THE half-yearly meeting of Synod took place on Tuesday, 14th November, in the hall of St. Jude’s Church, Glasgow. At twelve noon, the retiring moderator, the Rev. Neil Cameron, conducted public worship, and preached a sermon from Hebrews iv. 14: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”
After sermon, the Synod was constituted with prayer. Sederunt from the Northern Presbytery:—Rev. John R. Mackay, Gairloch; Rev. John Macleod, Ullapool; Rev. George Mackay, Stornoway; and Rev. Neil Macintyre, Glendale. From the Southern Presbytery:—Rev. Neil Cameron, St. Jude’s, moderator; Rev. Jas. S. Sinclair, John Knox’s; and Mr. John M’Neilage, elder. The moderator said that his year of office had now expired, expressed his indebtedness to the brethren for the courtesy he had received, and added, that it lay with the Synod to appoint his successor. Rev. John R. Mackay rose and said, that according to the usual order he would have moved that Rev. John Macleod, Ullapool, be appointed, but the Synod could not, in the meantime, dispense with his services as clerk; he therefore moved that the Rev. George Mackay, Stornoway, be appointed as moderator for the ensuing year. The motion was seconded by the Rev. Jas. S. Sinclair, and unanimously agreed to. Mr. Mackay, having accepted office, took the chair, and expressed the hope that through grace he might be enabled suitably to perform the duties incumbent upon him. After a committee in bills and overtures was appointed, the court adjourned to meet again in the evening at half-past six o’clock.
The Synod resumed business at the hour appointed. In addition to the members of the first sederunt there were present from the Southern Presbytery, the Rev. Alexander Stewart, Oban, and Messrs. Duncan Crawford, Oban, and John Maclean, St. Jude’s, elders. The first item of business was the interim financial report. The treasurer’s recommendation that the salaries payable for the half year be continued at the former rate
of £65 was approved. In regard to the sum of £95 to the credit of the Building Fund, it was agreed to distribute it on the principle formerly adopted, i.e., that one-third go to the Shieldaig Manse Fund, and that the rest be divided according to the burden of debt on congregations. The clerk was instructed to write congregations on the subject, and the allocation was left for the financial committee.
The Northern Presbytery presented an overture desiring the Synod to authorise a translation into Gaelic of the Questions and Formula for office-bearers, and to print the same along with the English originals. This request was granted, it being understood that only the Questions and Formula in English were the ultimate standards, and that the translation was to serve simply for the instruction of the people. A committee, consisting of Revs. J. R. Mackay, N. Cameron, and J. Macleod (convener), was appointed to see to the matter, and to report to next Synod.
The court confirmed the action of the Northern Presbytery in increasing the salary of Mr. Alexander Macleod, missionary, Dunbeath, to £15. He was instructed to go once a fortnight to Helmsdale.
It was also agreed to instruct the treasurer to pay as expenses of the East Coast deputies for last season, six weeks’ probationer’s salary and travelling expenses to Mr. Ewen Macqueen; £2 2s. for travelling expenses to the Rev. George Mackay; and also probationer’s salary to Mr. Dugald Cameron for taking Mr. Mackay’s place at Stornoway.
The clerk read the following fraternal letter received from the Associate Presbyterian Synod of North America:—
“NEWARK, NEW JERSEY,
24th October, 1899.
To the Free Presbyterian Synod of Scotland,
DEAR BRETHREN,
The Associate Presbyterian Synod of North America, at its late meeting in Chesley, Canada, directed us, as a committee, to convey to you our fraternal greetings, and to express the desire for correspondence with your church.
There are many precious memories of the ‘Ten Years’ Conflict’ which ended in the Free Church disruption, especially that day when Dr. Chalmers read from the forty-third Psalm—’O, send thy light forth and thy truth;’ when suddenly the ominous clouds parted and let the sun shine through in his brightness. The following history of that church seemed to agree with this portent. But in later years our heart began to tremble for the Ark of God in the midst of that communion. Therefore, we rejoiced to hear that you had come forth to maintain the truth once delivered to the saints. When you remember that two ministers carried on Presbyterian Church government in the rise of the Cathari, you need not despise your small beginning. Mosheim, in his church history, holds that they flourished wherever the ‘Catholic’ Church
existed. After these followed the witnessing churches until the time of Huss and Jerome, who started anew the church in its purity. After the Hussites we find the glorious record of the Taborites. Then the ‘two witnesses’ again appear in Zwingli, and Luther to revive the church for the Reformation period. You should be encouraged by the work of Knox also. You will remember that he had only eight ministers to sow the gospel over Scotland. At a later period the ‘Second Reformation’ began with the two Erskines, who organized the Associate Presbyterian Church of Scotland, the mother of so many churches, indirectly of your own.
In writing as we have, we offer you the grounds for encouragement which we have taken for ourselves from our church ancestry, and which should constitute a bond of sympathy between us.
On behalf of our Synod we subscribe ourselves,
R. T. WYLIE,
359 Bank Street, Newark, N.J.,
A. M. MALCOLM,
Eau Clair, Pa., U.S.A.
Per T.E.W.“
Mr. Sinclair and the clerk were appointed to draw up and forward a reply, in the course of which they were instructed to show our church’s position on such points as the headship of Christ, the atonement, and the inspiration of the Scriptures.
The supply at Fraserburgh and Peterhead for the fishing season of next summer was considered. One of the students was appointed to go for eight weeks, and the moderator and Mr. Mackay, Gairloch, intimated their willingness to go for two Sabbaths each to these ports.
The clerk submitted the following motion on national duty at the present time:—
“The Synod taking into consideration the present circumstances of our country, and particularly the war in which we are at present engaged—the merits of which they do not undertake to determine—think it incumbent upon them to call the attention of the rulers of the nation, to the omission at the present time, of what was the laudable custom of our rulers in other days, viz., of calling upon the people at large to observe a day of humiliation and prayer, in order to confess before the Lord, the Prince of the Kings of Earth, our sins against Him, as a people; and further, in view of the revealed truth that Christ is the Head of all things and the King of Nations, the Synod consider that our nation is bound, not only to support His Church and cause, but also to acknowledge its corporate obligation, to give thanks to Him for the measure of prosperity that we have enjoyed in outward peace and plenty, as something that has come from His hand, lest we be puffed up with that pride that goes before destruction, and ascribe to our own strength, skill, or prudence, what is due alone, and altogether to the Divine goodness that has been vouchsafed to us.”
“The Synod accordingly would desire respectfully to call upon the rulers of the nation to appoint, at an early date, a day of public humiliation and prayer.
“Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Most Noble the Marquis of Salisbury, to the Right Honourable A. J. Balfour, and to the Secretary of State for Scotland.”
Mr. Cameron seconded the motion. It was heartily supported by other members, and unanimously agreed to.
It was then moved, seconded, and agreed to, that in the event of no action in the lines of the previous motion being taken by the Government, the Presbyteries of the Church, acting in consort with one another, should appoint, about the beginning of January, a day of humiliation and prayer.
Mr. Cameron informed the Synod of the course of instruction in Glasgow to be pursued by our Kaffir students. This course was approved of.
The Clerk intimated that he had received acknowledgments of receipt of the resolutions of last Synod, anent Ritualism in England, from Lord Salisbury, Mr. A. J. Balfour, and Lord Balfour of Burleigh.
It was agreed to hold the next meeting of Synod at Inverness, on Tuesday, after the first Sabbath of July. The meeting was closed with singing the last three verses of Ps. cxxii., and the benediction.