New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1874.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4280, 8 December 1874, Page 2

New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1874.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand, now meeting in Wellington, is essentially a representative body. Its constitution is broad enough to embrace every section of the Presbyterian Church, and tolerant enough to admit, within its communion, members of other Evangelical denominations, aimh as; Tri/W^n-lw*, ™J. B» P «»*o.Indeed, but for non-essentials, winch are magnified by conflicting sects into matters of prime importance, there is no reason why every Christian sect in this colony, apart from those who regard episcopacy as of Divine appointment and essential to the order and discipline of the Church, should not adopt the Presbyterian platform. But each particular sect hangs out its own little banner, and does battle with the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, in its own particular way. As might be expected from ■ a - campaign conducted on no regular plan against the compact and highly-disciplined forces which the trinity of evil above-named keep constantly in the field, the result is not in favor of the Church in the aggregate, nor of its battalions in detail. Occasionally one reads of a few dashing exploits by Christian free-lances, a 3 in the recent revival meetings of Scotland ; but the history of air such movements proves that the success is temporary. There is no sustained effort,—far-reaching, aggressive, and victorious at all points. The aggressive force speedily exhausts itself ; and after a period of intense excitement, and successes that forbode the ultimate triumph of Evangelism, men quietly subside into, their old grooves, and the war against Antichrist is entrusted to the skill of the commissioned oificers of the Christian' army, who are methodical above all things, and would much rather- lose, a battle than win it in an irregular way.. And lew and far between are their victoiies. Such is the humiliating confession of the Christian Churches at home and abroad. The;Moderator of . the : General Assembly well said, in his opening address, published by us on. Saturday' last.: '' Never before, "as it appears to me, had the Master " more reason to complain that His ene- " mies are the men of His oira house." Here the Rev. Moderator struck the right nail on the head with the greatest precision ; but, having stumbled on the truth, he went off in a wrong direction, leading his "fathers and brethren " into a wild-goose chase ■ after " the Buperna- '' tural in religion," as a countercheck to the attacks of scientists upon* what he is pleased to term, "the very foundations " of the Christian edifice." Now there is something very depressing in all this. When the leaders almost despair of the Christian commonwealth, what is the mental and moral condition of the rank and file ? Surely there must' be demoralisation in the ranks, and desertions to the enemy need not be won; dered at. When we have the humiliating spectacle which; the Rev. Moderator presented' to the- world on Friday last, and the confession of impotence and utter failure on the'part of the regular clergy which ho then made—and truly made—surely it ->vell' becomes tho /.chosen expounders of "the faith once delivered " to the Saints" to ask themselves whether the fault is not;..rather with themselves! than with theWdrld, that is, every one: in the aggregate outside their own ranks. It is simply begging the question to fly at tho throats of scientists*, and endeavor to strangle free inquiry and freedom of discussion, as the Rev. Moderator undoubtedly did in his very elaborate' and.'.carefully prepared address. Professor Tyndai, is an inquirer after Truth in that great book of revelation, the phenomena of Nature.

He is one of a noblo band of men who have devoted themselves to the acquisition of knowledgo ; —men of pure lives, of high cultures, and of noble aspirations ; men who worship Truth, and detest superstition •'■which is the natural offspring of ignorance and lies. These men, immeasurably superior to the vast majority of those who call them hard names, can scarcely be said to have occasioned the collapse of the Christian edifice, so pathetically deplored by the Rev. Robt. McKinney, in his address, > because physical science is in its infancy, and the foundations" of the Christian edifice were' laid upon a rock weir nigh two thousand years ago. Its builders have had it pretty much their own way since then. They were at liberty, for many centuries, to build just as they pleased, and woe to that man who hinted that their work was not according to the Divine model. How, then, has it happened that after so many years spent in perfecting this edifice, it threatens to tumble about the builders' ears and overwhelm them—not by reason of any outside pressure, but simply from its own inherent frailty? Has Mr. McKinney given, a thought to this aspect of the question ? If he has not, we would suggest, in a spirit of Christian candour and conciliation, that he should set about the inquiry, forthwith. We know him to be an honest, intelligent, and earnest man, who speaks as he thinks ; and therefore we make this appeal to him with all the more confidence that it will not be lightly treated.- Let us, therefore, again request him, in the interest of Truth, which he says, with'much sagacity, is certain to prevail, to explain how " the very foundations of the Christian edifice "come to be hi-such'a state that, on his own showing, a competent architect would unhesitatingly pronounce it unsafe.. The Secular side of humanity would not have much difficulty in answering this question ; but we shall not forestall the honest and outspoken opinion which we anticipate from the Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly, when he ceases to look at forces extern to the Church itself as the cause of its decline. There is dry rot in the Christian edifice ; —decay in every. joist and beam "in it. Men see'. this.They are hot blind to the gradual subsidence of the superstructure which they have been taught to venerate, and which they do venerate, notwithstanding, the scepticism and doubt begotten of what they both see and. feel, socially, intellectually, and morally. They are not irreligious; but they are without enthusiasm. How could it be otherwise, constituted and managed as the Church now is. Enthusiasm, to be potent at .the present day, must be based upon knowledge ; but in lieu of kriowledgo, the Moderator of the General Assembly offers men "the super- " natural in, religion," as interpreted by the various sects, and preachers of sects, which divide Christendom with the Catholic Church. The exchange will not be- accepted by intelligent men. Knowledge must prevail; and if, as Mr. MoKinney implies, the Second Advent of the Divine Founder of Christianity is absolutely needed to preserve His Church from overthrow by honest seekers after Truth, the conclusion is inevitable, that His accredited agents either do not understand, or that they neglect, their duty.