Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

QSf A RECORD OF CHRISTIAN WORK AMONG THE CalYinistic Methodists or Presbyterians of Wales. Vol. II. No. 8.] AUGUST, 1886. [Price One Penny. H!otes anb ©ommente. In North. Wales, the June Association is regarded, from a business point of view, as the chief association of the year, for to it are brought the annual reports of the Home Mission Society, the English Causes' Fund, and Bala College, and at one of its sittings young men are ordained to the full work of the ministry. This year it was held at Oswestry, and the friends there entertained the numerous delegates and other visitors in a right royal manner, worthy of the character of the border town, and of the Monthly Meeting to which its churches belong. We are sorry to find that the Home Mis¬ sion receipts, which amounted for the year to £1,405 18s. 9d., were consider¬ ably less than the expenditure ; and were it not that there was a balance in hand from the previous year, such a report would have occasioned grave anxiety to some of the more timorous of the brethren. As it is, it seems to have had a de¬ pressing influence upon the Committee, and as a consequence they have in many cases lessened the usual Grants. In some instances this may be the right course to pursue, and it may stimulate those Churches to become more independent of the help of the Home Mission Society; but in other cases the Churches are al¬ ready doing their utmost, and the only sufferers will be the ministers, who are even now receiving anything but a princely remuneration for their self- denying services. The Bala College Committee presented a most important report, and after a con¬ siderable amount of discussion their re¬ port was unanimously adopted. In it they propose converting the College into a Theological Institution — pure and simple—in two years' time; and mean¬ while, one or more additional classes are to be formed for the strengthening of the theological side of the studies of the Col¬ lege. In view of the increasing years and the impaired health of the venerable Prin¬ cipal of the College, Dr. Edwards, they have asked two of our ablest ministers and theologians—no other than the Revs. D. C. Davies, M.A., and J. Hughes, D.D.—to assist him during the coming year, and we understand that they have consented to deliver a course of lectures on certain theological subjects during the coming session. We con¬ gratulate our North Wales friends upon putting such men in such a position, and we wish them every success. Now that North and South Wales have decided upon a definite time for the con¬ version of their Colleges into Theo¬ logical Institutions, and that time the same time, viz., 1888, we certainly think that the question of one College for the whole of the Connexion, should be seriously faced and pressed forward, in spite of any indisposition to discuss the subject which may have been lately shewn in certain quarters. We sincerely believe that it was a most mistaken policy on the part of our fathers to establish two Colleges instead of one, and we believe too that it will be a cruel wrong to our young men and to our Churches in the future, no less than a great scandal, if we allow this golden opportunity of rectifying the mistake of our fathers to slip out of our hands. From the Association we hie our way to the General Assembly, which for the first time was held this year on our island county—Anglesea. For some reason or other our good friends of Anglesea have fought shy of this youthful institution, but now that it has found an entrance there, and received such a cordial welcome, it is more than likely that it may soon be invited to pay them a second visit. Our Anglesea friends are passionately fond of preaching, and of preachers, and they made the most of the ministers in this direction; for, in addition to all the usual sittings of the Assembly, they had preaching on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening, Thursday at 2 and 6 p.m., and during the whole of Friday. The genial ex-Moderator, in his timely retiring address, laid special emphasis upon several subjects which demand the immediate and most serious consideration of our Connexion, and which cannot be neglected with impunity. One of these is, a more general and systematic oversight of the churches, accompanied by a more settled ministry. Our fathers "preached the Word" with fervour and great success, but the exigencies of their day required them to be nearly always on the move, itinerating from place to place, and, therefore, were unable to do much per¬ sonal work in the building up of the churches, and in feeding the flocks. This they devolved upon the lay-leaders, or blaenoriaid, as they were called—a race of giants in their way, whom God, in His mercy, raised up to meet the emer¬ gency of those days, and who read up the works of Dr. Owen on the Person of Christ, Jonathan Edwards on The Will, Gurnal's Christian Armour, &c, in pre¬ paration for the Church Meetings; but in the course of time that class of men well- nigh disappeared, and many a church suffered greatly through want of proper care and nourishment. Within the last twenty or twenty-five years a new system has sprung up amongst us, called the Pastorate; but the ex-Moderator felt, and we are inclined to accentuate the senti¬ ment, that we are too slow-paced in put¬ ting this system into operation, and that our indispositien in this matter is very damaging to the best interests of our churches. The lay-brethren of the present day are so overwhelmed with secular duties that they have not the time at their disposal for a systematical training of the young in Bible classes, &c, or for visiting of the sick, &c, and the necessities of our day clearly call for the appointment of men who have under¬ gone a certain amount of training for the varied duties of the ministry and the pas¬ torate, and who are prepared to devote their time and their talents, under the blessing of God, to the feeding of the flock and to the conversion of the world. Another "burning question," and one which must be constantly pressed home at all our great gatherings, in spite of the opposition of a few, and the sheer apathy of others, is the establishment of English. Causes in the centres of population, and the introduction of English services into the Welsh chapels in those districts where the English language has become the prevailing language of the people.