THE PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.

Southland Times, Issue 1692, 21 January 1873, Page 3

THE PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.

The Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Otago and Southland met in the First Church, Duntdin, on the evening of Wednesday, 15th inst. The retiring 1 Moderator (th« Rev. J. Kirkland) having been translated to Hokitika, the Bey. Dr Stuart preached in his stead from Deut. i. 21, " Behold the Lord thy God shall set the land before thee ; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers Inth*" said unto thee : Fear not, neither be discouraged," and Luke xir. 47 " Beginning at Jerusalem " The theme of the discourse was the duty of the Church in the work of home evangelisation. The roll of the Synod was then made up, and consists of the following ministers and elders : — Presbytery of Dunedin : Keys. W. "Will, Fast Taieri ; W. Johnston, Port Chalmers ; D. M. Stuart, D.D., Knox Church, Dunedin ; J. H. M'Naughton, Anderson's Bay ; M. "Watt, Green IslaDd ; W. Gillies, West Taieri ; J. M. Davidson, North Taieri ; A. Greiff, North-east Harbor; J. Copland, MD., North Dunedin ; J. Gow. St. Andrews ; and Alexander Blake, Kaikorai. Elders —Messrs N. T. Wales, First Church ; William MartiD, Green Island ; Walter Eiddell, North-east Harbor; J. Allan, East Taieri; W. B. M'Kay, Port Chalmers ; J. P. Millar, St. Andrews, John Duncan, North Dunedin ; J. Patrick, Anderson's Bay ; D. IVrgusson, West Taieri ; and G. Hepburn, Kaikorai Presbytery of Clutha— Revs. J. M. Allan, Waihola ; William Baunerman, Clutha ; J. Waters, Warepa ; R. Tel ford, Teviot; C. Connor, Popotunoa; J. Chisholtn, Tokomairiro ; J. M'Ara, Bal clutha ; and J. H. Cameron, Lawrence-. Elders — J. Johnston, Clutha; A. Anderson, Inch Clutha ; D. Sutherland, Warepa ; J. Stenhouse, Lawrence ; D. M'Neill, Balclutha; and W. Adam, Waihola. PresbyUry of Southland : Keys. A. H. Stobo, Invercargill ; T. Alexander, Long Bush ; A. Stevens, Wallacetown ; D. Ross, Queenstown ; R. C. Morrison, Switzers ; and C. S. Boss, Biverton. Elder, Mr J. Cumming. Biverton. Presbytery ofOaraaru — Revs. A. B. Todd, Oamaru ; J. Car she, Waikouaiti ; J. Ryley, Otepopo ; and J. Clark, Palmerston. Dr Stuart then proposed Mr Bannerman as Moderator, referring to his labors in the early days of the settlement, when his parish extended from the Taieri to the Nuggets, without roads or bridges. Dr Stuart also referred to Mr Banner man's earnest, and at times somewhat com bative, services in the planting and administration of the Presbyterian Church in Otago, and his extensive knowledge of the history and constitution of the mother church", as especially qualifying him for the position of Moderator. Mr Bannerman having been duly elected, delivered the usual addresg. He sketched the progressof the church during the past sixteen years, and referred to the fact that the increased population was to a large extent one strongly attached to the Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian organisation was, he considered, especially fitted for meeting the spiritual necessities of a new and advancing country. The progress already made he trusted would continue and increase, and he hoped that the Presbyterian Church might be instrumental in securing the adoption of Protestant Christianity in this land, not merely as an individual and social, but as a national characteristic This duty, he said, had been lost sight of in recent discussions on education and Sabbath observance, and he spoke at great length, against the exclusion of the Bible from the system of national education, as regarded from this point of view. Mr Bannerman continued : — " Such ia the principle of national life, and such the Deces«ary mode of its action in operation for the common weal. In no other wav can the nation act consistently "with its duties and its interests as a nation, and on this — the common principle and mode of action —we have good reason to repudiate and oppose the demand that has been made, that in providing for the coinnon weal a national system of education, the views, wishes, and aims, whether of secularists or of the Church of Home, should determine the character and limits of that system to the extent of excluding the presence and influence of the Holy Scriptures. For the wishes and aims of neither are in accord with the require- 1 ments in this matter of the Protestant Christianity that prevails throughout our borders, and of which it is a first principle that the young should be trained in the knowledge, and to the practice of what Scripture communicates, as essential to their being fitted for fulfilling the duties of life, social and private alike, when young and in after vears.^ On the fulfilment of these depend the peace and good order, and through them the prosperity of the commonwealth, the one domain within which national action, the action

lof the State, has its operation. To secure that fulfilment an education is re quired, which, to be effective, must embrace the truths that Scripture reveals, and the motives and influences it furnishes for every day life." The remaining observations were devoted to Sabbath observance, in which thereverend gentleman contended that it was the duty of the State to regulate and restrain certain acts on that day, .in order that every maiv miuht be" protected in his inalienable right of freedom to worship God in the way which God had ordained. " The arrangements of society." he said, " should be »o reyu lated that each man should be free to fulfil the high requirements of Him with whom each and all had to do. Such was not the case when the Sabbath was permitted to be made by any class or portion of the community a day of ordinary business and toil in making it a choice on the'part of those dependent upon them for their temporal subsistence., eirtier to sacrifice their means- of livelihood, or to forego the imperative duty cast upon every man to beep holy the Sabbath." Thursday, 16th January. The Synod met at eleven o'clock. The first hour was spent in .devotional exercises. • It was reported from the Clutha Pres i bytery that one student had passnd into, his second year's theological curriculum, under superintendence of the Presbytery. It was also reported -bat Mr Andrew Fleming, a student undrr the Dunedin Presbytery for four y?ars, had accepted the rectorship of the Invercargill Gram mar School, and was no longer under the Presbytery. The Rev. Dr Stuart proposed the following overture anent theological train ing of students :— " "Whereas the importance and necessity of training a colonially educated ministry is becoming daily more apparent (1), because of the present difficulty of getting an adequate supply of ministers from the home country ; and (2), because of the better adaptation of youths educated in our midst for the circumstances under which the work of the Church must he carried on fora time in a country drawing its population from divers nationalities : whereas the present training given through Presbyteries to students in divinity is confessedly inadequate and unequal ; and lastly, whereas several young men now attending the arts classes in the University, with the view to the ministry in the Church, will in the course of a year or two require direct theological training;, it is humbly overtured to the Synod to take the premises into consideration, in order to devise the means of more systematic instruction in theology." The overture was agreed to. The Rev. J. (-Jow brought up the report of the Committee .of Synod on Sunday Schools. Out of the thirty-eight schedules of questions issued to congregations, twr bad not been returned, thirty-six were returned with answers, two congregations reporting that they had no Sunday schools. In connection with the remaining thirty-four congregations there were 63 schools, 3171 scholars, and 374 teachers. The Ccmmittee rrcommended the appointment of a central standing committee, to be call- d the Synod's Commit' ee on Sabbat'i Schools, the object of w >ich should lie to distribute Sabbath S.-hool literature, both for libraries and for the assistance of the teachers in the preparation of lessons ; and also that an address to the te >cher* be prepared and circulated After >on ••» discussion the suggestions of tha report were agreed to. The itev. Mr Rylev reported that, ow ing to the removal of Mr Kirkland to Hokitika he had not been able to fulfil the duties of the Commission deputed to visit outlying districts, but expressed hit* willingness to undertake the work at some future time. EVENING SEDERUXT. It was resolved that the Committee proposed to consider and report on the subject of theological training be the University Committee. An overture from the Presbytery of Southland was read regarding the practice of having religious services at funerals over the grave, and requesting a declaration of the practice of the Church on such occasions. The Wev. . Mr Stobo proposed a motion to the effect that it was not desirable that this should become the ordinary practice of the Church, but leaving it free to ministers toadopt their own judgment in such cases. The Bey. Dr Copland seconded the motion. Mr Gillies moved as an amendment, That the Synod do not adopt the overture, and that the matter bp left to ministers t«> exercise tneir own judgment therein. The amendment was carried. Overtures from the Presbyteries of Dunediu and Southland were read on the subject of baptism, particularly calling attention to the fact that the standards of the Church authorise the administration of the Ordinance only to those who profess their faith in Christ, or to the children of those who are members of the visible Cnurch, and that in the place of public worship, and in the face of the congregation ; and request such a deliverance as should secure uniformity of practice in this matter. The overture from the Dunedin Presbytery was supported at great length by the Rev. Dr Copland, who proposed a resolution embodying the views therein advanced, which after discussion, it was ultimately resolved to transmit as an overture to the various Presbyteries for their consideration. The Key. Charles Eraser of Christchurch, aud the Rev. Mr Klmslie of Wangauui, were introduced as deputations from their respective Presbyteries.