THE Half-yearly Meeting of Synod was held in the Hall of St. Jude’s Church, Glasgow, on Tuesday, the 12th day of November. The Rev. Ewen Macqueen, retiring Moderator, conducted public worship at twelve noon, and preached from Ephes. iii. 8: “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” After public worship was ended, the Moderator constituted the Synod with prayer, and the roll was called. There were present:—From the Western Presbytery—Revs. Alexander Macrae, Portree, and Neil Macintyre, Glendale, ministers; with Mr. John Macdonald, Gairloch, elder. From the Northern Presbytery—Revs. J. R. Mackay, Inverness; D. Beaton, Wick; and E. Macqueen, Bonar, ministers. From the Southern Presbytery—Revs. Neil Cameron, St. Jude’s; J. S. Sinclair, John Knox’s (Clerk); and John Robertson, ministers; with Messrs. John M’Lachlan, Kames, and Duncan Crawford, Oban, elders. Apologies for absence were intimated from the Revs. D. Macfarlane, Dingwall, and D. Graham, Shieldaig. Mr. Murdo Macdonald was appointed officer of Court.
The Minutes of last Synod were read and approved of. At this stage the Moderator stated that his term of office had expired, thanked the Synod for the kindness it had shown him during his term, and intimated that it now lay with the Synod to appoint his successor. Thereupon the Rev. Neil Cameron moved that, seeing that none of the ministers next in order to Mr. Macqueen, according to date of ordination, were present, the Rev. John R. Mackay, Inverness, be appointed Moderator. Rev. Neil Macintyre seconded the motion, which was unanimously agreed to. Mr. Mackay accepted office, thanked the Synod for the honour it had conferred upon him, and expressed the hope that the adorable Head of the Church would assist him in the discharge of his important duties. It was moved, seconded, and unanimously agreed to, that the Rev. Mr. Macqueen be requested to publish his sermon in the Magazine.
The Court agreed that a Committee on Bills and Overtures, consisting of all the members of Synod, meet at the Manse at 4 p.m. It was also announced that the Committee on the Canadian Mission would meet at 3.30 p.m.
The Court adjourned, to meet again (God willing) at 6.30 p.m. The meeting was closed with prayer.
The Synod met in the evening at the hour appointed, and was constituted with devotional exercises by the Moderator, Rev. John R. Mackay. The Sederunt was almost the same as at the previous sitting, with the addition of the Rev. Duncan M’Kenzie, Gairloch, minister, from the Western Presbytery, and Messrs. John M’Lean, St. Jude’s, and John Auld, John Knox’s, elders, from the Southern Presbytery. Rev. J. Robertson was absent owing to a cold. The Minutes of the former Sederunt were read and approved of.
The Clerk read the report of the Committee on Bills and Overtures as to the order of business, which was adopted. The first item was the report of a Committee on certain public questions, appointed at last Synod. The Clerk, as a member of this Committee, read first a resolution that had been drawn up in favour of Mr. T. L. Corbett’s Bill relating to the Inspection of Monasteries and Convents, and a reply that had been received from Mr. Corbett; and then a deliverance disapproving of the new School Catechism and commending the Shorter Catechism. The said resolution and deliverance have been already published in the Magazine. The Court expressed its approval of them.
Rev. D. Beaton spoke to a remit from the Northern Presbytery on the Deceased Wife’s Sister Act recently passed. The said Presbytery strongly disapproved of the Act, prohibited the use of any of its Church buildings for the performance of any marriage under said Act, and begged the Synod to take the matter into its serious consideration, and to express the mind of the Church on the subject in the way its wisdom saw meet. Rev. Alexander Macrae, Portree, moved that a Committee, consisting of the Revs. J. R. Mackay, Neil Cameron, and J. S. Sinclair, be appointed to draw up a statement in strong disapproval of the Deceased Wife’s Sister Act, and to publish the same in the Magazine. Rev. Neil Cameron seconded. He said he would be very willing to act on the Committee. He had been studying the matter for a considerable time, and had come to the decided conclusion that such marriages as were now sanctioned by Parliament were nothing else than a breach of the seventh commandment—adultery. The new Act showed that, as a nation, we had seriously fallen from purity. The motion was unanimously agreed to.
The Clerk submitted the Half-yearly Financial Report from Mr. Angus Clunas, General Treasurer, Inverness, which showed that the balance to credit of the Sustentation Fund fell short by £24 10s. 4½d. of the sum needed to meet the salaries of ministers and missionaries at the last half-yearly rate of payment. The Treasurer stated that perhaps the Fund would have been in a
better position if the circulars for the Missionaries’ and Catechists’ Collection were issued earlier, as he had only yet received £71 10s. 3d. for this Fund. He called attention to the fact that the whole of the temporary transference of £50 from the Jewish and Foreign Missions Fund to the Organisation Fund had been repaid some time ago, £30 of which was included in the receipts. Mr. Duncan Crawford, elder, Oban, moved as follows:—”The Synod, having heard the Financial Report for the last half-year, adopts the Report, and orders that the ministers of the Church be meantime paid at the rate of £68 for the half-year, and that whenever the Fund will allow, an additional £2 shall be remitted to each minister, and that the missionaries be paid the same as at Whitsunday last.”* Mr. Crawford, in the course of a short speech, urged the importance of maintaining the Sustentation Fund, and the necessity of increased liberality to it. Mr. John M’Lean, elder, St. Jude’s, seconded the motion, which was adopted, Rev. A. Macrae submitted the following motion:—”The Synod instruct the several Presbyteries to inquire into the financial arrangements of congregations, and to see to it that the people in all congregations and stations be given the opportunity of contributing to the various schemes of the Church, and that sums contributed for special objects be forwarded to the General Treasurer to be applied to the same.” The motion was unanimously agreed to.
Rev. D. Beaton, Wick, now rose and delivered his report of his visit in summer to our Canadian Mission. The report was listened to with much interest, and is printed elsewhere in this issue. Rev. Neil Cameron moved that the report be received, and that the thanks of the Synod be tendered to Mr. Beaton for his services as Church Deputy. He spoke of the special pleasure and interest with which he, and he was sure, other previous Deputies, listened to Mr. Beaton’s account of his progress through the various parts of the mission, and of the many kind friends in Canada which they were privileged to know. Rev. A. Macrae seconded the motion, which was cordially adopted.
As the Rev. D. Beaton in his report indicated that the Canadian Mission renewed their petition of last year for a minister or a missionary to be sent out, the Clerk was asked to read the petition again before the Synod. This being done, the Rev. Neil Cameron moved that the Committee be again granted full powers to deal with the petition, and that the Presbytery under whose jurisdiction a student or missionary was, with whom an arrangement might be made to go to Canada, have instructions to ordain said student or missionary. The motion was seconded and unanimously agreed to.
* It may be stated that the Treasurer was in a position the day after the Synod to send the £70 in full to each of the ministers.
The Clerk then stated that, in agreement with the instructions of last Synod, a power of attorney had been drawn up by law agents for the appointment of trustees on the residue of the estate of the late Mr. Alexander Mackenzie, Lucknow, Ontario, which residue had been bequeathed to “the Free Presbyterian Church in Canada in connection with the Free Presbyterian Church in Scotland,” and that a draft of said power of attorney was now on the table. He proceeded to move as follows: “The Synod, having taken up consideration of the Church’s interest in the residue of the estate of the late Alexander Mackenzie, Bruce, Canada, and the necessity of appointing Trustees to uplift and administer the moneys falling to the Church in Canada under the will, resolved, and hereby resolve, to appoint as Attorneys and Trustees for this purpose the following elders at present in office in our Church in Canada—George Forrest, retired farmer, village of Brucefield; Daniel Clark, retired farmer, village of Egmondville; John Morrison, farmer, Kincardine; and William Matheson, farmer, Lochalsh, all of the Province of Ontario, Canada, and such other elders in connection with our Church in Canada as they may assume into office, to act along with and in succession to them; and authorise the Moderator and Clerk to sign, on behalf of the Church, a Power of Attorney in terms of the draft laid on the table, and all other necessary documents with this end, giving the Attorneys and Trustees full powers of receiving and administering the estate falling to the Church under the will.” The motion was seconded and unanimously agreed to.
The next subject was the Foreign Mission. The Clerk stated that he had a letter from Rev. John B. Radasi, Matabeland, in which he conveyed his thanks to the Synod for the £10 added to his salary at last meeting. Rev. Neil Cameron also read an interesting letter from Mr. Radasi, which is printed elsewhere, and which reports progress up to a very recent date. Mr. Cameron made some appropriate comments on the contents of the letter, and recommended that the Synod should grant liberty to Mr. Radasi, along with his wife, to go home to see his parents for a short time, as he had requested in another letter, and also that he should have some additional allowance for travelling purposes in connection with the circumstances of the Mission. Rev. D. Beaton moved in accordance with these recommendations, the Clerk seconded, and the motion was unanimously agreed to. Rev. A. Macrae moved that the Synod instruct the deacon’s courts or treasurers in the various congregations and stations to send round collectors to take the Foreign Mission contributions before the end of February, 1908, and to continue annually to do so in future before the end of said month, the General Treasurer being instructed to send suitable collecting books to the various places as required. The motion was unanimously agreed to.
Under “Competent Business,” the Clerk reported that he had intimation of a small legacy from Geelong, Victoria, on behalf of
“The Jewish and Foreign Missions of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland,” and that he had forwarded to law agents in Geelong in connection with same, according to request, a statement of the claims of this Church. He had not yet any reply—the date being rather recent to expect this. Revs. Neil Cameron and J. S. Sinclair reported on the examination of students in divinity in the subjects of Church History, New Testament Exegesis, and Textual Criticism. The reports were satisfactory. Rev. D. Beaton took up the matter of his suggestion that the Synod should meet only once a year, and said that, in view of the motion in connection with the attendance of members adopted at last Synod, he withdrew his motion. Rev. D. MacKenzie, Gairloch, submitted a motion to the effect that the Synod think it advisable that in future only anonymous contributions for Church building purposes be acknowledged in the Magazine, this being the rule at first understood by the Church. The Clerk seconded, and the motion was agreed to. Mr. MacKenzie also suggested that a fund should be started for the free circulation of the Magazine.
The Synod adjourned to meet again (God willing) at Inverness on Tuesday, the 7th day of July, 1908. The meeting was closed with singing the last three verses of the 122nd Psalm and prayer.
The Most Perfect Hymn-book.—One of the leading publishing houses in London in calling attention to a new hymn-book which they are publishing describe it as “the fullest and most perfect hymn-book yet issued for the Presbyterian Church.” We have not seen this latest effort towards perfection in human hymnody, and for our present purpose it is unnecessary that we should see it. From the day that the divinely inspired manual of praise has been set aside by the churches there has been no success in the effort made to attain to finality in a book of praise. But hitherto all these efforts, springing as they do from human sources and dealing with human materials, have ended in failure. The rapidity with which each successive most perfect hymn-book follows its predecessor is self-condemnatory of the attempt to supplant the Divine Hymn-book for all time—the Book of Psalms.
Sabbath Observance Movement in Scotland.—An appeal has been issued to the people of Scotland for the better observance of the Lord’s Day. It is about time that the Churches of Scotland were awakened to a sense of their responsibility in this matter. The appeal is signed by the Moderators of the Established, United Free, Free, and Original Secession Churches, and the Chairmen of the Congregational Union and Wesleyan Methodist Church, and the President of the Baptist Union.
A new edition of the interesting “Life of Kitty Cormack, Thurso,” has been issued, price 2d., by Messrs. John George & Son, Booksellers, Wick.