PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8799, 12 February 1892, Page 6

PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

MORNING SITTING. The Assembly met at ten a.m., the Rev. J. Elmslie, D.D., Moderator, presiding. The proceedings were opened with prayer. question of privilege. The Rev. Mr. Treadwell said he wished to draw attention of the Assembly to what he considered a breach of privilege and good order. He referred to a paragraph in that morning's paper in which it was stated that a member of the Assembly complained of the time being monopolised by the same speakers year after year, giving the younger members no opportunity of expressing their views. How far from being true that paragraph was was evidenced by the fact that when an important report was laid before the Assembly the Moderator appealed again and again for some one to proceed with the business, the elder members holding back for a considerable time to allow the younger ones to express their views. He thought the gentleman, whoever ho was, would have acted more manly had he brought his complaint before the Assembly, instead of going with it to the newspapers. The Moderator thought all would endorse what Mr. Treadwell had said, as it must be remembered that he (the Moderator) had appealed to tho younger members and to the elders to express their opinions. However, he did not think it necessary that any further notice should be taken of the paragraph. judicial committee. The Rev Mr. Gillies read the annual report of the judicial committee, which was as follows : —" Your committee have again much pleasure in reporting that their services have not been required during the year." Tho report was adopted, with thanks to the convener for its brevity. widow and ORPHANS fund. The Widow and Orphans Fund Committee reported as follows " No new claims have fallen upon this fund during the year. The revenue has been £449 (is, and the expenditure £158(JsSd. This expenditure includes refund to the Rev. J. W. Cree, late of Lee6tou, of £20 Is, on his leaving the Church and ceasing connection with the fund. Also, refund of £4 14s to tho Rev. W. J. Conine, on his translation to Otago. Tho capital now stands at £5438." The Rev. Mr. Gillies, convener of tho committee, said the revenuo of the fund had largely exceeded the expenditure during the year, owing to no new claims having arisen on the fund. He thought they should be thankful to God for sparing their ministers, none of them having been taken away, to leave their families dependent on the fund. The fund was now in a good and safe position. He only regretted that so few ministers were connecting themselves with the fund, only two having joined during the past year. Mr. Smart (elder) moved, "That the report be adopted, and the committee authorised to extend the time for payment of arrears." A discussion ensued upon details of the report, during which the question was raised as to the advisablcness of having the fund incorporated. The Rev. Mr. Patekson moved as an addition to the motion the following words :— " And that it be remitted to the committee to consider the advisableness of having the fund incorporated." Mr. Smart accepted tho addition, and the motion as amended was agreed to. AGED AND INFIRM MINISTERS' FUND. The committee of this fund reported as follows :—" An application from the Rev. J. W. Crec, late of Leeston, for a refund of whatever moneys were due to him from this fund, on his leaving the church, was received; but as no provision is made for a refund under the rules, in such a case, your committee could do nothing ; and now simply report the matter to the Assembly. Use revenue for the year has been £288 15s 2d, and the expenditure £75 ."Is lid. The capital fund now amounts to £2355.'' The Rev. Mr. Gillies, convener of the committee,said lie had nothing to add to the report, which principally referred to a special case which had arisen. He regretted that this fund was not more appreciated by ministers, as, like the widows and orphans' fund, only two had joined it durini' the year. The report was adopted on the motion of the Rev. Mr. McKinney, seconded by Mr. Hutton (elder). In connection with the special case referred to in the report, the Rev. Mr. Gillies gave notice that at next Assembly he would move the adoption of an additional regulation bearing on the matter of refunds. He thought there ought to be a rule dealing with such cases as Mr. Cree's. The Rev. Mr. Pat Kits on urged tho advisability of making efforts to increase the capital of the fund. There were few claims upon it now, but as many of the ministers were now advancing in yea's, doubtless the claims would increase. The Rev. Mr. Oi;g asked how a minister was situated in the event of his congregation failing to pay its contribution to tie fund. The Rev. Mr. Gillies said the exact position was this : There was no provision in the regulations to the effect that a minister lost his right to a grant under the fund if the congregation did not pay up its part. He did not believe that any Assembly would put such a thing into the Regulations, and it it did, no minister would ever join the fund. It would be most iniquitous to decree that a minister who paid his contribution should be deprived of his right because his congregation did not pay its. The law at present was that ministers should pay £2 10s per year, and the congregation the same amount, but the law could not be enforced. They were simply dependent upon the loyalty of the congregations. A discussion ensued regarding the duty of congregations to contribute towards the Fund, the Clerk remarking, in answer to Mr, Angus (elder), that if the matter were thoroughly looked into it would be found that the congregations benefited more by the Fund than the ministers. It was agreed to remit the matter to the committee for consideration and report at next Assembly, the question of incorporating this fund also to be likewise considered by the committee. TRAINING OF students. The committee appointed at last Assembly on the training of students, reported as follows " The committee are of opinion (1) That to adopt scheme 11., opening the door to the ministry without any University or Hall course would tend to lower the standard of education, and would not be for the interests of the Church. They therefore submit the regulations substantially as they are at present, with this recommendation, that when at all practicable students of this Church should complete their course at a Theological Hall recognised by their Church. 2. That those who offer themselves for the University and are prepared to enter or. the usual course of study, and meanwhile are willing to serve the Church as student missionaries, or evangelists, should receive special welcome. 3. That in accordance with a recommendation from the Presbytery of Christciiurch, greater prominence should be given to the employment of lay missionaries, that these be recognised as a distinct agency in the Church, that they receive appointments to mission or country districts not erected into regular charges, that they be movable at stated intervals, and that they be under the supervision of the Presbytery within whose bounds they are appointed to labour." The Rev. Mr. Paterson stated that when he took the position of convener of the committee he did so with extreme reluctance, because he did not then see, nor did he yet see the necessity for any material change in the regulations. The opinions of the Presbyteries were obtained on the question, and five out of the eight—namely, the Presbyteries of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Nelson, and Westlaiid—were unanimously of opinion that there should be no material change, while the others suggested various alterations. He moved the adoption of the report. The Rev. Mr. Neill seconded the motion, expressing the opinion that the existing' system had been attended with good results. The Rev. Mr.Sidey said he objected to the employment of additional laymen, without control or supervision, in new districts. It was an important question whether the training of students now adopted was the best possible training, or whether, as a matter of fact, it was not simply an expensive means of making the students unfit for their work. Instead of the education being Biblical it went all round about the Bible, and scarcely into it at all. As to the laymen it was impossible to exercise proper supervision over their work, and he knew for a fact that some had been doing irreparable mischief to the cause of the Church, .frequently teaohin"' what they had no right to teach. The Moderator said the intention of the Christciiurch Presbytery in making the recommendation relative to lay agents, was to meet the wants of the districts in which fully educated and ordained ministers were not available by appointing such agents, but not uneducated or unqualified men, and certainly not to be without supervision. The Rev. Mr. Treadwell sairl it seemed to be hopeless in view of the opinions of the majority of the Presbyteries to get the Assembly to accept any such alteration in the course of study for students as the adoption ot the old student Evangelical scheme. The Rev. Mr Ogg said he did not think tnat through the University should lie the only road to the Church. It would be unwise, he believed, to employ laymen without holding a future out to them ; in his opinion they should have the opportunity of rising in course of time to a position equal to that of any minister in the Church. A good English education, a study of the New Testament and

the Old Testament, the ability to address a | congregation, and, ajiove all, a godly and righteous wafk and conversation, fitted a man to take charge of a congregation as much as a University education. - .. , . The Rev. Mr. Gillies said it seemed to him the report was just a very gentle wav of shelving the great question raised at the last Assembly, and he suggested it .might be shelved still longer, to allow certain feenngs that had arisen to cool down, and to give time far further consideration, by simply receiving the report, instead of adopting it. The Rev. Mr. McKinney said he would be clad to hare the matter shelved for ever. The Rev. Mr. Sidey said he did not go so far as Mr. Ogg. He wanted the young men to be educated very much as at present, but it was when it came to the case of a man of sav 25 years that the difficulties arose, because such a man, with his memory partially blunted could scarcely be expected to go tin-ought a long course of Latin, Greek, and so forth. He thought the Church should hive some provision enabling it to hold out nrospects to such men ; but if they were given no prospects, and if they were sent out to teach with very little control, he was bound to say every soul would become a Tlhc C Rev. Mr. Paterson said he believed it would perhaps be better to allow the matter to rest for a year or two. He would, therefore, accept Mr. Gillies' suggestion, and alter his motion into one for the mere reception of the report. The motion was altered accordingly, and unanimously carried. WHANGAREI. A petition from Whangarei was presented through the Auckland Presbytery, asking the Assembly to grant Mr. Samuel Osborne the status of a third year student in divinity, and in the event of his passing his examination, that the Presbytery be empowered to take him on trial for license. The matter was considered in committee, and on resuming it was reported that a resolution had been adopted to the effect that Mr. Osborne be not compelled to take the university course, but be admitted as a first year's divinity student, another motion granting the prayer of the petition having been negatived. The voting in favour of the resolution was 28, while 17 voted against it. EVENING SITTING. The Assembly met at seven p.m., and the session was opened in the usual manner. MAORI AND CHINESE MISSIONS. The Maori Mission Committee reported that the present staff of missionaries had been able to prosecute the _ work in their respective spheres without let or hindrance from ill - health or other causes. Mr. Honore was continuing to meet with success in his work in the Manawatu, and made a point of showing, when opportunity occurred, the errors of believing in the upstart false prophets, who were so readily accorded a hearing by the people. The report also described the work done by Mr. Wilson, in the Parcwanui district, and by Mr. Fletcher in the field he occupied, a field in which it was believed that no other minister but himself was seen. The committee recommended that Mr. Fletcher's salary be increased to £80. The Row Mr. Doull, convener, said the Maori mission was not without token of the blessing of God, and spoke of the excellent work being done by the various missionaries, lie expressed regret that the Maoris had been forgotten m the prayers of the Assembly, and hoped they would be more generally remembered by the ministers of _ the Church. If more liberal support were given to the mission great good would result, because the experience of Presbyterian mission aries was that among the Maoris the gospel was heartily received. The Rev. Mr. Blake asked that the people of the Church should not, in providing for the wants of the natives of other islands, forget the Maoris. He had no belief in the current opinion that the Maoris were not grateful or were ceasing to care for religion. He also thought the Maori and the Chinese mission funds should be separated. Mr. Hutton (elder) seconded the motion, and strongly urged the advisablcness of a liberal distribution or tracts and religious literature among the Maoris. The Rev. Mr. Ryburn spoke of the deplorably degraded condition in which the Maoris lived in the neighbourhood of Gisborne, and said he thought the Church should do more for the people within its own bounds instead of going further afield. He hoped the fund would be more liberally supported in the future. The Rev. Mr. Treadwell expressed sympathy with Mr. Ryburn's remarks, and drew particular attention to the fact that the opportunity of the Church doing anything for the Maoris was decreasing with the decadence of the race. _ After further discussion, the following resolution was agreed to:—"That the Assembly adopt thereport with thanks to the committee, especially to the convener, express gratitude for the measure of success attending the mission, earnestly commend its missionaries and their work to the prayers and the liberality of the Church ; recommend (1) that the arrangement adopted last year be fallen from, and (2) that the annual collections be for the Maori Missions, but that a special account be opened for the Chinese mission, so that all moneys specially given for that mission may be devoted thereto." The Chinese Mission Committee reported that the work among the CRinese had, during the past year, consisted mainly of Testament and Tract distribution. Oil the West Coast of the Middle Island considerable quantities of these had been circulated and also in Wellington. While this was better than doing nothing the committee longed to see an agent appointed, and submitted a letter from lvem Yee, Sydney, in which he stated that a clever Chinese Christian and a missionary could be obtained for the work, the former for £(> or £7 per month, and the missionary at £150 per year and a house. On the motion of the Rev. Mr. Ring the report was received with thanks, the Assembly expressed regret that it was not in its power at present to appoiut a missionary, ami the matter was remitted to the committee to consider ways and means and to report at next Assembly. FRATERNAL GREETINGS. The Rev. Dr. Dun lop, Professor of Theology, and deputy from the Church of Otago and Southland, addressed the Assembly at the cordial invitation of the Moderator. He said his mission was a very simple one, one that could almost be discharged in a single sentence. His function as deputy from Otago was to convey to the Assembly the warmest fraternal greetings of the body he represented. He referred to the cordial relations existing between the two great Presbyterian bodies in the colony, and spoke hopefully and confidently of their speedy union. He then proceeded to address the Assembly on the true work and duty of the Church in the light of modern circumstances and thought, urging that there could be no true civilisation outside the civilisation of Christianity, and fie also dilated at length upon the good work effected everywhere by religion, particularly by the Presbyterian Church, and by the Presbyterian ministry. He spoke of the claims of the Hall of Theology, with which he was connected, and the desirability of increasing the number of its students, and concluded by repeating the hearty good wishes of the sister Church dl Otago. The address, a most eloquent one, was listened to with rapt attention, and Dr. Dunlop was enthusiastically applauded upon its conclusion. The Rev. Mr. 000 said that as the recent representative of this Church to the sister Church in Otago, he had to propose the following motion : — " That this Assembly expresses its pleasure at receiving Professor Dunlop as deputy from the Church of the South, very heartily thanks him for his very able, instructive, stimulating, and .sympathetic address, and cordially reciprocates the kindly feeling expressed by him on behalf of his church." Mr. Ogg briefly detailed his experiences in Otago, and expressed high appreciation of Dr. Dunlop's able speech. The Rev. Mr. Paterson seconded the motion, and said Professor Dunlop's address had impressed him more even than he had been impressed before with the extent of the privilege enjoyed by the students who sat at his feet and received the benefit of his instruction. The motion was carried by acclamation, and the Moderator conveyed its tenor to Professor Dunlop in appropriate and cordial terms. THE NEW HEBRIDES MISSION. On the motion of the Rev. Mr. Treadwell the remaining business oil the order paper was postponed for the evening for the purpose of hearing Dr. Lamb on the New Hebrides Mission. The Moderator said that although Dr. Lamb was probably well-known to most of the brethren, still an introduction might be welcomed by some of those in attendance. Some thirteen years ago Dr. Lamb had resolved to give himself to the work ot the New Hebrides Mission. After studying in Canterbury for some years, he went to the old country, and there completed his training both as a medical man and as a minister of the Gospel. He had never swerved from allegiance to his old love, he was still devoted to Christian work in the New Hebrides, and this was his first appearance before the Assembly of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church. Dr. Lamb was warmly received, and began by saying that it was now eighteen years ago since he walked along Ilobson - street, a schoolboy, to attend the old St. Matthew's school. He then proceeded to deliver an address upon the great urgency for earnest mission work in Africa, India, Chiua, and the New Hebrides, impressing upon his hearers the important part which the healing art must play in such work, not as a bribe towards

conversion, but as a part of practical living Christianity. He had not yet resided on the Islands, and could not personally speak of the actual results of missionary work there, but he had taken a very deep interest iij the subject, had studied it for thirteen years, and the results of his investigations he placed before the Assembly. He explained the difficulties to be contended with and the requirements of the New Hebrides Mission, stating that perhaps the greatest of the latter was a training institute for native teachers. After paying an eloquent tribute to the life and labours of the martyred Bishop Patteson, he expressed the hope that he would not be thought officious in bringing the difficulties he had mentioned before the Assembly, in endeavouring to teach, as it were, his superiors their own business. The facts had been brought under his notice, and he simply submitted them to the committee for their consideration. In conclusion, he made a strong appeal to the Church for liberal support to the New Hebrides Mission, and suggested that young men should be sent to the Islands as medical, or even industrial, assistants. It was decided to postpone any expression of opinion on the address until the Foreign Mission report was dealt with. The sitting closed with the Benediction.