BRAWLING IN CHURCH.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 326, 10 May 1877, Page 4

BRAWLING IN CHURCH.

The Guardian supplies the following particulars of the disgraceful scene in a church," which was briefly recorded in our telegraphic news on Monday : Yesterday St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Walker and Melville streets, was the seen* of an unusual and unpleasant incident, by which the solemnity and decorum of public worship were much disturbed. In our report of last week's meeting of the Dunedin Presbytery there was a. brief account of a series of protests and appeals presented by Mr. J. P. Millar in opposition to certain proceedings of the Congregation arid 'Kirk Session of St. Andrew's Church, having reference to the : introduction of hymns into tne public worship of the church. AH these protest* and appeals were disallowed by the Ihresbytery as " frivolous," and, on the same grounds, his application for permission to appeal from the Presbytery to the . Synod was also refused. But the appellant, nothing daunted by his non-success with the Presbytery, evidently determined to take the law into his own hands, and ■elected his time and place yesterday, in presence of the whole congregation. The Estor of the church, the Rev. Mr. Gow, ring conducted the previous devotional exercises as usual in commencement of the service, announced the beautiful hymn, "Revive Thy Work, O Lord," when Mr. Millar, making his way to the platform beside the minister, in a loud voice commenced to read out the following extraordinary document:— [Protest.] Dunedin, May 6, 1877. Before God and in the prese ce of this congregation, I solemnly p otest again t the unconstitution 1 ami llegal manner m which the Jy>glish Presbyteria" Hymn 80. k is bei< g mtrodnc d into this congregation, pending the j dgmeiit of the Supreme Court of the Church on the appeals taken to it, and because its hitn-dti- t.<-u at the instance of a Email minority of the membership of this c ngregation will vir ually prevent many from joining in praise to God. in His own appointed way. (Signed) James P. Millar. As the clergyman, paying no attention to the interruption, continued to read the hymn, Mr. Millar, finding that his voice was no match for the sonorous and powerful tones of the practised speaker, and that it was in fact drown d, after a few sentences of his prot st, quietly dropped back and allowed the minister to finish the reading of ttic linin. But lie had not abandoned his purpost*. and was apparently gathering tip his strength to break in before the singing. However, the precentor and e-oir appeared to have aroused themselves to the ntcessities of the occasion, and ere the minister had completed the re-reading of the hist two lines, when, in fact, within three words of the end, tLe powerful meh dy of the choir burst forth and fined the church, the congregation joining in the strain with heart and will. Nothing daunted, however, Mr. Millar, from his stand beside the minister, proceeded with great vehemence and force of lungs to deliver himself of h ; s burthen, and read the protest from beginning to end, eve*y word being inaudible owing to the zest with which the people applied themselves to their new hymn-books. Having finished reading the paper Mr. Millar threw it at the minister, who quietly warded it off with the back of his baud, and it floated down to the congregation, one of whom picking it up has kindly furnished us wibh the foregoing copy. Having thus "witnessed for the truth," Mr. Millar retired from the platform and resumed his place in a pew, but on second thoughts arose again and retired from the church, accompanied by one sympathiser. Naturally the incident has caused much indignation among the congregation, the whole of them—with the exception of eleven who think with' Mr. Millar—having determined to have this hymnal, which has been already adopted in almost all the Presbyterian Churches in the Colony. This indignation, we understand, is considerably increased by the fact that the singular demeanor of Mr. Millar in relation to the conduct of the affairs of the congregation • has duriug a coarse of years driven from St. Andrew's a large number of its best and most valued and influential members, who, for the sake of peacj, have attached themselves to other congregations. This occurrence is the mora remarkable when we further learn that Mr. Millar is neither a seatholder nor a contributor to the sustentation fund of that church, considering we presume, that his very regular attendance at worship and his guidance of congregational affairs, and his knowledge of church law, in which he is very learned, and which he imparts gratuitously, are worth more to the congregation than silver or gold.