# The Chronicles of Early Melbourne/Volume 1/Chapter 13

CHAPTER XIII.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS: THEIR FOUNDATION AND FIRST CELEBRATIONS.
SYNOPSIS: —Rev. James Forbes. —The First Elders. —The First Scots' School. —Arrival of the Rev. Andrew Love. —Subscription of Roman Catholic Priests. —Church Fees. —Foundation and Opening of Scots' Church. —Presbyterians in 1841. —Opening of Kirk at Campbellfield. —The First Presbytery. —Burglary at the Manse. —Local Disruption. —Local Free Church Movement. —Deposition of the Rev. James Forbes. —The Church Declared Vacant. —Breaking up of the Court. —Call of the Rev. Irving Hetherington. —Deposition of Rev. Mr. Laurie. —Presbyterian Population of 1851. —Free Protesting Church of Australia Felix .—The Rev. James Forbes Founder Thereof. —Arrival of the Rev. J. T. Huie. —Foundation of the John Knox Church. —Casting of the First Bell. —Arrival of the Rev. John Gardiner. —Opening of the Church at Brighton. —Death of the Rev. Mr. Forbes. —United Presbyterian Church. —Rev. A. M. Ramsay. —Presbyterian Population in 1880 and 1886-7.
The Presbyterians.
EARLY in 1838, the Rev. James Clow arrived in the colony in search of improved health. He had been a chaplain in the service of the East India Company, from which he retired on a well-earned pension. He was the first Presbyterian minister who officiated in Melbourne, and he held afternoon services in the wooden building belonging to the Episcopalians. On the 28th January, 1839, the Rev. James Forbes made his appearance and was installedas the regular minister, and by his earnestness, amiability and self-denial, quickly became a favourite, not only with his own people, but the public generally. The first Elders were Dr. David Patrick and Mr. Robert Campbell, and the attendance at worship exceeded two hundred. They obtained from the Sydney Government the splendid site in Collins Street East, now graced by the Scots' Church—land then little valued as it was too far out of town! On this was built a weather-board room to serve both school and church purposes. The collection of funds was proceeded with to provide a more durable structure, as also a permanent church, and with much success, for on the 22nd May, 1839, a meeting was held at the school-house with Mr. James O. Denny as Chairman. The Committee reported that of £686 13s., the amount received in promises, £393 13s. 8d. had been paid, and the Rev. James Clow, with Messrs. Skene Craig, William Ryrie, P. Snodgrass, and Thomas Napier were elected trustees. It was next resolved to proceed with a brick building, and a plan prepared by Mr. Joseph Burns was approved with certain modifications. Though nominally to be a school-house, it was to serve as a church pending the completion of a special edifice as such. Its cost was estimated at £400, of which £110 had been specially subscribed for the school, and £200 was promised by the Government, conditional upon a like amount being obtained by private contributions. This was the origin of the Scots' School, one of the best known places in the old times, before the birth of the Mechanics' Institute; for it was freely given for every useful purpose, and was the scene of some of the most important of the public meetings, and the delivery of the first lectures, in the town. The building has undergone many changes during forty years of strange vicissitude, but unlike most other ancient structures, the greater portion of the old house remains to this day.
Geelong was originally much patronised by Scotchmen, and there were many thriving settlers scattered around. They became very solicitous for a kirk of their own, and in 1839, forwarded a memorial to the General Assembly of Scotland, to despatch a minister to them. On the 9th April, 1840, their wish was gratified by the arrival of the Rev. Andrew Love, who had volunteered his services, which were accepted by the Colonial Committee of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. ​Meanwhile efforts to raise funds for the Church in Melbourne were prosecuted so vigorously that the handsome amount of ,£800 was soon in hand, and on the 7th January, 1840, a meeting was held to consider the further course to be taken. T h e Rev. Mr. Clow presided, and Messrs. G. S. Brodie, J. 0. Denny, and Dr. Wilkie were selected managers. It was also decided to invite tenders for the building. Mr. Yaldwyn presented a valuable allotment of land at cost price, and was given a piece of plate in recognition of his liberality. During the progress of the subscription the following amusing incident occurred:—The Rev. Father Geoghegan one day, in his street ramblings, met Mr. D. C. M'Arthur, and handed him two bank notes for £6, as the donations of himself and the Rev. R. Walshe (two R o m a n Catholic priests) towards the building of the Scots' kirk. Mr. M'Arthur lost no time in advertising the fact in the newspapers, and £3 each from the priests was considered a very handsome doing of the correct thing. W h e n Father Geoghegan read of this next morning, he rubbed his glasses, and thought there must be a mistake somewhere. A s to £6 he had not such a sum to spare, as the monetary condition of himself and colleague was in no degree as flourishing as the incomes of some R o m a n Catholic clergymen since; and he wrote accordingly to the Herald, correcting what must have been, as he thought, a misprint, and declaring that instead of £6 he had only contributed £2—adding his regret that neither himself nor Mr. Walshe could afford more than £1 each. The circumstance having been enquired into, Mr. M'Arthur produced the two notes, which turned out to be a £ 1 and a ,£5 note, and the laugh was most decidedly against the reverend donor, who appeared to have been wealthier than he imagined. Mr. Geoghegan laughed heartily, too, and refused an offer to refund the ,£4, which he had so unconsciously parted with. At the close of 1840, the Presbyterian position might be thus stated:— SCOTS' C H U R C H , M E L B O U R N E .
Minister—Rev. James Forbes, A.M. Elders—Dr. David Patrick and Mr. Robert Campbell. Trustees—Messrs. S. Craig, W . Ryrie, G. S. Brodie, J. O. Denny, and J. H . Patterson. SCOTS' C H U R C H , G E E L O N G .
Minister—Rev. Andrew Love.
Trustees—Drs. A. Thomson and Jonathan Clarke, Messrs. G. D. Mercer, David Fisher, and Hugh Murray.
At Geelong sufficient funds were available for the erection of a Church, which was commenced in the early part of 1841, and opened in April of the following year. N o fees were exacted in the Presbyterian Church for the exercise of any of the functions of the ministry; indeed, the clergyman asking payment for his own benefit for Marriages, Baptisms, or Funerals, would subject himself to ecclesiastical censures. There were, however, the following fees connected with Marriages, viz :—
£ For Special License ... For Proclamation of Banns ...
s. d. 4 3 0 1 0 0
Of the former sum ,£1 n s . 6d. was paid over to the funds of the Synod of Australia, the remainder, as well as the whole amount paid for the Proclamation of Banns, was appropriated to the general purposes of the Kirk Session. T h e clergyman received no benefit whatever from these fees, which were the only charges known in the Presbyterian Church.
FOUNDATION OF THE MELBOURNE CHURCH.
This ceremony took place on the 22nd January, 1841, and though the day was excessively wet, there was no lack of Presbyterians in attendance. T h e Ministers and Elders taking part assembled at n a.m. in the school-room, which was crowded, and after singing some of Psalm cxxii, a movement was made to the ground. There was an unusually large cavity worked in the nether stone, in which was deposited a large bottle, holding the following relics, viz. : — A copy of the three papers then published in town—the Gazette, Patriot, and Herald, Kerr's Poit Phillip Directory for 1841, Arden's pamphlet giving the latest information of the district, and a parchment scroll thus written on : • ​THE FOUNDATION STONE Of the SCOTS' C H U R C H For the use of the Congregation in Melbourne, in connection with the N A T I O N A L C H U R C H OF SCOTLAND,
Laid on the twenty-second day of January, 1841, by HER
D A V I D PATRICK, M . D , Elder. M O S T GRACIOUS MAJESTY, VICTORIA, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.
His Excellency, SIR G E O R G E Girrs, Knight, Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of New South Wales. His Honor, C H A R L E S JOSEPH LATROBE, E S Q , Superintendent of Port Phillip. The REV. J O H N TAIT, Moderator of the Synod of Australia, in connexion with the ESTABLISHED C H U R C H OF SCOTLAND. J A M E S FORBES, A.M., Minister of the Church and Congregation. D A V I D PATRICK, M.D. and R O B E R T CAMTBELL, Elders. S K E N E CRAIG, WILLIAM RYRIE, G E O R G E SINCLAIR BRODIE, JAMES O L I L H A N T D E N N Y , and J O H N H U N T E R PATTERSON, Trustees. S A M U E L JACKSON, Architect.
The stone was then lowered, adjusted, and pronounced to be duly laid by the senior Elder, who addressed the assemblage. T h e Rev. James Forbes invoked the Divine blessing in a suitable prayer, the last three verses of Psalm cxxii were sung, the "Apostolic Benediction" given, and all was over. T h e building, a chaste and tasteful structure, was opened for service on the 3rd October, 1841. In May, 1841, the Presbyterians in Melbourne and the County of Bourke were reported to number 1477. O n the 8th May, 1842, a temporary kirk was opened at Campbellfield by the Rev. T h o m a s Mowbray, the first pastor appointed there. Five acres of land had been generously given for church purposes by Mr. Neil Campbell, proprietor of the Campbellfield Estate. THE FIRST PRESBYTERY.
In June, 1842, an important step was taken by the Synod of Australia, instructing the Ministers and Elders in Port Phillip to form a Presbytery for the management of the affairs of the Church in Australia Felix. This was done, and thefirstmeeting of the Port Phillip Presbytery was held on the 7th June, in the Scots' Church. T h e Rev. James Forbes was appointed Moderator, several important topics relative to Church Government were discussed, and special attention was given to the question of Education. In December of the same year, Drs. D r u m m o n d and Wilkie, with Mr. J. Johnston, were ordained Elders. A manse had been erected for some time on the kirk-land, in Collins Street, and in May, 1844, the Rev. M r Forbes took a trip to Sydney for the benefit ot his- health. O n e night (26th May), during his absence, the manse was burglariously entered and plundered of property of considerable value, including two silver communion cups, and a gown of "true Geneva orthodox cut," brought from Scotland in 1842, by Mr. G. S. Brodie, as a present to the minister. Mr. Forbes was so well liked that the Melbourne thieves would not have the unmanliness to injure him, and circumstances that afterwards transpired pointed, not only the finger of suspicion, but of certainty, to some members of a Presbyterian family, who had received many favours from the hand of the m a n so outraged. A s some of their name are still in the colony, I abstain from further reference to a misdoing so utterly disgraceful. During this year, church accommodation was provided for several country districts, and in 1845, the Rev. Mr. Love was appointed Moderator, and the ministry was strengthened by the arrival of the Rev. Messrs. Gunn, Lawrie and others. In M a y the ladies of the Melbourne congregation raised sufficient funds to procure a new pulpit—a very creditable specimen of colonial workmanship. It. was made out of Australian cedar, declared to be as good as Spanish mahogany, and included a canopy, pronounced by competent judges, as forming a model for other places. T h e contractor was not inappropriately named Rule, and the constructors were two clever mechanics, known as Stains and King. A s was to be expected, Port Phillip could not escape the effects of the disruption of the Church in Scotland in 1843, its influences in due time penetrating to the Antipodes. A local Free-Church movement followed, led by thefirstminister (Rev. James Forbes), in 1846, a step regarded with much anxiety and ​uneasiness by those w h o remained staunch to the parent tree. Naturally it created a great diversity of opinion amongst the followers of Presbyterianism, and was incessantly talked over, and hotly debated in the newspapers. It was, however, a question with which other religious denominations had no concern; and no matter how individuals sympathised with either side, Presbyterianism was allowed tofightit out in its own way. T h e authorities of the Scotch kirk had a novel and disagreeable duty to perform—one requiring prudence and firmness to deal with. T h efirststep to be taken was as regarded the Rev. James Forbes, and he should be dealt with promptly and summarily. A meeting of the Presbytery was held on the 17th November, in the church, at which attended the Rev. M r . Gunn, (Moderator), and the Rev. Mr. Love, with Messrs. James Ballingall, David Ogilvie and D. E. Wilkie, as Elders. Resolutions were unanimously passed (1) declaring the Rev. James Forbes no longer a minister of the Scotch Church, Melbourne, and that he had ceased to be a m e m b e r of that Court; (2) declaring the pulpit of the Scotch Church, Melbourne, vacant, and that the congregation thereof are at liberty to procure another minister, with due attention to the forms directed to be observed in such cases, and (3) in order to give effect to such resolutions, the same be reported to the Synod. T h e Moderator was authorised to declare the church vacant from the 29th November, and the Court broke up. T h e action so taken received the requisite confirmation in due course, and on the 17th February, 1847, a call m a d e by the congregation in favour of the Rev. Irving Hetherington, then officiating at Singleton ( N e w South Wales), was submitted to the Presbytery. After consideration, it was sustained and ordered to be forwarded to Mr. Hetherington, and also to the Presbytery at Maitland. T h e Rev. M r . Hetherington came to Melbourne, and was for many years well-known and appreciated as a zealous and untiring missionary. Places of worship were opened at Buninyong and the Leigh, through the exertions of the Rev. T h o m a s Hastings, and Building and Sustentation Funds were liberally supported. In July, 1848, the Melbourne Presbytery deposed the Rev. Mr. Lawrie, at Belfast, where he had been for some time ministering, for certain irregularities charged against him. H e denied them in lolo, and the Rev. Mr. Love was directed to proceed to the Westward, to make inquiry and report to the Presbytery. In February, 1849, the Rev. Mr. Richardson was despatched on duty to Portland, and for some time had the use of the Wesleyan Chapel there. At the end of 1850, there were, in Port Phillip,fivechurches, capable of holding 1376 persons, and attended usually by about 900. In March, 1851, the number of Presbyterians, generally, was returned at 11,608, of w h o m 2955 resided in Melbourne. O n the 5th November, 1851, there was a meeting of the Presbytery, attended by the Rev. Mr. G u n n (Moderator), the Rev. Mr. Gore, and the Rev. Mr. Love, when the only business for consideration was an objection by Dr. Wilkie, against the appointment by Mr. Hetherington of Mr. Robert Campbell as an Elder, who had, in 1842, been removed from office by the Rev. Mr. Forbes. There was m u c h discussion on the matter, and the result was the cancellation of the appointment. FREE PROTESTING CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA FELIX.
The Rev. James Forbes was joined by a number of Presbyterians of good social standing and well off in worldly means—seceders from the parent kirk. They willingly co-operated with him in the establishment of what was denominated a " Free Protesting Church," while adhering to the principles and testimony of the Free Church of Scotland ; and they held several meetings in furtherance of the project. T h e first meeting was on the evening of the 17th November, 1846, at the Scots' Church, Alderman W . M . Bell presiding, at which a Committee was appointed, with the Rev. J. Forbes and Mr. Henrie Bell as secretaries, and ^ 1 5 1 subscribed instanter as incipient " sinews of war" for the new departure. A s they would have to turn out of the kirk building it was decided to rent the Mechanics' Institute for ,£30 per year, as a temporary place of worship, until such time as a regular church could be erected. It was further agreed that this Free Church was to be uncontrolled by any body external to Australia Felix. The seceders worked hard; services continued to be held regularly at the Mechanics' Institute, and the movement was m u c h encouraged by the arrival, in June 1847, of the Rev. J. T. Huie, a missionary from the Free Church in Scotland, who preached several times with m u c h effect in Melbourne and other places, finally settling down at Geelong. Alderman Bell and Mr. James T. Everist were thefirstappointed Elders. ​T h e n e w movement spread through the province, and was hailed with satisfaction in some of the then centres of population. Its progress was such that on the 8th September a Synodical Meeting was held at Geelong, attended by the Revs. J. Forbes (Melbourne), Huie (Geelong), and Hastings (Buninyong), when a variety of important business was disposed of. In the whole of the early ecclesiastical history of the colony, there is no instance on record where such speed was m a d e as in the erection of thefirsttemple of religion of the Free Presbyterian seceders. Times were good, and that body included several respected colonists, w h o brought both wealth and enthusiasm to the cause in which they had embarked ; and the consequence was the early laying of the foundation stone of THE JOHN KNOX CHURCH,
At the corner of Swanston and Little Lonsdale Streets, where the building stands to-day, which was purchased, and all other preliminaries so expeditiously arranged, that the ceremonial was performed on the 17th November, the anniversary of the formal expulsion of the Rev. J. Forbes by the Presbytery of Scots' Church. There was a large attendance, and an inspection warranted an opinion that if the design were worked up to, it would be one of the neatest and most ornamental of the religious edifices in Melbourne. T h e proceedings commenced by singing from the Psalms, after which the Rev. Mr. Huie offered a prayer beseeching the Almighty's blessing on the undertaking. T h e Rev. J. Forbes next read the following lengthy inscription, engrossed upon a sheet of parchment, afterwards enclosed in a bottle and deposited in a cavity m a d e in the stone. THE FOUNDATION OF JOHN KNOX'S CHURCH, In the T o w n of Melbourne, District of Port Phillip, in the Colony of N e w South Wales, was laid on Wednesday, the Seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord, O n e Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty Seven, B Y T H E REV. JAMES FORBES, PASTOR O F T H E C O N G R E G A T I O N , For whose use and by whose contributions, it is proposed to be raised, in presence of the office-bearers and members of the congregation. This Church is intended to be erected for the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, the dispensation of His Ordinances, and the maintenance and diffusion of those principles respecting the Supremacy of the Lord Jesus'over the Church which H e hath redeemed, and the spiritual independence H e hath conferred on her, which, from the days of the Reformation, formed a prominent part of the Testimony of the National Church of Scotland, and through continued faithful adherence to which, the Free Church of Scotland was constrained to relinquish the benefits of a Civil Establishment, on the 18th day of M a y , 1843. It is to be under the spiritual oversight of the Governing Body of the Free Presbyterian Church of Australia Felix,—which, whilst holding the same principles, and maintaining the same testimony, as the Free Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Presbyterian Church in England, the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia, and other Churches in various British Colonies holding communion with them, is not under the superintendence or control, or subject to the interference, of any Body whatever, external to itself, its Supreme Governing Assembly possessing the right of regulating and determining finally all matters pertaining to the internal affairs of the Church, and also all matters pertaining to its relations to all other portions of the Professing Church whatsoever. T h e present undertaking is commenced, in humble dependence on the aid of the O n e King and Head of the Church, on the anniversary of the day whereon the Congregation erecting it initiated the organisation of a Free Presbyterian Church in Australia Felix (in the year 1846). H E R M O S T GRACIOUS MAJESTY, VICTORIA, Being Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. His E X C E L L E N C Y SIR C H A R L E S A U G U S T U S FITZROY, Governor of New South Wales. His H O N O R C H A R L E S JOSEPH LATROBE, E S Q , Superintendent of Port Phillip. A N D R E W RUSSELL, E S Q , Mayor of Melbourne. JAMES FORBES, A.M., Minister at Melbourne, T H O M A S HASTIE, Minister at Buninyong, and J O H N TIEGER HUIE, Minister at Geelong. Elders of this Church—HENRIE BELL, WILLIAM M O N T G O M E R I E BELL, and T H O M A S JAMES EVERIST. Committee of Management-MATTHEW O R R , GILBERT M C C A L L U M , D A V I D D U N C A N , J O H N CARSON, J O H N CLARK, G E O R G E MILL, G E O R G E MILNE, R O B E R T M C M U R R I C H , D A V I D M C M U R T R I E , J O H N MYERS, JAMES HAIR, and A L E X SUTHERLAND. Architect—CHARLES LAING. Contractor—JAMES LINACRE. ​The Rev. Mr. Forbes addressed the assemblage, and eloquently and strongly insisted upon the right of every man to worship his God according to the dictates of his conscience, perfectly uncontrolled by human authority, however specious and alluring it might be attempted to exert such. The solemn event was closed with prayers and the usual benedictions. The church was completed in an unprecedentedly short time; for a building like it to be ready for service in less than six months was, prior to that time, unheard of. Nevertheless, opened it was on the 7th May, 1848. The Rev. Thomas Hastie preached at n a.m., and the Rev. Mr. Huie at 8 p.m. It is a notable fact that thefirstbell cast in the colony was hung in the tower of the John Knox Church in November, 1850. It weighed 135 pounds, and was fabricated at Langlands' Foundry. On the 19th November, 1849, the third anniversary meeting was held in the church, the chair being taken by Dr. Drummond, and addresses delivered by the Rev. Messrs. Forbes and Huie, with Messrs. Everist and Dunlop. The necessity for the erection of a school-house was strongly enforced ; its estimated cost was ,£200, in aid of which ,£70 was immediately forthcoming. A great acquisition was received in the person of the Rev. John Gardiner, sent out by the Colonial Committee of the Free Church in Scotland. He arrived in January, 1850, and on the 27th preached in the Church. The foundation stone of a building as chapel and school-house was laid in Latrobe Street on the 17th December. It was to cost ,£600, and in due time was opened. By the end of the year the Free Church had three conventicles in full work, providing space for 920 persons, and habitually attended by 680. A snug little church was opened at Brighton on the 21st April, 1851, and increased interest was manifested in other quarters. An irreparable loss was sustained by the death of the Rev. Mr. Forbes at the newly-erected manse adjoining the church, on the 12th August, 1851 ; and some affecting details of this universally esteemed minister's last moments will be found in a subsequent part of this work. Since the foregoing appeared in print I have received the following from a correspondent subscribing himself, " One W h o Knows " :— " I think you have fallen into an error in stating that there was a Presbyterian Church opened in Brighton in 1851. I remember M r . Forbes preaching in the residence of the late Mr. William Wilson, St. Andrew Street, Brighton, on a week-day afternoon about that time, and I believe that was the only occasion that M r . Forbes did hold any Divine service in Brighton. T o the Rev. Samuel Currie belongs the honour of establishing the Presbyterian cause in Brighton. M r . Currie was then in charge of the South Yarra Presbyterian Church in which he used to preach morning and evening, and in the afternoon for a considerable time he addressed a crowded congregation in a small house in William Street, Brighton. M r . Currie frequently walked from South Varra to Brighton. Occasionally some one would meet him with a conveyance, and on all occasions some of the congregation would drive him back. After M r . Currie had been preaching for several months, without receiving one penny for his services, the Rev. Mr. M'Veane announced by advertisements that he was to preach on a certain Sunday afternoon in the old English Church, Brighton. A number of Mr. Currie's congregation knowing that the place he had been preaching in was too small, and not knowing that M r . M'Veane was preaching in opposition to M r . Currie, went to hear M r . M'Veane, and consequently Mr. Currie had a very small congregation. After service was concluded he consulted with those present, and it was agreed that he should relinquish the cause which was a heavy drag on him, and had cost him a great amount of labour. M r . M'Glaughton followed M r . M'Veane, and was at last settled in Brighton, and under his ministration the congregation erected the church which n o w stands in Wilson Street ; the land on which it was erected was kindly given by M r . William Mills." THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
In the course of 1848, there were symptoms of another outflow from the main branch of Presbyterianism, a stream but slightly differing from the original waters. Ministers who had by degrees dropped in, and followers cohered, and thefirstcongregation was formed by the Rev. A. M. Ramsay. After a time others followed, a Synod was constituted, and the Protestant Hall was fixed on as the temporary Head-quarters. ThefirstSynodical assemblage was held there on the 22nd January, 1850, presided over by the Rev. A. M. Ramsay, as Moderator, with whom was associated the Rev. W . Jarrett as Clerk, and the Rev. Messrs. T. E. Richardson, from Portland, and L. M'Gillivray, from Belfast. The attendant Elders were Dr. P. M'Arthur, Messrs Walter Adamson, B. Bell, and J. Coltheard. A report of a very encouraging nature as to this section of the Church was submitted, and after the disposal of some miscellaneous business the Sederunt adjourned. ​The Rev. A. M. Ramsay was another of the well-known men of a bygone age. Like Parson Grylls and father Geoghegan, he inclined to the under-sized order of mankind.
A gentleman of highly cultivated
intellect, and no m e a n attainments, his oratory was of the vehemently eloquent style; and when
you
listened to his impassioned orations, though you might not concur in his deductions, you could not soon forget the speaker, so intense was his earnestness, and so thoroughly did he throw himself into his subject.
The moment
he mounted
a pulpit or rostrum, the
mild,
high, decided, forehead prepared for action, the firmness with which
he
pale, thoughtful gathered
face, the
himself
up, the
stra.ghtness with which he held back his head, and the manner in which he set to his work, and went through it, unmistakably testified that there was no nonsense in the m a n ; that he knew well what he was about, and determined to do it thoroughly.
S o m e of Mr. Ramsay's public utterances were printed;
and whether delivered in church or at a public meeting were well worthy of preservation.
In private life he
was amiable and kind-hearted, whilst his unostentatious charities often exceeded his means.
Th ou gh he
died m a n y years ago, he is worthily represented in Victoria by his son, Mr. Robert Ramsay, M . P . T h e United Presbyterians erected a church with almost as m u c h speed as the Free Churchmen. The site procured was in Collins Street East, opposite, but somewhat more westerly, than the Scots' kirk. T h e foundation stone of the United Presbyterian Church was laid on the 24th September, 1850, with the customary formalities.
Dr. M'Arthur, senior Elder, was the principal personage of a group, comprising the
Revs. A. M . Ramsay, J. AV. Clow, and W . J. Jarrett, with divers Elders, Deacons, and an assemblage, small, but select and highly respectable.
Following the example of the Free Church adherents, the United
Presbyterians concocted an enormous inscription, which, engrossed on vellum, was read in a loud, ringing voice by the Rev. M r . Ramsay. ever so interred in the colony.
For elaborate comprehensiveness it distanced any foundation literature
A s it deserves immortalising, here it is verbatim et literatim:—
INSCRIPTION. " Within this, the City of Melbourne, and Province of Port Phillip, on this, the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of Our Lord Eighteen Hundred and Fifty, was laid the Foundation Stone of this Place of Worship. " T h e stone was laid by P E T E R M ' A R T H U R , E S Q , M . D , of Arthurton, one of-the Justices of the Peace for the Colony, and a Ruling Elder in the United Presbyterian Church, at present assembling in the Protestant Hall, Stephen Street, for whose accommodation and by whose exertions this edifice is erected. " Without affecting by any ceremony or religious service to impart to this building any Sanctity or Sacred character, and without proscribing from within its walls any assemblage whieh the cause of Truth, or Humanity, or Freedom might in seasons of emergency require; this Edifice is erected expressly and designedly for the Worship and Service of the one living and true G o d ; the faithful preaching of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; the due observance of the various Ordinances ; and the full enjoyment of the privileges of a N e w Testament Church. " B y the congregation purposing under the kind providence of G o d to assemble within these walls, the Lord Jesus Christ is held to be the Sole Head and L a w Giver of the Christian Church, and the Scriptures of the Old and N e w Testaments to be the ultimate appeal in all matters of Ecclesiastical Controversy. T h e Church is considered and declared to be complete in herself, having a Constitution and Administrations, Ordinances and Immunities all her o w n ; requiring no Civil enactment to give effect to her discipline, and no State provision for the maintenance of her Ordinances—Self-sustaining, Self-extending, Independent and Free. ' M y Kingdom is not of this world.'—John xviii. 36. " T h e Presbyterian Church accordingly disavows all connection with the Government of this world, repudiates all State endowments of religion whatever they m a y assume, and cheerfully, and from choice, rests her entire support upon the free-will offerings of the people, according to the grandfinanciallaw of Christ's Kingdom.—1st Cor. ix, 14—Gal. vi, 6. " W h i l e holding a special connection with the United Presbyterian Synod of Victoria, recently formed, this Church would cherish and cultivate the most extensive Christian affiance. Without particularising any of the branches of the great Christian commonwealth, this Church extends the right hand of fellowship to all w h o love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth, by whatever name or denomination they are known among men. Faith and holiness are deemed the essentials of Christianity, and are hailed with delight as the offspring of grace, wherever they appear ; and, being sincerely desirous of maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace, she rejoices in the mutual approximation which at at the present time is manifesting itself amongst the various evangelical Denominations. " This undertaking is commenced in humble and prayerful dependence on the grace and blessing of the Supreme Sole H e a d of the Church, in the year of our Lord M D C C C L , and while this colony is in daily expectation of a new Constitution from the Imperial Parliament in England, detaching it from N e w South Wales, and erecting it into a separate and independent colony under the designation of Victoria. In the fourteenth year of the reign of H E R M O S T G R A C I O U S M A J E S T Y V I C T O R I A , Oueen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; S I R C H A R L E S A U G U S T U S F I T Z R O Y , being Governor of New
South W a l e s ; C H A R L E S J O S E P H L A T R O B E , E s q , Superintendent of Port Phillip, and A U G U S T U S
E s q , Mayor of Melbourne."
F. A. G R E E V E S , ​In addition to this essay there were also stowed away in the hollowed stone no less than three printed pamphlets, all the brain work of the Rev. Mr. Ramsay, viz.: (1) Minutes of the first Synod of the United Presbyterian Church of Victoria, 1850; (2) The third Annual Report of the United Presbyterian Church, under the pastoral care of the Rev. A. M . Ramsay; (3) An Address delivered to the Presbyterian congregation, assembling in the Protestant Hall, Stephen Street, by their pastor, A. M. Ramsay, on the 17th June, 1849, on the subject of Church sites.
The evening was signalized by a congregational soirée at the Protestant Hall, where some 150 persons attended. Several clerical and lay speakers held forth, and the collection amounted to £18 0s. 10d. The church was opened for Divine service on the 30th March, 1851, when sermons were preached at eleven in the forenoon by the Rev. Mr. Ramsay, and at 3 p.m. by the Rev. Mr. Jarrett.
A second United Presbyterian Church was formed on the 9th May, in a school-house built in Lonsdale Street, opposite the Hospital, under the pastoral care of the Rev. W . Jarrett, when the latter and the Rev. Mr. Ramsay preached. The second day after being a Sunday, the Revs. W . Ross and T. O'Dell officiated, and on the second day after again (Tuesday) a congregational soirée was held, when £40 was raised towards liquidating a liability of £200 on the building.
On the 14th May an Ordination was held in the Collins Street Church, when the Revs. Ramsay, Jarrett, Ross, and M'Nicholl (of Geelong) officiated, and Messrs. David Chapman and David Ballantyne were received into the Ministry.
There were now three branches of Presbyterianism in the new colony of Victoria, and though divided, it could not be said they were antagonistic; but their respective careers it is not for me to follow further. In 1880, the Presbyterian community, as a whole, numbered over 140,000, ministered to by 161 registered clergymen, with 860 places of worship, accommodating 82,730 persons, on the average attended by 72,839, and with an annual approximation of 44,000 services. Population in 1886-7, 151,712; number of ministers, 203; number of churches, 945—affording accommodation for 93,495 persons; number of services, 47,066; average attendance, 77,297.