THE half-yearly meeting of Synod was held on Tuesday, 13th November, in the hall of St. Jude’s Church, Glasgow. At twelve noon, the retiring moderator, the Rev. George Mackay, Stornoway, conducted public worship, and preached a sermon from Phil. iv. 19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” After sermon, the Synod was constituted with prayer. Sederunt: from the Northern Presbytery—Rev. John Macleod, Ullpool; Rev. George Mackay, Stornoway (Moderator); Rev. Alexander Macrae, Portree; with Mr. Alexander Maclean, Inverness, elder; from the Southern Presbytery—Rev. Neil Cameron, St. Jude’s; Rev. James S. Sinclair, John Knox’s; Rev. John Robertson, retired minister; with Mr. John M’Neilage, John Knox’s, elder; Rev. Walter Scott, of the Free Presbyterian Church, New South Wales, was also associated with the Synod. The minutes of last Synod were read and approved of. The Moderator said that his term of office had expired, and thanked the court for the kindness and courtesy he had received, and added that it lay with the Synod to appoint his successor. Rev. Neil Cameron moved that the Rev. James S. Sinclair, John Knox’s, be appointed Moderator for the ensuing year. The motion was seconded by the Rev. Alexander Macrae, and unanimously agreed to. Mr. Sinclair having accepted office, took the chair. He thanked the court for the honour conferred upon him, and expressed the hope that through grace he might be enabled suitably to perform the duties of his office. After a committee to arrange business was appointed, the court adjourned to meet again in the evening at seven o’clock.
The Synod met at the hour appointed, and was opened with devotional exercises. 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 James Nicol, St. Jude’s, elders. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved of. The clerk read a letter (which will be found on page 304), drawn up by Mr. Sinclair and himself, according to the instructions of Synod, in reply to a fraternal communication received last year from the Associate Synod of North America. He said that a copy of the magazine of that body had come to hand, which contained a report of a meeting of the Associate Synod, and it was stated in the report that the Free Presbyterian Synod’s letter had been listened to with the deepest interest, and that a Committee was appointed to send a reply. The reply, he added, had not yet come. The Clerk said that the Committee appointed to write an appeal to the people of Scotland on the subject of the errors of the times had not been able to accomplish the work as yet. The court renewed the appointment. The next thing taken up was remits from the Presbyteries.
A remit was presented from the Northern Presbytery asking that Dingwall should be constituted a regular charge, apart from. Beauly, the Dingwall congregation having promised £100 to the Sustentation Fund. The petition was granted. A remit from the Southern Presbytery, in reference to sending a missionary to the island of Coll, was spoken to by Rev. Neil Cameron. He said that about 300 people there had quite recently separated from the nominal Free Church when it decided to unite with the U.P. body, and they had formally declared their adherence to the Free Presbyterian Church. He moved that Mr. John Mackay of Tarbert, Ross-shire, presently at Fort-William and Kilmallie, be sent to officiate in Coll. The motion was unanimously agreed to.
The Rev. John Robertson submitted the following resolution, which was cordially adopted:—”The Synod views with much alarm and deep regret the action of some of our rulers in the countenance they give to Popish and Prelatic errors and practices as most dishonouring to God and dangerous to the interests of His Church in the land. Particularly the Synod condemns the presence of the Lord Provost and other Magistrates of this city at the celebration of a Popish mass, and in consideration of the gravity of this offence against the convictions of all true Protestants, it is resolved that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Lord Provost, and also to the two leading newspapers.” Mr. James Nicol, elder, in supporting the motion, urged the importance of systematically instructing the young in the history and principles of the Church in Scotland as a preventative against the erroneous views and practices of the time.
The Clerk next read the commission of the Rev. Walter Scott, from the Free Presbyterian Synod of Eastern Australia, and the Moderator invited Mr. Scott to come forward and address the court. Mr. Scott delivered an able and interesting address in which he portrayed the state of religion in Australia, and also made some remarks upon the obligations of the Scottish Covenants, National and Solemn League. (A sketch of the address is given elsewhere.) Rev. Neil Cameron expressed the pleasure it gave them all to meet Mr. Scott, and to receive him as a representative of the Free Presbyterian Synod of Eastern Australia. Mr. Cameron said that whatever opinions might be held by many about the Covenants, he personally felt that a renewal of them with adaptation to the times was something that would become a necessity at a not very distant date in the future. The Synod then recorded their thanks to Mr. Scott for his address, and their desire that he should convey reciprocal friendly greetings to the Synod in Australia which he represented.
The interim financial report was next read. The treasurer’s recommendation that the salaries for the half-year be continued at the former rate of £65 was approved. The allocation of the Building Fund was remitted to the Committee.
The Clerk announced that the next subject was “The Anti-Union Movement.” It was moved, seconded, and agreed to, that the court meet in private to discuss this subject. The Moderator intimated to the congregation that the result of the conference would be published in due course. The Synod then met in private. The following is the resolution that was agreed upon,— “The Synod, while expressing its thankfulness that so many ministers and people of this country have refused to enter the United Free Church, and while cherishing the hope that these same ministers and people may be ultimately led in the mercy of God to take up a position similar to that held by the Free Presbyterian Church, desires to inform the people under its charge that the ecclesiastical position of the anti-unionists is in its estimation still unsatisfactory. The Synod would therefore urge upon all its congregations to stand fast to the testimony raised in 1893 by this Church.”
It was agreed that the next meeting of Synod be (D.V.) held in the Inverness Church on Tuesday after the first Sabbath of July.
The meeting was closed with the benediction.