OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 11

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

MELBOURNE, April 5.

THE HERESY CHARGE. The Rev. Hector Ferguson, of Northcote, is to be formally proceeded against for heresy at a Presbyterian meeting on March 18, as the result of his work on " Spiritual Law Through the Natural World." In the meantime he is "suspended from office. The committee of inquiry has brought up a most pronounced report against him. They came unanimously to the conclusion that it was deeply to be regretted that a minister in the service of the Presbyterian Church should have been so rash and ill-advised as to publish such a work, disfigured by travesties and misrepresentations of the formulated docI trines of the church standards, and offensive attacks upon doctrines dearl}' cherished by the universal Christian Church. Mr Ferguson's teaching, they declared, " was Swedenborgian, -with this remarkable exception, that he outdid some avowed Swedenborgians themselves in denying that our Lord's material body ever rose or came forth from the tomb. The writer affected to be scientific, philosophical, and Scriptural. One sentence showed the groundlessness of his claim to speak in the name of science. On page 58 he said : ' Statics and dynamics are both real forces, and area s indesti-uctible as .matter itself.' The book showed not the slightest trace of any other philosophy than the fantastic speculations of Swedenborg, and there was no indication that the. writer had any acquaintance with recent theological literature. Far from being original, the | booK was largely the clumsy patchwork of second-hand materials, culled from Sweden•horgian sources." And they go on to declare that while the book abounds in- minor i errors and gratuitous assumptions, yet they i conclude it would be best to fix attention upon the erroneous teaching of Mr Ferguson on those grand doctrines_ which the Christian experience of all ages had proved to be vital and fundamental — viz., the resurrection of our Lord, the Trinity, the Atonement, and justification by faith. On Ihese doctrines the teaching of Mr Ferguson was in harmony with the Swedenborgian system, and opposed alike to the doctrines of tte Scriptures and to the standards of the Presbyterian Church. Mr Ferguson was present at the Presbytery meeting when the report was submitted, and made- a long and somewhat flippant speech in reply. Although the committee was comprised of 10 theological experts, he declared they did not succeed in cornering him very much, in the conference ; while, on the other Jiand,. he had been able to put several questions to them which they had had some difficulty in answering. But this sort of " crow " had very little effect on the Presbytery. Eventually he came down off his perch, and offered to promise that while he was in the church he would not publish another edition of his' book, and would withdraw any of the present edition not yet disposed of. Of course the suggestion was ignored. Mr Ferguson will get no quarter. Dr Rentoul, his most powerful critic, was unable to attend the Presbytery, as he was suffering from a bronchial affection. DEATH OF THE REV. DR ROBINSON.

The Rev. Samuel Robinson, D.D., Presbyterian minister of St. Kilda, died on the day before Good Friday. Some two or three months ago the rev. gentleman showed symptoms of ill-health, and, in the hope that a complete change would bring about a recovery, he in the following month took a trip to the south of New Zealand, where he joined the Rev. Dr Marshall, the Rev. Dr Rentoul, and Dr M'Farland, who were at the time enjoying the pleasures' of trout fishing in the Riverton district. Ho enjoyed the holiday very greatly' for a time, but one day just after finishing a hearty meal he experienced a severe attack of internal hemorrhage, and he thereupon returned without delay. He arrived in Melbourne in -such a weak state that he had to be conveyed to his residence on an ambulance, and from the time of his arrival it was evident that the end was near at hand.

Dr Robinson was the youngest ton of the late Dr M. Robinson, of Mulderg, Londonderry, a physician of high repute in Ulster. Of his five brothers, two survive him, the Rev. Professor Robinson, D.D., Belfast, and the Rev. William Robinson, M.A., Ballvkelly, Londonderry. He was very highly esteemed and respected in the Presbyterian Church in Victoria.

SEVEN PERSONS DROWNED

Some time on Easter Sunday the racing yacht Queenie, owned and bailed by Mr John Clark, of Williamstown, foiuHeivd, with seven people aboard. They were Mr Clark himself, marine superintendent of the Melbourne Steamship Company ; his four sons— John (aged 20), Ernest (aged 18), Charles (aged 16), and Norman (aged 14) ; a young man named Reg. Johnston (aged 18) ; and Arthur Allan (aged °,6), a labourer at the Melbourne Steamship Company's works ; — and the whole seven appear to have been drowned. Though there was some alarm at Mr Clark's absence, it was not till Tuesday that it was learned there had been an accident.' Then another yacht's crew saw a mast sticking out of the water, and soon discovered it was the Queenie. She was lying in 28ft of water, two and a-half miles from land, and had evidently foundered in a squall. One bod 3' was seen — that of Arthur Allan. It had a lifebelt on it, and apparently he had been caught in the rigging. Though every effort was made to disengage the body, this could not be done.

Mr Clark had been in the employ of the Melbourne Steamship Company for 40 years. He leaves a wife and six children, in addition to the four drowned with him — one boy and five girls. He built the Queenie himself, and, having won several races with her, was very proud of her. At the same time, many yachtsmen considered the Queenie unsafe, and she was known among many by the ill-omened nickname of "The Coffin." She was considered not to be timbered high enough, and was only a halfdecker. Some yachtsmen made the earnest >«»diisiian recently that " the Queenie would

drown Clark yet," but Mr Clark laughed at their fears. So far only the one body has-been seen, but it is concluded . that all were drowned, as if any of them- had got ashore news would have been heard bF them ere this. All weca excellent swimmers. Mr Clark I himself was noted as one of the best swimmers in Williamstown, and both he aud his eldest son had saved life on several occasions. Young Johnston also was a i noted athlete and prize swimmer. 1 The only surviving son of Mr Clark is j Frank, aged 17, who is at sea, in the I vessel Elizabeth Graham, which left re- i cently for New Zealand. j