'THE REIGN OF GRACE.'

Evening Star, Issue 7651, 29 June 1888, Page 4

'THE REIGN OF GRACE.'

At the meeting of the Presbytery of Clutha, held at Balclutha, the Rev. Mr Allan, of Stirling, proposed an overture praying the Synod, in view of the disturbed state of the church, to issue a pastoral address upon the season of grace. In supporting his overture Mr Allan referred to Dr Salmond's pamphlet, and characterised his views as spsculations founded on sentiment rather than on Scripture, as tending to rationalism, opposed to revelation, and as mere opinions which could never rise to become dogmas.—The Rev. G. B. Inglis, Warepa, seconded the overture, and indulged in a violent attack on Dr Salmond, whose 'Reign of Grace' he pronounced to be " a wretched affair," and some of the statements in it he " regarded as blasphemous." He accounted for the popularity of the pamphlet "by the official position of its author and by the suitability of its views to the carnal mind."—The Rev. A. D. Dalrymple, while supporting the overture, repelled the allegations of Mr Inglis with some degree of indignation. He stated that the charge of blasphemy was totally unwarranted, but that it could easily be fastened on Dr Macgregor's reply, and quoted passages to prove it. He thought that there was in the language of those who attempted to reply to Dr Salmond a great deal that was unnecessarily offensive and an utter absence of Christian feeling.—The Rev. S. Currie, of Balclutha, would vote for the motion. He believed that a pastoral address, written in a calm and temperate spirit, would do good, but was also of opinion that there were certain men in the church who had shown that they should have no hand in the drawing up of such a document. He had no sympathy with the strong remarks of Mr Inglis. He thought Dr Macgregor's reply, while in some respects able, was in others very offensive and unfair. The Rev. Mr M'Laren (Catlins) also supported the overture, and at the same time condemned in strong terms the pamphlet of Dr Macgregor and the language of Mr Inglis.— Three elders expressed themselves in favor of the overture, and spoke in terms of reprobation of Dr Salmond's pamphlet, one of them remarking that he had seen tears in the eyes of his friends as they read it —The Revs. Messrs Spence and Chisholm also expressed themselves adversely to the opinions of Dr Salmond, the latter claiming as the result of the discussion that the intelligence and heart of the church were still on the side of the Confession. —The overture was carried unanimously.