The New Minister of Scots Church, Melbourne.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 196, 26 March 1887, Page 5

The New Minister of Scots Church, Melbourne.

Various cable messages have lately ap-pn-m d regarding the Uev, Dr. Lees, of St. Gil'a't!, Edinburgh, who has beon appointed to the pastorale of Scota Church, Melb unie, and ia shoit'y exp^.cttd tj arrive in the sister colony It appears from Home m »\Bpupst'B that Dr Lets created some senga'ji'n on Christmas Day iaet by holding a service — and a fcotmwh&t leiuarkable ono— in his church at Edinburgh on trab day. In c mmonting upon the service, the Rev. J/ici b Primmer said that " there was a consi irucy in their church to bring back thu Pa^wn and Popirh ceremonies dej.fjur.c"d by the .Reformers, On tie prev;.ju<3 day ho had gone to ccc (he Christmas rx-rformance in St. Gileh'* Cathedral. Here he *aw images of saints over the uf-.-l entrance, and a row of idols at the n-'rth ot the communion table, and ha m ifched to know vtbut right these had to bo in a Protestant church. He witnessed a p- r.cotsion of clergy, headed by a man with i\ red and black coat, and carrying a baton t. i b p. burning bufh on the top, which to him f-ecmed to siy that the introduction wi tlieee Popish practices was a burning rl(.me. One of tho two curates went to t\ v pulpit and read a liturgy, or rather he made a miserable attempt at intoning it, ami the organ and choir joined in with their ' Amens.' Then the Key. Dr. Lees got iuto the pulpit, and part of the congregation mumbled after him the Lord's Pjayer. He could not; imagine that he wtin in a Presbyterian Church. The iroacher had to cay eomething in riVence of hJs observance of ChtisU mae (which meant Chriat'a mass), the apostles and the early Christians knew nothing of, and which was only a heathen faturnalia with a newname, introduced in the reign of Constantino, and his strongest argument was lhat 'the observance of this day empbasieed tho personality of Chr«t.' Bat tho truth was that on that day there were more gluttony, drunkenness, jramorality, outrages and raurdera than. on any other day in the year, and therefore the obeervacoe of Christmas Day, instead of emphasising the personality of Christ, emphasised the personality of the devil. The historic church of Old Greyfriars had been converted into a flower ebow for the occasion, being 'prafneely decorated with evergreens, holly,. palms, and ddik te3toons.'