PROCEEDINGS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NEW ZEALAND.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1804, 16 December 1862, Page 3

PROCEEDINGS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NEW ZEALAND.

(Abridged from the Southern Cross.) The ministers and elders commissioned from the several Presbyteries and sessions in New Zealand, to constitute the first general assembly of the Presbyterian church met in St. Andrew's church, Auckland, on the 25th insfc, at it a.m., : when the Rev. John Macky, of Otahuhu conducted; divine service, and preached an appropriate disuourse from Ephes. i. 22. " And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the. head of all things to the church.' 1 : At the close of divine service it was moved by the Rev. D. Bruce, of Auckland, seconded by the Rev. W. Will, of Otago. and unanimously agreed to as follows:— "That the ministers and elders now assembled, in accordance with the resolution t>f convocation at its meeting on the 21st of November. 1862, and on the basis of union adopted by said convocation, do now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the Church constitute themselves the first general assembly of the Presbyterian church of New Zealand, and appoint theJßev. John Macky to be their Moderater." The Moderatoi having constituted the Assembly by prayer, then delivered a lengthened and eloquent address, of which the following is the concluding portion. " Permit me, fathers and brethren, to revertfora moment longer to the peculiar circumstances in which we ai-e now assembled, and which possess for ua far more than a common interest. We cannot but feel that this is a day the record of whose proceedings, as transacted by us, will be handed down in the history of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, to the latest period of its existence. The object of the earnest prayers of many wrestlers with God have been obtained, and we no longer present the appearance of separation, and consequent comparative weakness and inefficiency, but of a united body, compact, healthful, and vigorous, having one commonjcause equally dear to every individual member. Even hitherto, thank God, ours has been disunion more in appearance than in reality,— separation arising more from circumstances than from any inherent unfitness of the parts for an organised and vital union. It needed only that those parts should be brought together, and (to use another figure) without having to recast a single wheel, or supply a single pinion, or replace a single thread of a screw, but simply by a moderate appliance of the; file, by careful lubrifaction, and gentle suasion, they have come each into his place obedient to the will of the great Artificer, and, lo ! a chariot for the Lord of Hosts — an engine for the power of the Mighty 6n3 — with which may he now graciously condescend to go forth conquering and to conquer ! Ah ! brethren, let us all strive mightily in prayer, that Divine power and skill and guidance may be imparted ; and let us put far from .v» the vain thought that Divine machinery, constructed for doing a supernatural work, can ever be wrought successfully by a merely human motive power. If God be not in all our counsels and operations, there may indeed be zeal and effort; but neither will God be glorified thereby, nor sinners saved. Our externbl Zion may be perfect in her proportions, and beautiful to behold ; but if the Lord be not known in her palaces as a refuga, ••Ichabod " will be written on all her goodly stones and buildings, and she shall be desolate and forsaken. Thank God, however, I am persuaded better things of our beloved Church, and things which accompany salvation; and I humbly venture to predict a glorious future for presbyterianism in this land. Our free institutions are admirably adapted for these colonies. And our platform shall rise higher and higher, and be occupied by men who will contend nobly ; not for denominational supremacy ; not in opposition to the rightly directed efforts of their Christian brethren of other communions, but for Christ, and the advancement of hia glorious cause. And now, O Almighty loving Father I benignant Son of the Highest! vivifying Holy Spirit ! come and dwell among us. Shine on us with Thy face ; acknowledge us as Thy servants ; and cause that department of Thy Church, which we administer, to go forth to the help of the Lord against the mighty, clear as the sun, fair as the moon, and terrible aa an army with banners !" The Revs A. B. Todd and G. Brown were then appointed clerks, and the roll having been made ■p, the Moderator called on the members of A«- .. embly to stand while he read to them the " Basis f Union," as follows : — Preamble. — We, the undersigned, ministers and elders of the Presbyterian Church of Otago, of the Presbyterian Church of Auckland, and of the Presbyterian Church of Wei* lington, and the several other undersigned ministers and elders in New Zealand, believing " that it would be for the glory of God aud the advancement of *he cause of Christ that we should unite and form one Church, do hereby agree so to unite under the name and title of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, and resolve that the following be adopted as the basis of union : I. That the word of God as contained in the Scriptures of the old and New Testaments, ia the;only infalliblejruleof faith and practice, and the only certain standard by which all matters of doctrine, worship, government and discipline in the Church of Christ; are to be tried and decided. 11. That the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms are adopted by this Church as her subordinate standards ;as also the Directory for Public Worship, the form of Presbyterian Church Government, and the First and Second Books of Discipline, in so far as these latter are applicable to the circumstacces of the church. In reference to these subordinate standards the church thinks it light to declare— 1. That inasmuch as v the doctrines contained therein, relative to the power of the civil magistrate, are liable] to a difference of interpretation, her office-bearers in subscribing her standards are not to be held as countenancing persecuting or intolerant principles, or as professing any views inonsistent with liber, ty of conscience and tho right of private judgment. 2. That this church, while recognising the authoiityof the civil magistrate in his own province, and the great principle of the responsibility of nations and rulers to God, asserts for herself a distinct and independent character and position, claims as vested in her superior courts, supreme and exclusive jurisdiction in matters spiritual over all her office, bearers, congregations and people; aud declares that no spiritual privilege : enjoyed by her office-bearers and members ia subject to the control or interference of any body foreign to herself. • . , , The moderator, having concluded the reading 3f the foregoing articles, they were formally adopted by the assembly as the basis of union of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. l During the evening, soderunt which followed the members of the Assembly partook of ike sommunion — a considerable number of the f Office - - bearers and members of the church- joining tlata in tho holy ceremony. The services were conJucted by the moderator, and the Revs D. = Hogg, A.. B. Todd, and Jas. Duncan, in the presence: of % large audience. The meetings held, on- Wed- . uesday, Thursday, and Friday, were occupied • with the transaction of business connected with ' ;ho church, and on the latter day the, prdceeJUflga were brought to a close with prayer, the tungfceg ■>.- . >f the la9t verges of the 122 nd Psaim^an^WN louncing the blessing. ;• V ''fs;^^ -^- T " The next meeting of the - lejd at Wellington in the month j&fNby. IB^Jfifc^; ,