarterly since last Synod. His -visits have-been-greatly welcomed I 'bjrthe catechist and the Maoris accustomed to come together there on the Lord’s J3«£) j- <] < ;/T “Your committee have jpven attention to the matters remitted to them by last /Synod, as brought under its noticeoy the I minute of quhant, Aneiteumj June 4,1872. In accordance with afctiqnt&keh Iby rtlid bthet Ghvfrdß® “aociated vdth;this.Church in SthtoNoff Hebrides. Mission, your committee recommend that W»lMy apt. be; mat ihh Synhd Undertake fire pi& ! reports of the; >liAsi6fi? necessary cdlltotitfg cariisfarid th'Ae whatever cexpenaes 'are >bontoi byrto# several Churches dm connection ■ iwith ithtoro respective missionaries be allowed by the Synod. ?.•« .cu/dl labor traffic s “d:^9 Qtlnueß .~-and-that -the -«phei»..of-your. : missionary's ,labqr:baa >r been,,and T itiU is the scene of vthie great' Tout committee ““'P<?enf^Bspipd r; by., Mr Baton that,this troifio tms urea 'Wd J the efforts of Mr ’Milne,' throfigh the suspicion: Synod, intelligence was received that the Dav*?**s ih*d'i>»BeiiT wrecked.?.- iltsiKiwuntotter M^thahkfulnessrthftti;ri6‘ lives; Were, last ..white SiS *S*i* that an msurapee fund was raised some yeara ' - By means 9"ofJ thhfc' ><ftmd. $0 , bo more r serviceable S** the been ‘seburb* pndsi; howeveb, ■’ havd; nbt been nroSndedirota bf .'the dost yesM to jtile costal the •’■<The Mm. b Wp' ; kihdly advised by twb°fnfeiid6 'bf thA mission 4h'«ydfiey— to enable tpe mission-, to vessel immomtffthe mission. For this purtiw, as well as enable his ieaith after many 'J«W Wtb%6the Australian bolonies, including ‘Zealand. He-jis now present with, the “Synod, and,will fully b « n ! before you. Tflie cb® mittee tnftt that the Synßd ■wiU’~gito , thbs Mlest Mr Patou a-visit ■ lb this mittee have Churches of V ic tona,,., ..New South ?I skles, ..andr the Northern Church of New .‘zLldnd.’ Tiave the missWjof MrPaton, ItfWili be necespary timt iheißynod sanction spmhprrangemenj as to Mr. Milne's connection with the Widow and Orphans FjmA ol thia Jhe mwsionancs,.; With to®, P^ Ur i c h- of Victoria : ‘pky' 'tfid usual pVeiniW toj’ the cbireHprfkrifitf of that Church, Atfd the Mfei aion Fund -pay a like, sum to the fttik* committc^ai tvould recohiniind a similar amuicrement m cbniectiori >with Mr Milne. It was the at. npa^^ effort should be mad^ bring the missionary operations pf_ this Cniifch more prominently pefore the several congregations., with the view of rawing funds thfeupplem^htthelilOOhlreafc' gifted to the New Hebrides . a mry ( totheChiuosem this Province. The arrapgeiflenta contomplated for this end have not| auring' tb4“'p&st year bwn earribd but, biit iyour com m/Utbe-tnist thlrt this special effort may ;be made tills -year/ and would recommend the Synod to i instruct, j?rea, bytenans, as weU as the several miiiisbera, £o * Tfte Oamara tpresbytery.hava ;soUcited#<*r committee to Baird„ of sum from the Mission Fund in cbnsideraViba of Ins services! pnibehulfyotlihte Mtibris ihdiisair. tnotf He visited-tihdili oh In average once a fortnight, and has fobnd thelfl vnlling to receive his ministrations. In. vlew of 'Sy %' Blake, the fco&SnnfctAe'rAhuest thfe the Synod to grant to each b'f -them twenty pounds. r . 3\PEiifliby,i 'the Rw. PaulAhOhih. , “ ...X; - 11 V Ji.’lTJf ATlf S' jTasjja i mb-logan’s case Lbgan appeared’ at the.hat id ‘ SutMhk £is St lies to ) support ! the off *WDunwSi Presbytery,r, whiok Jiad doposeA-and 1 ‘ e*Mmunicated Mr Logan. V , 7^ - Air. JjOgan. commenced iiisl^efencb 1 hv.^exprising’his regret tbat he hadkbh beenMowea wul pwihsel—a cofirse wbich. he;affirined, t ><raß r tqV>Sb thbuldHe. cotApeUed 1 1< Wju\fSt- AS and prttestod l against .M, , a i law ;agent .the said,he had bek 'guilty bf, J do.’ b«enco Against Church law or any other law; hh wiich ihe KetyiMr Ayill/resft vrith,spme .papers-in-his hand,and ; s^, P f‘The, offenM is^heS™lMS witlihim' that; the offence might have :beeh'conned papers, still he had nothing to; db Witk.tbemlh jMsfr-a;shape,Jt: , ; tb Kim thaftte Prasbytenr so, gager .to arrive at a conclusion hostile to him as to overlook,every.other const ' •% w^e^f sai 7 |w' him to state that for some iime he had been the subject of a hunt-perSohs : had gone from door , to doori / endeavoring -to ' getv eiridenco against him for some supposed offence, though they did not succeed. Several bhsybodiAs ih. &bx “ 1° fi? deacons, to resign ik a body, ..did not succeed. Then aff'iwrivb d^apJl^ eu d°ayqred to gekthe tosigned, ljut thattouiidabbut Vw of 1 8«* quit of /him did ttot !; strdng bhjection to being'thirded. Now. he .hw Ss he would no So - good to' recollect from goihg on the, platform At! Mr >■ P^blXs tdM r ? eebles ’B meet* mgs i at aIL : »Thi4 further demandi tfas made In Ha llii 2S .he^i^ .before vthoie commenced, - P? Copland, accojfdmg to ohenewspAnbr saSS (MrLogan) Was hunting; cording to another neirapaplr He 6ited thisasillusthiting thenhtoliabilitVvrf the newspaper reports, though D*BtSXr2 gone out of his way Jbo compliment theinai^^ newspaper, reports:} of Dunn s leotores were ,said) tQ heS ß w.vn 5i object. Substantially w-as n He sfipposed; 4P» {mi might hiive T been * 1 ’fofrmihivhfrftfl* l Wmdoii ' i N^w, r * dnitabdiately i from : s@sss.

- - —l I - ruiMiin iiwmam ■■iwiii i ' ~ n r i i i c»»i—were made to not been ini „tentionally misreported. ' But whether the _ congregation were takenup forbearing heretical Saemibs/mstead ofctlie whodelivlrec! them. He had been told that if he resigne£This membership sof ~ -thej Chuxteh fhe 'would . irotvhe. bothered further, and that He could do .what he liked— wordg, ‘‘ We will pursue you) to the uttermost until you are entirety beyond; us, then we!:will have mercy and leave you; alone.”. That.was exceedingly generous, no; doubt, though he could not see it in that light.| wel'p . rocks , and something like a white! • squall-in thh path of the Church* and it ! \&uld : be cowardly for him to-leave the ship in-such; an might bebf useM At all! if,.he had leave the,old! gathered from the. papers that he was found! fault with because he called Messrs Peebles andj .Dunn.epunent, Christen?; >pd ; b.eteus.o>hejsaid! .tliejyjwere ddingChristian work.. ; He supposed' fect right to make up his own list of whom ho considered to be Christians. If he gave each .member of .the, of paper, and was it to be imagined’ that* Shy two lists would agre&l.andThpwn much-tlfejs MfLthesß pnntea be%e /; Heaypn,.^oi|l^ t they agree with | !h! * h?t L rec f or f u .alfeoiJifcaTJoti the heightoffpllytq Am • deacon, and excluded f rohi the: Chur i he supposed, wabaafimikture ofrithe 'greater and I ■ le he' might Am “[delivered >unto; Satati )for j the , r his;., spirit I might be Ba YW,lwtq r pheT4Ad.^esu)3,”;but I lAat •’ m this stage $ worlds' almost ignorka, These .’observations J were ’ merely preliminary/ He'had now to point! out that the session,; in sending this, mat-. *er iU tO fUheo hak done '' more ; thattMthey".?we*eT>entitlfed< by*-the"! l‘Aw- r >of: tM.ChpiPnito do. he taken m respect of heiaonaidrinrerf, eribrjAnd heresy. P*es.UP jtpithe Bynod. They certainly called it by a.tyig name, a lecture ransacked the transaotionsor thatofany other Church they oouhfomrdfc witbin> its j^dgO^%n». Kbfehing tp his examination, ; befoce/the matters without there put to HJ-had%e-sides been very dsked him.i! Christ ekisted question. ;^i?ted: .from,eternity) fi^isl ? ;,jPerfiapB lt it .WojddJb-t fffeh K e^' l . It' ®s apSal •wW'debided ek^tihf alboye l * EK • tKen-proieeded to Show, by''quotitionjrfrbm > works Ahd religidui-' nmgazines, ,shatiitherei;waK''’'grealr- diyetfaltv ®t>i*}pinion ,i about nftye pDhAtity*of offaith; and oi Had) he drawn: up aftfinuu m§ .91 jrejfew^hc would have made .it ,yerv.different, / to the op* ■* -g^ t -4ea : or scepticism ' aiidTnfidelity ih tbe- Chufoh - .Hiic v Touchmjl'SpimuliliM'; whfeV was'-what all the row was about, there w ¥,‘^?- n © oh 1 n 9 ed of ifc m:the Church„andil prcmlShe of advantage the OhufbhV *- \S The Do' you % say that Spiritualism: wouldbe of advantage to the Church?

M , r the i Kfflrjnative. It would be of very great advantage, and the mqderiDmariifcatatrons i pf > Spiritualism - woulo serve to .th.rQwl;Bngo6diidealM3tlight on the SW indeed .off. Jle cpnsidelftH* kj&eat' deal 6f. Christian work was'pulfiit,"bjr What- was said hgaihM' greats extent? Hvais 'super*sfthng thetpulpit ln giving -infomifttion' arid in-stßMObom-jf;;i>, f>o« th{<ioc iv.w ■ -.■jj.sla pcSfeftollfT*! jQR; Stuart -addressedoibe Synod * the-; seßsion (: and oMesqpr, Gillies an^pj^pu’behalf,pf siepresbytery. ... ’.. cordingly,” which war-dnanlmohsly