THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND IN NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 600, 14 January 1852, Page 3

THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND IN NEW ZEALAND.

On the 23id instant, the Report of tlie Colonial Committee oi the Fiee Kirk- was lepicsented by Mr. Bonar, the Convenor, at an evening meeting of the Geneial Assembly then in session. It is slated in tlio Report—"ln 18-13 there were no Presrn tenau churches in New Zealand. There is now one in Otago, one in Nelson, and one m Auckland." It nppeais, however, that ilia cute at Auckland is at present vacant by the tesignauoti ot Mr I'.inton. '1 lie incuinbent at Otago is th< i Rev. Ph. 13jjn 5, at r.Asun, me Rev. Mi. Nicohon. The terms of the Repoit Icavd us at a loss ns to the exact nature of the connection between tliese gentlem< n and theFtce Church. When the Otago settlement was fiist projected, we Know that it was intended to assure the Clenc.il provision to Piesbyteiians but not to limit the choice of the colonist to any one of (he othodos Piesbytennn Church in Scotland. The I»"pmt ivad by Mr, Boiur classes the New Zealand pa-tors among " the nunlsteis, missioiianes, and p;ofe-»or», in the colonies, actually at this tune in connection with the Colonial Commiliee, either (Ist) ns haung been u'cenlly appointed by them; or (2nd) as having vet no other church conneciion; or (3id) as desning the means of continuing their ministry, in whole or m part fiom them." The committee mention among the paces from which the most urgent calls for help have come —" both for the purpose of mleiesting the Church generally in them, and also of calling the attention of probationer and ministers, of a missionary spirit to these interesting fields of labour,"—"Auckland, vacan by the resignation of Mr. Panton ; Ilutt River, a Country district near Wellington—2oo settler?,, almost wholly Scotch."—lWiu Zeal ami Join mil, June 28lh.

The Exi;tlh Synod. —The Dioces an Synod convened by the Bishop of Exeter has met, and gone through the ecclesiastical deliberation lixed by its programme. The only full account has appeared in the Morning Cluonicle; the Bishop having, as the Slandmd voxedly declares, "excluded the loporters of the public pie-s, with the single exception of a semi-Papistic morning journal." But the account of the Llmmicle, though expanded to gieat bulk by the niseition of the Bishop's address, the declarations which weie put befoie the Synod, and those same declarations as they vvei c amended and eked by the Synod, ha*, veiy little of a desonptivo or popular interest. The Dean and some of the Chapter declined to attend, but of the thirty-two rural deanenes only two refused to send delegates. Theie were present seventeen dignitaries, canons and prebendaues, seven officials, twenty nine out of thiity-two nual deans and fifty-eight representatives of the ruial deaneries —total, one hundred and eleven diocesan ecclesiastics. Some apprehensions weie felt on Tuesday that a popular feimiMit would anse, and violence be done to the Synod; but the Major of Exeter called on the Bishop and assured him that no apprehension need be felt, as good airangeiuents had been made. The proceedings began on Wednesday, with Divine service in the catliedial; which was attended by a ciowded and attentive congregation. The litany wns " beautifully intoned"; Chancellor Harnngton tead the communion ; Archdeacons Froude aud Moore Stevens read the Epistle and Gospel ; and the Rev. Geoige Hole, Prebendaiy, and Rector of Chumleigh, preached a sei'non on the text <f Uold fast the form of sound words," taken from the first chapter of Piul's Fust EpiMle to'J imolhy. The Synod was held in the Cbaptei-house, a line oblong room of pure t>tyle of pointed aiclniectuie, used as the Cathedral hbiary. "'1 lie Bishop's chair was nt the head of a long table, the Archdeacons sar on the light and left, and the other members of the SynoJ winged themselves iis in chapter on each fcide of the Chapter-hou-e." The lenoiter adds with fervour—"Theatrecting sight of the Bibhop and so many cleiry and lauv communicating in the holiest m>steiifs of the Gospel formed an apt mtioducttoii to the Synod." Alter special prayers, and the enurnciatinn of the "Synods men," the Bishop delivered his addiess ; and lustoiical vindication of Diocesan Synods, the lffjitiriinte means of restoring and vindicating; the rights, of the nifuioi cleigy. After the addiess, weie read those declaiations of (uith with regaul to the baptism, &.C., the making ol which was the ostensible reason put ioiwaid after the Gorham decision for assembling the Synod. The declaiation had been touched and lefouJied in detai's more than once, and su^sv-tions were m.ule in the S^ nod for further amendments. The Synod d"!ibeiated on the amended documents, and se'-medpn-paied to adopt them, hut tJit* tvn 0 of "eien&ong" having an ived, tln-'ir ndo,ition ■» .i^ pos-tj on«. A declaration that the njipoiutnient of a see of I'lwnniiih by the Lope " is scliismaticil and \av\, s"!tin^ up ali.ir against altar in our di n-ese, and u lupins' the pnm.iey of Kns;l.ind"Swns unainmonslj 'idoji'ed. On 'I hui *da^, tlie declination on bnp'isin, :is ii'i.dly ananged, was " unammoiislv adopted." \ ("•'cni.n, the pioo<M 'Inv-. wrie chiefly discussions on liie Mi'ij-tfsot od'Jtiiion and ieh«;ious catechisin<x. "•'atishicto, v icscluiiom were adopted on those m.itteis. 'I Ik> pion'edin»s woie comnipuctdou Ihui-diy ami Fndiy with s"u ices, a-> on Wi dnc'sil.iy , .md thi'v ' •>"' l"d. d \i>■.((•>day ill) solemn (oiemoinal foims. " 'J'i)'3 li\nod t'lnn (h^snlvei\ ami its memberij depatled, as they c me, m peace."—^it'Cioiur.