THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAy, SEPTEMBER 27, 1883.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6821, 27 September 1883, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAy, SEPTEMBER 27, 1883.

As will be seen from our Melbourne telegram in another the dilficulty that has arisen over the case ot the Rev. Mr. Strong has culminated in the secession of the congregation of the Scots Church in Collins-street from the Presbyterian "Church of Victoria. We had already known that Mr. Strong, in the face of the threatened action of the Presbytery for his expulsion, had bowed before the storm and had tendered his resignation, .but his congregation have proved their attachment to him and their resentment of the treatment accorded to him by the Presbytery, by taking the extreme step of severing their connection with that denomination. The separation of a congregation, the oldest, largest,wealthiest, and most influential in the body with which it was connected^—indeed, containing a large proportion of the most prominent and influential men in-Vic-toria—;is an event of no ordinary importance in that colony ; but when we notice the extraordinary excitement which this ecclesiastical turmoil has caused in Victoria, the amount of bitterness of feeling and harshness of language which it has produced in religious circles, not only among Presbyterians, but all the denominations, drawn into the discussion by a sort of sympathetic epidemic, we cannot but regard the whole thing as an event that should be viewed with regret by everyone in sympathy with the objocts of religious organisations. Charges anj counter charges of ecclesiastical tyranny and religious indifferentism, mrrow-minded bigotryand reckless latitudinarianisni, are hurled with a vim and a disregard of consequences, "that are certainly giving abundant enough cause to .the enemy to blaspheme, and inflicting wounds on religion that will not Ileal for many a day. That there aro faults on both sides is a trite faying that can be safely pronounced on any quarrel; but in this case it seems peculiarly applicable. An instinctive love of freedom of thought naturally prompts the greac mass'of mankind to resent the application of the stringent rule of creeds and confessions to a man who is teach-

ing what, he believes to be the honest truth. But' it is to be borne in mind that these creeds and confessions, whatever their merits or demerits, are the Articles of Association in the society of which the clergymen of a denomination are the office-bearers. If a Chairman, a Treasurer, a Secretary, or a director in a company administers his trust in a manner different from that prescribed in the articles, if he takes moneys and buys ships, when the memorandum and articles authorise oniy the purchase of land, nobody would say that it was an unwarranted interference with his rightful liberties if the share- I holders called him to account, and told him they would dispense with his services. It may be that he thought it more profitable to buy ships than to buy land, and possibly he may be perfectly correct in' this; but the company is a land company, not a shipping company, and the sincerity of his'convictions and even the clearness of his advanced views as to the superior profitableness of ships would never be adduced by any sane man us a reason why. he should be per-

nutted, to exercise his freedom ofopinion as .an- officer .of a land company ,The Rev. Mr. (Strong-entered' the, office of the Presbj-terian Church,signing' the Memorandum-and Articles ot Association of that body'; commonly known as" the '■' Confession of Faith," 1 under which the business, to be done by him as- an officsr 1 of. the company was toteach Galvanism, the sanctity .of' the Sabbath, and. other things as prescribed in the Articles.- -Whether lie believed in them or. did not, whether he altered his .yiewa' afterwards or not, all this ■is'beside .'the-question. -As an" officebearer he expressed his approval, "and promised,-to fulfil his duties within

: .the;: terms-"..of' the memorandum 'and [Articles of Association. He had the I most perfect right to alter his views ; but, if he did, and if he continued in the office, occupying the office buildings, and receiving the salary as an officer under those Articles of Association, endeavoured to undermine the

company, he was simply unfaithful to' his engagements. We are told of bis having the courage of his convictions. If so, then lie should, on the very first feeling of a change of views, have declared that he could no longer work under the Articles of Association, and have bravely left .the company, and sought employment elsewhere, and if by these courses he lias compelled his fellow shareholders and directors to drive him oat, then his is the shame, not theirs, 'fhis is the plain and business view of the trouble between the Presbytery of Melbourne and the Rev. Mr. Strong.

But then there is the other side. Are the Articles of Association wise ones ? and may the time not have come when a reconsideration o£ their provisions might be advised 1 Presbyterians must surely have been stiuck with j the saddening fact that so many of the ! scandals in connection with struggles for freedom of religious thought and expression have in latter times been in connection with their denomination. How is that'? How is it that Presbyterianism seems forced into the unenviable position of appearing to be the denomination most fierce in jumping on the expression of religious freedom of thought? How is it that coming nearer home PresbyterianismYseenis the mother of religious revolt % ancl infidelity, as exemplified in theA, most Presbyterian province of New 'Zealand ? How is it that Dunedin is the cradle of Free Thought, that there is . a more numerous and energetic band of free thinkers there than in any other part of the Australasian colonies ; that there, under the shadow of the Kirk, tho Lyceum has its Sunday gatherings and services, its Sunday-schools and scholars, its newspaper and literature, and sends its apostles to preach religious revolt in Sydney and Melbourne * May it not be worth the while considering whether all this may not be the natural reaction from the excessive rigidity of Presbyterian orthodoxy, the result of what Thomas Carlyle calls being " terribly at ease in Zion V Without questioning the value of the Confession of Faith as a compendious embodiment of doctrine, it was only the exposition of Scripture doctrine that commended itself to the men of its day. May it not be that the severe enforcement of it still as the only possible interpretation of Bible truth id a violation of the spirit of Protestantism—which, is in its essence freedom of interpretation of revealed truth—as this severe enforcement unquestionably is in antagonism with the spirit of inquiry of the age 1 The' Presbyterian Church regards the Wesleyan as a brother, although he may be a believer in Arminianism to the last degree. Why cannot it not modify the standards, so as to look with 'equal tenderness on its own sons, instead x of regarding them as anathema maranatha if they do not accept and teach the extreme&t tenets of Calvanism ! Presbylterians esteem and love their Christian brethren on the Continent, who, without a scruple, take their pleasure on the Lord's Day. Why will they not tolerate their own sons, who may feel warranted in the bonds of j Sabbatarianism I Standards of doc-, trine are necess'ary if the lines of distinction are to be clearly marked between the different battalions in the army of the Church militant ; and so long as these exist, those enrolled under them should be expected to conform to ,thein or retire from the ranks. But why should they not be subject to revision in the light of modern research, and why should they be so as to, compel, the exclusion of so many men of liberal thought, who using their besc lights differ on the interpretation of some obscene passage or incomprehensible mystery, Aviiile agreeing in all the essentials of religion. The spectacle presented in Victoria is not an edifying pr.e, but if these charges of heretical teaching are true, 1 while the Rev.'Mr. Strong ha*, not acted the part of straightforwardness in continuing for years teaching doctrines contrary to 1 is pledges, while receiving the emoluments and availing himself of the oppoi'umities given him on the faith of such pledges, ihe 53 stem cannot be a good one, ~and' not accordant with the enquiring and progressive spirit of the age, which tends to utterly crush out individuality in ministers of religion, and to have such a repressive effect on the freedom of -religious thought.