Presbyterian General Assembly.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7070, 16 February 1893, Page 2

Presbyterian General Assembly.

[By Telegraph.) WELLINGTON, Fbb 15. The following is an abstract of the address delivered at the opening of the Presbyterian General Assembly, by the Kev. W Gillies, the ModeratorMr Gillies announced bis subject of nddreeo to be, “ Our Polity, our testimony, and our work" Under the first bead of our ecclesiastical polity, he said, that was described and defined in their name, Presbyterian ; tjie poor?# f name and polity beir^

the New Testament, In the .Acts of the Apostles we read only of Presbyters being ordained over the Churches organised by the Apostles, and these were all on an equality of footing, all of them being called also Bishops j no diocesan op prclatic bishop being known in the Church of (. hrist in aposto io days. He claimed, therefore, that aa Presbyterians they were neither dissenters nor Protestants, but the nineteenth century representatives of the first century Christian Church. But whilst mating (his claim he urged that questions of ecclesiastical polity should be held subordinate to Christian charity. On the second point of our theological testimony, he argued that while the scriptures are the only rule of faith and duty, it was both lawful and expedient to have standards of testimony, such as the Westminster Confession of Faith, and he explained the position cf the Church in relation to that document. He spoke of it as the banner unfurled in the cause of scripture truth, and which along with the blue pennant of Presbyterianism, had floated aloft on the battlements of the Church, symbols of her loyalty to Christ, and the revelation of His will. The system of doctrine set forth in the Confession, and known as Calvinism, he defended against misrepresentations, and paid a high tribute to the work of John Calvin. The articles and liturgy of the Anglican Church, he said, were distinctly Calvinietic, so that the authoritative theological testimony of both Churches were at one, but through laxity of discipline, unfaithfulness to her testimony had been tolerated iu the Anglican Church, and hence the discordant and contradictory doctrines taught in her pulpit On the third head of our practical work be spoke of the difficulty of blending and binding into one the various elements in a congregation, arising out of their different national and sectional previous training in the Home Oburohes, and urged the ouhivation of a New Zealand Presbyterian Church, spirit and feeling. In connection therewith he made a strong appeal to young men of talent to devote themselves to the work of the Christian ministry. On the supplying of ordinances to thinly populated districts, he org-d co-operation of the Churches, maintaining that devotion to a denomination, which ie not dominated at every point by devotion to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, has degenerated into an unworthy ambition. On the Church’s work in relation to the great social and philanthropic reforms of the day, he advocated the abolition of the liquor traffic, the withdrawal of state license to gambling, and using the protection and penal power of the law in favour of morality and not of immorality. Ho touched also on the question of social impurity and State attempts at regulating vice, which he argued became in effect.|,Btate patronage of vice. The root causes of such vices as gambling and the social evil he said were the greed of gain and the rage for pleasure, pointing out bow these two causes operated in the directions named ; bazaars, ruffles, lucky bags, and such like methods of raising money for religious purposes, coming in for strong condemnation. The excessive devotion to pleasure on the part of both young and old was playing havoc with the moral stamina of the population. A pleasure-loving people inevitably becomes a dishonest gambling, and immoral community. History and experience witness to this. The more serious duties and responsibilities of life became irksome and burdensome, and are shirked and shunted in every possible way. Dealing with the present social unrest and unhappy state of feeling between capital and labour, he urged that the Church’s attitude must not be that of partisan but counsellor, and that in the teachings of Scripture alone lay the satisfactory solution of the questions at issue. Both sides are taking their stand upon, and determining their course of action by, the theory of rights, and war to the knife must ensue, while whichever side for the Brno may be the victor will become a tyrant. The theory of rights must be supplemented by the theory of responsibilities, if society is to be founded anew on a durable basis, and nowhere have we this theory of responsibilities and the duty of tempering the assertion of rights with the careful discharge of responsibilities set forth so decisively as in the Scriptures. Iu closing, Mr Gillies referred to those ministers who bad been called away from their labours during the year, their removal being a fresh summons to those left behind to make full proof of their ministry with ever increased consecration and zeal: - Christ at our side, the Scripture for our light; Here burning hearts, and there the beatific light.

A bequest of £IOO towards the New Hebrides mission was received from the executors under the will of the late Mr Carruth, of Remo, Auckland, and another of £ICO from Mrs Legertwood, of Sydney, wife of a former member of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand. The latter amount is to be invested, and the interest applied to a stipend for a teacher in the New Hebrides Mission. It was resolved to grant tbe petitions from Te Arohn, Waihi, etc., for the constitution of a separate charge, but no steps shall be taken towards (he settlement of a minister until the people are in a position to give £l5O towards the stipend; The treasurer's report showed that all the funds of the Church were in credit except (he Book of Order Fund, which had a small debit balance The funds of the Church had lost £134 14s in interest through the defalcations of a Church officer, and £ll6B of tbe principal had been wrongly paid to somo person, and the question of the position of the trustees end mortgagors to these moneys was now before the Supreme Court. Several congregations hnd not yet paid their assess ments for the Assembly Expenses Fund, ond there was an increasing tendency to evade payment to the Aged and Infirm Ministers’ Fund. Tbe discussion on religious Instruction in schools was interrupted by tbe afternoon adjournment The Bev Mr Webster moved an amendment to Mr Wood’s motion that it is not expedient to reopen the religious question. The Rev. Mr Patterson moved against interference with the Education Act in favour of dcDominaiionalism, but in favour of the Bible in schools.

After a long debate Mr Patterson’s amend, ment was carried by 40 to 21.