Second Day.

Clutha Leader, Volume V, Issue 237, 24 January 1879, Page 3

Second Day.

After the usual preliminaries, the llev. Dr. Stuart, convenor of the Church Extensiou Committee, reported *" That in the course of the ve-,ir 1878 the following- parishes obtained ministers : — Limestone Plains, Mr Robert Ewen, M.A.; Riverton, Mr James Cameron, M.A..; Lawrence, Hev. Huyh Cowie. The charges presently vacant in the Church are : — St. Andrews, Dunedin ;Kaikorai, Win ton, Cromwell, Alexandra, Clyde, and Blacks. The ministers at the disposal of the Committee are the Revs. A. Blake, M.A.; James Niven, and A. G. Boyd. They were fortunate in obtaining" the services also of the Rev. Mr Summers, Mr John Lorhian, probationer, and Mr Blackie, n divinity student who has very creditably completed his theological course in our own Divinity Hall. Your Committee are happy to announce that our constant friends, the Colonial Committee of the Free Church, appointed in October last, Mr Sutherland, a licentiate of the Free Presbytery of Edinburgh, and Mr Graham, a home missionary of great experience, to labour in this field The Mission Committee of the Irish Presbyterian Church, to whom application was made in accordance with the instructions of last Synod, responded also with great promptitude to our call, and have corara ssioned the Rev. Mr Gordon, a minister of experience, to proceed to Otago. These labourers may ba expected early in the year. The home missionaries, your Committee are glad to state, are doing {rood work in their several fields— Mr Morris, in Catlins River ; Mr Gilbert, in the Upper Waitaki ; Mr Anderson, in the Tapanui Outfield ; ( Mr frail!, in Stewart's Island; and Mr Stewart, at Saddle Hill and Brighton. The frien-ls in Catlins River district are erecting a manse for the accommodation of Mr Morris, while those of the Upper Waitaki have presented a horse and saddle to Mr Gilbert. The Committee consider that it would be of advantage if grants could be made towards the erection of temporary cottage manses in connection with our preaching stations; and they would recommend that the Synod take the necessary steps in the framing and adopting of a regulation for this purpose. Your Committee are painfully conscious of the pxtpnt of country within our borders which is to this day without the preached gospel, ' and which they could enter upon provided they had ampler funds and more labourers. The Committee rejoice that. two of the rapidly growing suburbs of Dunedin have now regular ordinances. During the year the First Church has built a church at St. Kilda, and what is better still, maintains religious service through their missionary, Mr Wood. It is with pleasure your Committee report that there is everv prospect of the Church being supplied with ministers from her own ranks. Several of our students who went to Edinburgh for their theological studies before the estab^'sbment of our own Hall are known to have expressed their purpose to return to their own country. It is also known that a number are now prosecuting their undergraduate course at the.Otago University with a view to our ministry. Your. Committee would 'respectfully submit to the consideration •of the Synod whether the time has not •cotnewhen the-following parishes might, be formed .with advantage into a (separate Presbytery^ via. >; — - Queens-

town, Cromwell, Alexandra, Clyde, iNaseby, and Teviot." The* Hev. Dr. Stuart mentioned that the Hon. R. Campbell, of Utakaike, had presented to thy .Presbyterian Church a bite for a church at Duntroon. Referring to the necessities of the outlying disnicts, he said there was u dozen districts with populations varying from 300 to 900 where there was not. a minister or missionary from any Church, However, in the course of the year, the Committee had the prospect of receiving four additional labourers. Un the motion of Hev. W Kirkland, seconded by the Hev. Mr Borrie, the report was adopted, and the several Presbyteries were instructed to cooperate with the Church Extension Committee in opening up new stations •ind securing suitable accommodation for the agents employed by the Committee. The Rev. J. W. Inglis, the deputy from Victoria, delivered an exhaustive and eloquent address, conveying the fraternal greeting's of the Church in Victoria to the Synod of Otago and Southland. He mentioned that the Presbyterian Church of Victoria now had 264 distinct congregations ; 152 distinct pastoral charges, -in the care of 125 ministers, and 25 additional ministers ; fourteen vacant congregations, four of which were about to be settled; about 62,000 ppople attended divine service in their churches, the nunYber of communicants being upwards of 15,000, and the number of elders 420. There were 270 Sabbath Schools, with an attendance of nearly 25,0u0, and about 23,000 teachers. The whole income of die Church was about L75,000. They had a fund at their disposal of L14,500, and they thought they would ere long have sufficient to endow two colleges. The rev. gentleman proceeded to explain the position taken up by the Presbyterian Assembly ot Victoria in the matter of Education, and suggested that annual conference of the Presbvterian churches in Australia and New Zealand should be held for the purpose of discussing the education question and other important, subjects. lie passed a very high euloginm on the beautiful scenery of New Zealand, and expressed his thankfulness for the warmth and cordiality with which he had been received in various parts of Colony. His remarks were heartily applauded. The Hev. Dr Stuart moved the adoption of the following deliverance: — "The Synod having heard with pleasure the statement <;f rhe Rev. Mr Inglis, the deputy of the Presbyterian. Church of Victoria, thank him for his address, rejoice in her extensive operations in preaching the gospel in so many parishes, and giving so much attention to the religious inof the younsr bv Sunday schools and Bible classes; express the Synod's satisfaction at the liberal provision for the support of gospel ordinances, to comfort her ased and infirm ministers, i and lessen the sorrows of the widows and orphans of her ministry : further, ; reciprocate the fraternal feelings expressed for this Church, and the hope of a more frequent intercom*.-^ between the Churches by the interchange, of deputies." The Rev. John Ryley, Convener, read the report of the Committee on the State of Religion and Sabbath Observance : — '' In accordance with instructions of last Synod, a pastoral address, prepared bv Professor Salmond, was rend from the pulpit and circulated throughout the Church. The address dealt chiefly with the subject ot Sabbath observance. This year the membership of the Clrirch stands at- 7675, being an advance over last year of 89:2. Many families have removed from settled districts, and have gone to take up lurid on the deferred payment, system wh-.'W there is no church and no minister. These are not counted in the number given. From many quarters complaints have reached the Committee of the reluctance on the part of young people, especially young menj to join the fellowship of the Church. Various reasons are assigned for this backwardness. Some attribute the fault to parents. They do not in many cases encourage their children by counsel and example ; neglecting the duty and privilege of confessing Christ at His table themselves, their conduct has a j deterring influence upon their children. T t must be gratifying to the friends of religion *o know the house of God is still attended by multitudes, and that the Bible and its ordinances still maintain their hold upon the heart and j affections of men. The visit of Dr | Somerville to Dunedin in May last did much good in the way of stirring up believers, and not a few will look back upon it as a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Family worship in some form is observed pretty extensively by the membership of the Church. In some cases, however, an aid to family devotion is a felt want. Prayer meetings are generally held, but in many instances are. not well attended. There is much need for ! a reviv il throughout the Church from* the pulpit down to the pew. The replies in answer to the query, " Do )'ou find that the. excessive amusements of the present day act injuriously on the interests of religion ?" are decided, and emphatic in the affirmative. One minister who is in a position to judge declares " they are the very bane ot our spiritual life.". While we would ' not for a moment condemn any innocent

amusement or lawful pleasure, yet we have no hesitation in saying thas many of the amusements indulged in in these colonies are must pernicious in their intiuence, and have a powerful tendency to draw men's minds nway from the duties of religion and the concerns of their souls. Every member of the Synod must be alive to the danger in which we stand of having the country deluged with Sabbath desecration. The Railway Department, in many way;? is encroaching upon the rest and sanctity of the Lord's Day. and if Christians are not on rheir guard, very soon passenger traffic will be as common as goods traffic now is. 'A' he Government are the culpable parties. If we allow this inestimable boon— this heavenly blessing to * working world — this earnest of good thing's .to come — to be ruthlessly torn from us by the greedy grasping hand oi avarice and gain, " Icliabod ""may be written not only on the Cnurch, but on the nation ; for the well-being of the nation as much as the nros'jerity of the Church, is bound up with the faithful keeping' of the Lord's Day. Let us then join hand in hand and put, shoulder to shoulder, and be determined that the treasure which has been committed to our trust shall descend to our children and our successors unimpaired. Your Committee would make the following 1 recommendations for the adoption of the Synod, viz.: — 1. That two- deputations he appointed to visit two of the Presbyteries this vear, anc hold evangelistic services in as many of the congregations within the bounds as possible, and also to arrange for a conference on the state of religion with those Presbyteries. 2. That on the first Sabbath in March, ministers be instructed to preach on Sabbath observance. 3. That as usual the first Sabbath of November be set apart as a day of special prayer and religious service for the young." The Hev. W. Kirkland moved the adoption of the following deliverance : " Adopt the report, approve of the diligence ot the. Committee, record the thanks of the Synod to the Committee, and especially to the Convener, express | gratitude to G-od, (hat in spite of many families having removed from settled districts, taking* their ctrtih'cntes with them to districts where no settled congregations exHt, a stead v increase in the membership continues ; Unit attendance on the public means ot grace is of so encouraging a character, and that there are not wanting indication* of u healthy spiritual condition throughout the ("'hurch; regret) he rHlncraiicH on the part of our voting people to join the membership of (lie. (Miuvi'h, and ivomtnend to t be Church the Co'u.-id. jr:i---ti 1 I ri of the mafier; adopt the recommendation of the Committee nmnr evangelistic deputations, 'Sabbath ohservuii'.'' 1 , ;ind a day ot special pray. 1 : 1 and ceHu'ioMv c <-m vices for tilt 1 , vnung." j The iiev. Mr Fiulny-oii seconded the j motion, which wn, ngived to. The Hhv John M. Sntherlaud, Convener -pro tem of the ' 'i-rnnii ten on | Sabbath Schools, read the. C numi't^e-/.'* \ exhaustive report, showing flmf there ; are in connection with the Presbyterian t (Ihnrch of Otago and Southland, 91 Fc'inids, fj ,89 1 scholars, G(J4 teachers, 10(5 teachers not, members, 0,745 vols. in libraries, am! 2(> Rible classes. The rej)ort was approved of, "Mv Ryiie being congratulated by several members upon the excellence of the j report. . i