PREDBYTERIAN SYNOD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4344, 21 January 1876, Page 3

PREDBYTERIAN SYNOD.

The Presbyterian Synod of Otagoand Southland met in'the First Church yesterday, the Moderator (the Hey. A. Alexander) in the<;iiaii;, 1-INAXCI.U. COMMITTEE. The report of the Financial Committee was given in Ijy Mr Gillies and adopted. fi HANTS FOIt .MAXSKS, Several applications for grants for manses were .sanctioned. BAKKIEK ACT. Mr Beui; moved hi.s motion with reference to the Barrier Act, about which there was a considerable and animated discussion. It was agreed to appoint a Committee to prepare a Barrier Act suited for the circumstances of the Church, and report at the evening sederunt. INTERIM ACT. The Interim Act under the Church Lands Act was read and adopted, after which the Synod adjourned until evening. MANSE CHANTS. The question of manse grants for repairs, additions, and new erections, occupied some time. A number of applications wero received and read by the Rev. Dr Copland. It was resolved to remit an application from Waitahuna to Clutha Presbytery, for erecting a manse. An application from lliverton was similarly dealt with, with power to sanction L3OO, if it was shown that such an amount was required ; also one from luvercargill for the same object; and one from Wallacetown, that the Presbytery should certify the amount to be paid in terms of the regulations. The Otepopo grant was remitted to the Presbytery of Lawrence, with power to grant LIOO ; Palmerston, 1-50, under regulation 8; St. Andrews, L2OO ; Knox Church, L 63 '.is ; NorthEast Harbour, LSO ; East Taieri, LOO; Clutha, LSO; and Tokomairiro, LSO. SABBATH OBSERVANCE. The following report wasread.:— Your Committee befr to roport that they have carefully and stoidily watched over the matters entrusted to them by the Synod during the pant year. In the month ot September last, a list of queries ■ma prepared and sont to each minister of tha Church, in order that as much information as pos-inle on the state of religion might be collected and laid before the Synod. From the returns reeeivod, .your CoinmitWe githor that the past year has dndeed been one o£ jrraco to not a lew congregations and districts of the Church. The Divine Spirit has been ■breathing life into many souls, and fanning tho vital upark in .the hearts of Christian* into a bright ilame. The work of revival is no longer a nutter of mere intelligence coming to us the seas, but a faot which wo witness with our own eyes in this tho land of our adoption. A mighty influence has been operating .in many parts of the country, whioh . is. changing the spiritual aspect of things, and causing the.moral wilderness to rejoice and blossom as the rose. Lot us hoi c and pray that the blessings already received may be but the preludes Of a plenteous rain. ; The Huhjects on wliicH your Committee have to report may be grouped under tiie following heads ;—

. UJSIRIXTICNB OF 84TSOD. These have been very generally carried out. Services for the young have been held on iheuay fixed by the Synod. Several ministers are in the habit of preaching quarterly sormone to the children of their «om,'repiuoiis. Tllia practice your Committee would heartily commend to the coimideriitiou o. all the brethren. With one or two exceptions the ministers o! the Churoh directed the. attention of their respective coiiirrtwutlona to the Divine authority and universal obligation of the Clidatiau Sabbath at the time appointed. ~ , . c intorestinsPreabytorialeonforonces on the state of religion witlliu tll6ir l)ou««swere held by all the Presbyteries, which, it is hope 4, may lead to some pructical results

JIEANS OP ORACK. The means of grace are .reported to bo well attended, , oxcopt in a f--w of the more .outlying districts. In a number of cases the attendance has increased, and a much creator intercut in Divine things is manifest. A imsmbSr of ilie Duuedin P«sbytorjwrites :-' The ordinary means of grace nro well attended. Inere has been during the year a deeper interest in spiritual things than has over • existed here before, and a good many have been led to ;profess their faith in Christ. No lower than twenty connected thennelven with the Church at our last.commuuion." A member ol the : Southland .Kreshytery reports to the saino effect :- • "Meansof grace.romarkably well attended. The interest is deepening, and spreading through the whole . congregation." .From the Clutha Presbytery a brother writes :—" Tlio attendance has considerably increased during the past ye..r. Our Church H now too strait for us! Maiiyof my people have been deeply interested ;in the wondrous work of grace in Scotland, and as 1 visit them in tlioir homes, there is a greater readiness to talk about religious matters." In the same encour- ■ v"ing strain a .member of the Oamaru Presbytery writes •—" The ordinary means of grace are well at--tended. I obsarvj; a deededly increased interest m vital religion among the people of my charge." .IV.AVKK MEETINGS. r Weekly prayer meetings are generally held, and in a .few eascsccittauo meetings in addition, borne of the ■ brcthrou speak chocringly of their prayer meeting, not • eoly in refurenec to an increased attendance, but to creator .interest and deeper earnestness on the jmrt those who meet toget-er. Your Committee feeUhat too much importance cannot be attaclied to this dopartiment of .the Church's work. Prayer is a divinely appointed mains to be used for securing the blessing. It in a law of the kingdom of grace that we must seek ibefore we can find. Broin the operation of tins law . Je*u» hiiiuioU. though Lord of all, was not exempted » Asic o! me," U the command of the Father to his ■beloved Sou!" and 1 shall give thee the heathen for ■thine inheritance, and tho uttermost parts of the earth for 41iy p. sse^ion." Ood lim given many groat and jirecions !Umist* to his Cluirch, but he says, » For thws things will 1 bo enquired of by the housw of Israel to do it for them." BVASUUWBTIO SKIIVICKS. Evan"olistic eorvices have been held in the great majority of the congregations, and it is the testimony of nearly till the brethren that they hive beoa the means A much blessing. Your Upimnltt«e regret that space will not allow them to give the many extracts which might be m.vde from the returns m their jwisuMun, but the following taken trora the tenons of member* of different Presbyteries will suffice to show that thetw sorvictK are lil'hlv appreciated, and are accomplishing in noli s'ood "Kvaii"-ell«tic Services attended well, clten crowded; 1 kiu.'.v that they resulted in a great quickening, and deepened tho earnestn-fas of uiaiiy. «'Kvaiigc'.Uic Meetings very well attdoded. Several decideiTua^t.-: ot conversion among old and joung have resulted from tlitm, and they have been a means of refreshing tv Christians." " W<S arc at p e»ent camin" on a scries of Evangelistic services, which wo ton.menced at tho beginning of last inoulli, iv d which have been every night attended by full and deeplyinterested audience* The results have been manifestly blessed. Ihe Lord's people havo been much revived, aiid a number converted unto Ood." "We had special Evangelistic Services in the church during the month of February for three weeks in succession ; church was crowded every nUlit. It whs tni y a time of blesstni.'. 'there were many apparent conversions amotig botli young and old ;in some cases there wcro as many in tlir.ca:u! four in one fami-y." Your Committee are glad to be.r tlut a good work has bcvii goi-'g on for some time among the seamen at Fort Ulialuiorß. * SABBATH OHSKRVA.NCK. In a fow cases, report- of a diminution in the desecration of the Lord's Day, have reached your C.iuiluitteu. The opening of various branches of taiUay throughout the frovineo, has greatly lessened dray tratlic on tho Sibbitb. Therj is still, however, a lamentable amount ol" Sabbath desecration of various forms pruvaili g'" our midst. Tiains continue to run iMjtwecn Dunedii! and Port Chalmers on the Lord's Day. It '•» t'J *-lv hoped that the members of our Church will maintain iho liiviue uutbority ol the Sabbath, and d.i wliut they can to secure its rest and privileges to their fellow men. S'ATISIIfS. From the ret urns .'•out in your Committee learn that there arc Oi'J ollici: bearers in the Church, 203 elders, 424 deacons' or managers, and tWSS members in full ' communiiiii. it is c utifying to know that the ollicebenrers geiiem! y take part in conducting prayer ■meetinKN and other rcliuimw services. Itappcarrfaiso ■Iroin tlitsu return-1, th it there is general uuiformity of discipline through ut the church. In cl- a'.ua their r port your Oimmi-tcc wou'd ven--.ture to make the followingsugjestiousforUieiipprovul ■of Uui SviKid. 1 Tlifit, on the first Sabbath of March, ministers be .inntrtiotcd to preach on Siibbitli üb-crvimce. i That the lirst Sabb-th of November bo npisointed ,a.s aday of special prayrr and re igiouu strvico fur ihe «ouugB. That Evangelistic Services be held in as many <onsrreiiatioii3 us po-bible. 4. That the miuistcw of the Church be instructed to inaie returns to this Committee not later tbau the Bxiddle o( Dcwmbtr. John The Rev Mr Rosbell, in mo\ ing the adoption of the report, referred in eulo;mtic terms to the efforts which had been made by Mr Byley in gottint,' it up, and ako to the neceseity of carryiiif out the mimy suggestiona it Several clergymen and eldew spoke upon the report, and made HUgtrerttions for tho better diffusion of religion. Family worship, weekday meeting* ;it tlie Church, and various other meanw were touehe:! upon. They, however, looked forward more to the ordinary mmirftratioiw of this KweUury for tlie support of the Church thft'i to Hpceiai tiervicus. The foll<jwii:ir dclivenmoo wits adopted :— That the rejua-t be iuluj.U-d, :«id the th:uikn of the Synod b'! j/iven to tlie Commit teu, and ca|.ii'ci)iHy Iht! Convener, lor their <!ib'genci.'. The .Synod desin-s f -> express its gratitudo to Cod f<"r the l;tr.;c iUii'iunt of npiritu.'il lilessinK bi;.stowc(i upoii tlie (Jliurch in connection with tlw evangelistic tswviecu referred to hi the

report, whilst at the same time it deplores the filiil-uxintiiig amount uf .Sabbath desecration that .still exists around i:.«. The Synod, also, whilst explain- Its satisfaction with the attention given to the instructions of last .Synod, hereby renews its instructions to ministers, enjoiniiuj them to carry out as far as possible the recommendations of the Committee mentioned at the end of the report. The Synod also calls the attention of the < 'ommittee to the. overture on the subject of religion brought up by the < 'lutha Presbytery.

THK THEOI.OUK'AI. COU.KKE. >fr X, 15. C.uwiu. brought up the following report from the 'ilieologic.il College mittee:---Your (.'.iminfltcc have to leport that letters have been received from tin: P.ev. Dr (Aiirus, of BiTttick-on Tweed, aniiniuiuin^ the selection and app-intment to the Professorship of The >iogy by himself and Principal Kaiii.v of fdinburgh, in accordance with the commission of Synod, of the Hey. Win, Salmr.nd, 8.A., ,v inistcr of *th<! U.l'. Church at .North Shields, and from .Mr .SiJirwiiil intimating Ins acceptance of the appointment and his intention to embark forthwith <or Otagf. Mr Salnioixl .sailed from London in the ship Corona on the 2nd November. 'l he Committee plactd at the di^poanl of Mr Salmond £200, voted by Synod for books for the Theological Library, siiid that sum has been expended by him in bool-u which he brings out with him, and lists of which nrc laid on the table.

The Committee have great pleasure in announcing a further cui.tribiuinii to the library, in tho handsome gift of the Hey. M. Walt, who bus appropriated the whole of bin year's salary as theological tutor (£100) to the purchase of books, which he presents to it. The Rev. Dr Stuart, with the like liberality, has presented his year's salary as tutor (£100) as a fund to provide two annual prizes in appropriate books to llieoli.gical students, for encoumgtnicnt in the study of Church history and pastoral theologs". The amount has been paid over to the Treasurer of Synod. Two candidates only presented themselves as competitors for the scholarships offered by the Synod, and to one of tha=.e (.\fr A. Cameron) a scholarship has been awarded of the anmul value of £25 for three Mrßohert Huie has Burrei deral the scholarship belli by him for the unoxpircd period of two years. The Committee has resolved to offer f.ir competition this year f.vo .Scholarships to undergraduates of the lirst year, ami one Sehoiardhip to students of Theology. The Rev. Dr Stuart and the Rev. jr. Watt, Theological Tutors, report that Mr David Borrie, student of Theology for the second'year, has received instructions in the'subjects of Church iJistory and Systematic Theology from Dr Stuart, and of Hebrew and Kxe^es's of the New TcKlameia from Mr Watt, and both Tutors express their high gratification with the attention paid by .Mr borrie to his studies, and the progress made by him.

A statement of accounts of the College Fund, as furnished by the Treasurer, shows a balance of money in haiiil, £1u72 83 Hkl, and a gross income for the current year estimated at £529 Bs.

The report was adopted. Some time after nriddight, the members of Synod became involved in a warm discussion respecting a deliverance aneut the Barrier Act, submitted by the liev. Mr Bannerman.