PRESBYTERY OF WELLINGTON.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2549, 25 July 1867, Page 5

PRESBYTERY OF WELLINGTON.

Tuesday, July 16. This reverend Court tact in tke Presbyterian : Church in Wanganui this evening, and after a sermon by the Key. J. Cuinming, Moderator, was duly constituted. The sederunt consisted of (in addition to the Moderator) Messrs J. Moir, Wellington; J. Eoss, Wairarapa; W. MeGowan, Hutt; E. Allsworth, Turakina ; and J. Elmslie, Wanganui (Ministers) ; also Mr T. B. Taylor, (Elder). After some preliminary business, and agreeing to ask the Bey. Mr Hogg to sit and deliberate ■with the brethren, the Court adjourned till the following day at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 17. The Presbytery resumed at 11 o'clock this morning (Rev. Mr Cumming, Moderator), and after devotional exercises, the Clerk proceeded to read the minutes of the previous meeting, which were sustained. ORDER OP BUSINESS. The Eev. Mr Moir, as Chairman of Committee on Business, read the order it was proposed should be carried out, which was agreed to. MISREPRESENTATION AT HOME. I A discussion originated in the fact that several mistakes had been publicly made by the Rev. Mr Divorty, Seoretary of the Colonial Committee of the Free Church of Scotland, in connection with the Wanganui case. Mr Divorty, at a meeting of the Presbytery of Alford, had, under some misconception, given a statement of the extent and general standing of Wanganui, which was inaccurate. The Clerk read a letter of apology from Mr Divorty, dated the 19th of April last, in which ho expressed his regret in having inadvertently over-Btated the population of Wanganui, from having no figures at hand, so that he guessed in the dark. The Eev. J. Elmslie said that the offence seemed to create more impression here than at home. As it was, the mis- statements were made in ignorance of facts, which he (Mr Elmslie) had corrected at the time, having made himself conversant with some of the particulars of the case. Such, for instance, as when Mr Divorty had stated that the neareat church to Wanganui was 50 miles distant, he knew this was a mistake. Some remarke followed, in which the speakers deprecated such mistakes, as they were calculated to do a large amount of mischief, besides throw- | ing ridicule and disrepute upon religion. The matter then dropped. INDUCTION OF THE BET. J. BLMSI.IE. The Eev. J. Cumming (having vacated the chair, and the Eev. Mr McQ-owan having been moved thereto) stated that a commission, consistI ing of the Eev. J. Allsworth and himself, had inducted the Eev. John Elmslie to the charge of the Wanganui congregation. The credentials and other papers were rea,d, and found satisfactory. The Presbytery then formally welcomed Mr Elmslie, and extended to him the right hand of fellowship. THE WAIEABAPA DIBTEICT. The Moderator having resumed the ( chair, the Eev. Mr McQ-owan proceeded to read the report of the deputation to this district. The report was a very satisfactory one in all respects, and was unanimously adopted. The Eev. Mr Boss, of Wairarnpa, also gave an encouraging account of the woik in that field — the largest and most interesting in the Presbytery. THE MATARAWA DISTEICT. The Clerk read a communication from the Chairman of the Colonial Committee of the Free Church of Scotland, which intimated that Mr Joseph Wood, a probationer of the Free Church, had been appointed to the charge of the Matarawa congregation, and that he was likely to sail in the month of June. Mr G-regor McGregor, as a deputation from the congregation, explained the state of matters there, and in answer to'several queries put by Mr McGowan, said that the present Sabbath attendance averaged IGO in a Presbyterian population of 150. It was understood that Mr Elmslie should make suitable provision for the arrival of the new minister to this charge, preparatory to a pro re nata meeting of the Presbytery. WELLINGTON CONGREGATION. The Clerk read a series of resolutions from the members of the Presbyterian Church in Wellington aneat the appointment of a colleague and successor to the Bey. Mr Moir, at present pastor there. These resolutions, under date of the 17th June, eet forth that the congregation was prepared to guarantee to a colleague and successor a stipend of not Jess than £300 and a suitable residence ; they also agreed (by these resolutions) to raise funds for the defraying of the expenses of a minister to the colony. The Presbytery were now requested to sanction those resolutions. The Eev Mr Moir in explaining the «ourse he had taken in the matter now before the Presbytery, said, in the^course of a detailed statement, that although at one time opposed to the course expressed in the resolutions ; yet now he had come to cordially coincide in them and at the meeting at which those resolutions were passed, he had presided as moderator. Ihe Eev Mr McGowan said that he took no small interest in the congregation in Wellington, and in considering the position the church there was now in, did not quite agree with the plan indicated in these resolutions, of having a colleague and successor appointed to the Eev Mr Moir. If this had happened in a large " congregation he might have seen the propriety and necessity of some such course. But when the number of the congregation, and their circumstances, were taken into account, he did not consider that a collegiate charge would work harmoniously. He thought another method might have been devised, for under the present proposition he was sure the congregation would fail in getting such a man as would be suitable, or such a one as Wellington would require. It would be for the Presbytery to recommend and persuade Mr Moir to resign the charge on receiving an appropriate retiring annuity ; then the congregation would be in a position to ask for a minister auch as Wellington needs, and they must all desire to see there. He hoped this might be done for the convenience of Mr Moir, and in justice to all parties. The. Eev Mr Allsworth fully concurred with the sentiments of Mr McGowau and hoped Mr Moir would see his way clear to some such plan. The Bey. Mr Elmslie said that he deeply sympathised with Mr Moir and the congregation. He held a very decided opinion on one point, almost he might say by personal experience, that he believed it would be for Mr Moir's comfort, his happiness, and his peace of mind, to resign the charge, if he could see his way to retiring, and so to leave ifc for another to form a new congregation. Judging from his (Mr Elmslie's) own experience he did not think that they would find in all Scotland a suitable minister to come to Wellington as colleague and successor — such a man as the Presbytery, the people, or Mr Moir himself would like to see there. The Bey. Mr Boss took the same view of the | question, but particularly dwelt upon the fact of the absence in the resolutions before them of any definite stipend to Mr Moir. Mr T. B. Taylor and Mr Gh M'Gregor (elders) concurred generally in the opinions so unanimously expressed. The Eev. Mr Moir stated that ho had no intention of resigning unless it was the express wish of his congregation. It was agreed that a meeting of the Presbytery should be.. held! in, Wellington at an early date, at which a commission from the congregation could be heard, and a formal guarantee of lome stipulated stipend to be paid to Mr Moir in

any case should be brought before the Presbytery. A resolution was moved by the Eev. Mr Elmslie, seconded by the Eov. Mr McGowan, that the Presbytery having received from the congregation at Wellington a memorial anent the appointment of a colleague and successor to their present minister, deeply sympathise both with Mr Moir and the congregation under the circumstances in whioh they are placed ; that the presbytery are of opinion, that in point of form, the case is not fully before them, and find that the memorial does not contain sufficient information as to the provision the congregation proposes to make for the Eev. Mr Moir. They are also unanimously of opinion that the plan proposed by the Wellington congregation is not that which the Presbytery would suggest in the event of any alteration taking place in that congregation, and they appoint the Eev. Mr McGowan to preside at a congregational meeting to be called for the purpose of appointing commissioners to confer with the Presbytery at its meeting to bo held at Wellington, on Wednesday, August 14th, 1867. Thursday, July 18. The Presbytery met again this morning. Sederunt as formerly. WELLINGTON CONGREGATION. The consideration of this case was resumed, and a special meeting of Presbytery for its settlement was appointed to be held in Wellington on tho 14th of August next. LICENSING BILL. The Eev. Mr Eoss proposed tho following resolution — " That this Presbytery, lamenting the prevalence of intemperance throughout the colony, and the undue facilities given for the sale of strong drink by the present system of licensing public houses, express their gratification at a measure which was passed during tho late session of the Provincial Council of Wellington, giving the inhabitants of any district being electors the power of preventing the introduction of public houses into said district. They regret to learn that the measure has been disallowed by the Go-, vernor in Council, and they venture to express a hope that the Provincial Council will again introduce and pass such a measure." The speaker supported the resolution at some length, dwelling upon the evils of intemperance and the duty of 'the church to put forth efforts to arrest them. He pointed out several clauses of tho Provincial Act, which were well calculated to aid their efforts in that direction, and he concluded by expressing a hope that the members of Council who had moved in the matter would continue their efforts until they were crowned with ccmplef© success. , ( The Rev Mr Allsworth seconded the resolution. He approved of the Licensing Bill as far as, it went, but ho held that other means were necessary to arrest the tide of drunkenness. Acting on this impression he had helped to form a temperance society in Turakina, which he believed was fitted to do great good. Ho had it on good authority that tho sale of spirits in the village was already less than it used to bo. Other members of Court followed in much the same strain, and ultimately it was agreed to send down the resolution to Kirk sessions and congre: gation9 for their opinions,, after which it could be again brought before the Presbytery. COMMISSIONERS TO THE ASSEMBLY. The following members were appointed commissioners of the General Assembly to meet at Nelson, namely, Messrs McGowan, Elmslie, and Ross (ministers), and T. B. Taylor, and Gregor McGregor (elders).