Materialism Dissolving; Moderator

Northern Advocate, 21 February 1940, Page 4

Materialism Dissolving; Moderator

[Per Press Association. Copyrightl WELLINGTON, This Day. In his address at the opening of the Centennial General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand in St. Andrew’s Church last night, the Moderator, the Rt. Rev. J. Lawsdn Robinson, spoke of the Church’s debt to the past, and suggested how the past might be used to help solve the problems of today. Speaking of the Presbyterian pioneers who landed at Petone in February, 1840, from the ship Bengal Merchant, Mr Robinson said that they comprised 116 adults and 30 children. Insignificant though their numbers were, they were yet the progenitors of the present-day Church. In the course of a hundred years that little band of 146 souls had grown into a great community of 368,000 people, who, in New Zealand today, declared themselves to be Presbyterian. Principles Better Than Precedents. After speaking of the inspiration and experience to be gained from a study of the past, and a counting up of the great inheritance it had left, Mr Robinson pointed out that the study must be carried out with discretion and that the searcher should know what he was seeking.

“A thing is not necessarily good because it is old,” he continued, “but all the same there are acknowledged principles which are timeless. And principles are of greater importance than precedents. “The ministry of the past is not to provide precedents, but to vindicate principles.” New Order of Society.

The Moderator emphasised the unity of human life past, present, and future —and the need for meeting the ever-new tasks and difficulties of the present with a fresh mind. The world, he said, was at present in disorder, and a new order of society was coming to birth. What the character of that new order would be no one could clearly discern. A civilisation with frankly material ideals was dissolving. It was clearly evident today that the peace of the world did not rest entirely on economic systems. As President Roosevelt had said a few weeks ago the problem of a new world was a problem of Fate. The churches had been most successful in resisting State absolutism, and in their growing power Mr Roosevelt saw the principal hope for recreating the basis for a community of nations. Loyal Address The loyal address read at the opening of the assembly, expressed loyal allegiance to the throne and affection for His Majesty. Regret was expressed that the ocasion of the assembly was darkened by clouds of war, and the assembly hastened to assure His Majesty that it would be their unceasfng prayer that the protection of Almighty God might be granted to His Majesty’s forces on land, on the sea, and in the I air. They prayed also that in. the provi- [ deuce of Gcd there might be found a just and lasting peace. In the face of the threats to religious liberty in many parts of the world, the assembly assured His Majesty that they. esteemed highly the full liberty of religious opinion and worship enjoyed, under His Majesty’s rule. The Centennial resolution which was passed, offered adoration and thanksgiving to God and solemnly redidicated the church to her divinely appointed duty. . It recalled also the faith and fortitude of pioneer ministers, and rememmembers of the church, and remembered all those who had served the church with vision and devotion during the past 100 years.