THE OTAGO PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.

Bruce Herald, Volume XX, Issue 2113, 5 November 1889, Page 3

THE OTAGO PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.

! THtXRSDAT. / At the evening meeting the deputies /from the Northern Church were welcomed J and addressed the Synod. The Rev. Mr Beattie spoke in advocacy of the union of all the Presbyterian ohuroheo. He contended that there was no difference in doctrine to stand in the way. The matter of endowments could be left for the lawyers to Bettle. The geographical difficulty he said, was merely a bugbear. \A "deliverance" was adopted formally expressing the regard of the Southern Church for its Northern sister, and the Moderator addressed the deputies, expressing his own desire for the union referred to, and his conviction that this visit of the northern deputies had helped it forward. a' The discussion on the report of the committee on "The Confession of Faith" was then taken. Mr A. D. Johnston supported Dr Macgregor'a motion that no action be taken till it i 8 known what the churches in Scotland do in the matter. He delivered a lengthy speech, in the course of which he talked of Arminiana and Calvinists, of an universal atonement in an Amyraldian sense, of Calamy and the Morrisonians, and a host of other things, concluding by expressing a hope that "this Church's veins would not be opened to unsound doctrine that might lead to a wild delirium of error." The Rev. Mr Todd proposed as aa amend' ment Mr Will's motion, with the addition of the following words :— That this com.

mittee be continued to collect information on the subject, and that presbyteries and sessions be instructed to report to the committee not later than June ; report to be made to the next synod," This was seconded by the Rev. Mr Dalrymple. Mr A. C. Begg would not object to a revision of the standards if it could be shown that they were inconsistent with the Scriptures, but such had never been attempted. He also referred to the legal aspect of the question, and hinted that there would be serious consequences if the majority attempted to override the minority. The Eev. Mr Sutherland advocated a | policy of waiting, and read a letter in whiob the writer quoted the Bonars, M'Cheyne, and Asahael Nettleton in favor of the Confession, and deplored the declensions whioh oame in through Martin Luther's friend Melancthon and others. Several other ministers took part in the discussion, the Rev. Mr Cameron in particular speaking boldly onbehalf of reform. He supported Mr Will's motion, and mentioned that be had himself come from the U.P. Church, and that he claimed to accept the Confession of Faith with this Declaratory Act. Tbe Rev. Mr Bannerman claimed thatthe words be taken down. The Rev. Mr Cameron said by all; means take them down ; that was why he bad spoken them. When this matter came to be discussed in presbyteries, if it reached them, they would be accused of not having declared in synod what their mind was. It was because the basest insinuations had been thrown out in the press of Dunedin and in the presbytery, that this was before the synod. They could not afford to sit under those insinuations ; they could not afford to be told that they had failed to take advantage of the opportunity they now had of claiming this right, for they did claim it. He said in the face of the synod that be did claim it, and not these five articles only, bnt the whole seven; They could discipline him if they liked. It was known when he oame here he waa licensed by the United Presbyterian Church, and why did they not objeot 1 then ? Why not object to receive members from what had been called a thoroughly Arminian .church ? If this Declaratory Act was a contradiction of the Confession of Faith, the'h : a change in the Confession of Faith was wanted. He held that he was not an Arminian ; he preached the love of God, but he also preached his sovereignty, and he felt that this Declaratory Act was necessary, if not for ministers, for elders. If, however, the first article was a contradiction of the Confession of Faith, it was needed not only for elders, but for some ministers, and he was one of them. jig. The Rev. Mr Stobo said he did not thlpk anybody would seek to discipline their brother Cameron, bnt it must be obvious to all that when be came to the Church of Otago and Southland he accepted its standards as they were then. The discussion soon afterwards came to an end, and a slight amendment having been made in Mr Finlayson's motion, directing tho appointmnnt of a committee instead of the re-appointment of the committee, it was put and carried unanimously. The motion agreed to was as follows : — " The synod receive the report, and in view of the importance of the matter contained therein and of the necessity of oarefully considering the whole subject, order the report to lie on the table till next meeting of synod ) appoint a committee to continue and complete tho work assigned to the committee by last Bynod, aod to take notice of similar movements in other ohuvches, and report to tbe Bynod." \ At Mr James Adam's suggestion, the meeting thanked God for this great decision— /that the report lie on the table till next 'meeting.