THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 3418, 4 February 1874, Page 3

THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE.

We make the following extracts from the opening address of the Rev. T. Buddie, the president of the Conference This Conference completes my thirty-ninth year in the toils and trials, joys and sorrows, failures and triumphs of this ministry. I feel grateful that I have been permitted to witness the triumphs of Christianity in New Zealand. My mind is carried back to the days when the Cross was first planted in New Zealand ; when the Ven. Samuel Marsden brought down the first band of missionaries, and opened the gospel commission in this land of heathen darkness, as it then was. Only 60 years ago, on Christmas Day, 1814, that devoted servant of Christ cast in seed at the Bay of Islands, with the Union Jack, a precursor of the civilization arid Christianity which was to take possession of the land, floating above him. To these beginnings, combined with the labors of the agents of the Church Mission Society, we are indebted for the present state of New Zealand- Some of those men have been most unjustly traduced and their names cast out as evil by some who, for service in the cause of Christ and humanity, are not worthy to unloose their shoes' latchet. Time will do them justice and enrol their names among tho bast benefactors of New Zealand. . . .

I congratulate you on the progress of our 1 hurches, which has necessitated this change. Twenty years ago our Churches were all more or less dependent on aid received from our Missionary Society in London. New South Wales then had only 32 ministers, now 109; Victoria, 17 now 81 ; South Australia, 12, now 35 ; Tasmania, 8, now 15 ; New Zealand, 21, now 47. Our Church members then numbered 18,897, now 59 819. New Zealand then numbered 500 Hiuropean Church members, now nearly 3,000. This progress has rendered necessary the organic change we have made. Fears have been entertained lest the smallness of our number, and the youth and inexperience of the majority of our ministers, should not command the respect of the Churches, or make our administrative power weak and insufficient; blit we shall be quite equal in number to some of the early Conferences. We only’numbered 40 at the first Conference j/L Sydney when the strength of the Colonies was brought together, and but 27 at the Melbourne, and under 20 at Hobart Town, and the French Conference does not number more than 20. . . , We shall now be held responsible for the support of the Maori Mission The remnant of the Maori tribes will look to us j and they have a right to do so j they have a claim on our Christian sympathy. It 18 , a pleasing fact that they are manifesting a disposition to come hack to the true light, and to seek the guidance of their old teachers. Our brethren engaged in the Maori Mission have strong claims on our sympathy and liberality and prayers, and they must bo succored. • We shall have to seek out and train young men from our "'aori churches for the Native ministry ; at the same time our .European probationers should study the Maori tongue, and be qualified for the full work of New Zealand circuits, which in most cases will include both races. I trust the day will never dawn on New Zealand when the Maori will find himself like the Natives ©f Australia—as ffieep without a shepherd. . . . 1 hen lastly we have a great responsibility resting upon us in connection with our youth, if we ire to have secular systems of education brought into operation in the country, which f, as an. individual, sincerely hope may never take place. For the sake of the welfare of our adopted country, in the interests of social or ogress and domestic happiness, and in the interests of our holy religion, I earnestly pray that it never may. But whether or not, our churches have solemn responsibilities relating to our youth ; and our Sunday school system must be efficiently worked. I hope to see, before long, the establishment of a Sunday ■'school Union for our New Zealand churches, with its central depot for the issue of Sunday school liteiature and other material, and furnishing all the necessary appliances to render the Sabbath school as useful os -it can be made. .Nor must we overlook the duties of the pastorate, in relation to the lambs of the flock. Our youth must be diligently tended and taught by the ministry, by means of pastoral visitation and catechumen classes. The prevailing scepticism and worldliness of the times demand it.