On Tuesday, the 8th instant, a meeting of the Members and Friends of the Free Presbyterian Church of Australia Felix, was held in the Mechanics' Hall, for the purpose of receiving the Rev. John Ziegler Huie, Missionary from the Parent Church.

The evening was very dark, and the streets in a bad state, which rendered the attendance smaller than we could have wished to see, but considering these circumstances it was fair. The Rev. James Forbes was called to the chair, and opened the meeting with Praise, giving out the 126th Psalm, and Prayer:

"When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalm 126)

The Chairman congratulated the meeting on the measure of success which God had vouchsafed to the Free Church here during the last seven months, and stated that it was to him a special matter of congratulation to find that the Free Church had now three ministers assembled on this platform. They had met to receive one who had been sent to them from the land of their fathers, and the true Church of their Fathers, - who had just come from among those scenes where God had done such great things, delivering his people from so many dreaded evils, and opening up to them such a wide door of usefulness at home and abroad. Referring to the magnitude of the work before us in this country, and warmly urging on all present to pray for the outpouring of God's Spirit, that our moral wastes may be made glad, he concluded by introducing Mr. Huie to the meeting.

Mr. Huie spoke to the following effect: - "Mr. Chairman and my dear Friends, I feel grateful for the honor you have put upon me in assembling this evening, to welcome me to Port Phillip, an honor which i feel I am altogether unworthy to receive, except on account of the high commission with which I come entrusted."

"It will doubtless be expected that I should give some account of the present state of the Free Church in Scotland. Some may even look for a description of those great and glorious scenes which marked the eventful years of 1843 - 44. I bless God, Sir, that I was permitted to behold those things which you and others so desired, and yet were not permitted, to see, and that standing among you this night, I am able to tell of those things which mine eyes have seen, and which mine ears have heard. When the Church of Scotland rose from that seat which she had occupied so long, left the favour of the great, the rich and the powerful, and shook herself free from all the immunities which she enjoyed as an establishment, because they could not be sustained except under condition, which it was degrading for her even to entertain; she presented a sight not unworthy for a man to record among the most memorable things of his life."

"I trust another opportuninty may be soon presented, when I will be able to advert to those scenes, fresh in the memory of every Free Churchman in Scotland, as manifesting the great principles which led our Church to her present position. At present, I should like to address myself to a subject connected with the late controversy, which has been pressed on my attention since I landed on your shores, in a great variety of forms. I find that there are few Presbyterians in this town, who have any wish to dispute the soundness and integrity of the principles declared in the testimony which the Free Church has raised against Erastianism."

"Few seem willing to take upon themselves the burden of vindicating the civil Courts in Scotland from the charge of encroaching on the prerogatives of Jesus as the Head of the Church, of the present Establishment there of submitting to the same. They rather would assure us that they heartily condemn the conduct of both; and that, as regards sentiment, their opinions on the question are precisely those of the Free Protecting Church of Scotland. But then it seems a strange thing to them, that the question in Scotland should at all affect their position as members of the Presbyterian Establishment here."

"They are willing individually to express their approval of the principles of the Free, and their disapproval of the conduct and real principles of the enslaved Church. But it surprises them exceedingly, that a question agitated in a land so far from this, and productive of consequences not immediately affecting them, should be thrown into this establishment, and claim a public and decided settlement in their Ecclesiastical Courts. They are willing by private letters and other means of communication to express the sympathy which their suffering brethren in Scotland demand from every true Presbyterian, - but they will never allow it to become a question, which as a Church they must answer, and which may affect even their designation as written on the statute books of the colony."

After Mr. Huie had concluded the Rev. Mr. Hastie rose and said, that all must have felt deeply interested in the address they had now heard. As cold water to a thirsty soul, we are told in the book of wisdom, is good news from a far country, and what news could be more cheering, than those which assure us of the welfare and prosperity of our friends? That is what we have been hearing tonight. We have been hearing of what God has done for the church and land of our fathers. Now in listening to that account, have we not participated in the feelings expressed in the psalm which was sung at the commencement of this meeting. "The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." I trust we can all say, whereof we are glad, for ought not we to rejoice in all God's doings? It is the believer's prayer, that God would hallow his name, advance his kingdom, and execute his will, and when our prayers are thus answered, ought we not to rejoice in it.

There is no need for me pointing out the hand of God, as displayed throughout these events, to which our attention has been called. All have been constrained to acknowledge that it is the Lord's doing. What but divine grace could have induced four hundred and ninety-seven ministers to sacrifice all their temporal advantages, and cast themselves on the providence of God, rather than violate their duty to their heavenly King? What but divine grace could have raised up so many to second and support them in the defence of Christ's authority and honor? And, above all, has not the hand of God been especially seen in the success which has followed their ministrations at home, and their missions abroad?

It seems as if a dark heavy cloud had been removed. The Sun of righteousness had arisen upon them, with healing under his wings. I cannot but regard it as an evidence of God's special favour, that all the missionaries adhered to the Free Church of Scotland; Dr. Duff with his noble Eastern band, Dr. Duncan with all the Jewish Missionaries in Europe. What a contrast between the crippled and shorn condition of the Establishment, and the full, fresh, and vigorous activity of the Free Church? And can we wonder when we think of the indifference and scorn with which missions have been regarded by the Leaders in the Establishment. As you have now heard, and as myself can testify, many of them looked upon missions as a wild and visioning attempt; and frowned upon them instead of giving them their countenance and support. We have an evidence of the interest taken by the Free Church in missions in general, and in ourselves in particular, in the sending of Mr. Huie to this place. I look upon it as a token for good that an interest has been awakened in our behalf, and that efforts are making for the supply of the destitution in this land.

Is it not an affecting consideration Sir, that previous to the beginning of this year there was not a single minister in the interior of this country, although equal in size to the whole of Great Britain. What would be thought of our mother country if all its ministers were to be confined to London and Bristol, and all the rest left in spiritual desolation. And yet, such is the condition of this land. For although an accession to the number of its ministers has been gained since the commencement of the year, from the vast extent of the country, their presence almost unperceived, when you look at this country as a whole. We must rejoice then that in Mr. Huie we have received another labourer, but after all how great and pressing are the necessities still? Let us hope and pray that others are to follow, , and that through God's blessing, our land, which is now as a wilderness and solitary place, shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.

Mr. Hastie then moved the following resolution: -

That this meeting was heard within deep interest the statements now made by the Rev. Mr. Huie, and would record its sense of the divine goodness in raising up so many faithful witnesses to the truth in the land and church of our fathers, and in granting such success to their labours at home and their missions abroad. This meeting feels especially called upon to express its gratitude for the interest manifested in this colony by the Free Church of Scotland in sending out Mr. Huie, and would hope that he is only the forerunner of other labourers qualified and prepared to occupy the wide fields around us, which are white already unto the harvest.

Mr. W. M. Bell in seconding the resolution said - "That there was one point not yet noticed, which he conceived deserving of our attention, - the extent to which the Free Church had been supported by the people. The Ministers of the Free Church, when they abandoned their livings, could not know what was afterwards to take place. Before leaving the Establishment they could not have anticipated the liberality which was to supply the losses they were likely to sustain. There was nothing before them but the prospect of difficulty and want. At the call of duty, however, they made the sacrifice. God opened the hearts of the people's so that their losses were abundantly made up to them. The experience of the Free Church at home ought, he conceived, to be an encouragement to us here - he referred not merely to those in Melbourne, but throughout the country generally. Let us do our duty, and God will not be wanting for the support and encouragement of his servants. Let us go forward in dependence on the Divine blessing, and the blessing will not be withheld."

Mr. Parker, Assistant Protector of Aborigines, in moving the second resolution, said he regarded it as an honour to be invited to take part in the proceedings of that meeting. He had watched with deep attention, the progress of that great movement which had taken place in the Presbyterian Church: He had read with thrilling interest such accounts as had reached him in the solitudes of the bush, of the proceedings of those noble men who had been engaged in that momentous struggle. And he believed his ministerial friends around him would fully agree with him, when he expressed it as his opinion; that the disruption of the Church of Scotland, was an event, the results of which were by no means yet fully developed. There were consequences which must yet follow; - consequences which time would speedily evolve, - which would show in a much higher degree, the magnitude and importance of the principles contended for.

He had observed with great satisfaction the course which the Wesleyan body, to which it was his honour to belong, had pursued in reference to this important question. Holding it to be the duty of every Christian Government, to give the utmost support and encouragement to the cause of true religion, they at the same time emphatically denied the right of any civil Government to interfere with the internal concerns and the spiritual authority of the church of Christ, in any of its various sections. It was on this ground they had given their cordial approval to the course followed by the members of the Free Church of Scotland. In that approval he as an individual most heartily concurred. He rejoiced that he had the opportunity afforded him that night of adding his feeble mite of approbation, not only to the measures adopted in their Fatherland but also in the proceedings of those who acted on the same principles in these colonies.

He had deeply sympathised in the difficulties of Mr. Forbes' position, and gave him his mood of praise for the course he had pursued. The present occasion was one of deep interest to him, as it was intended to welcome the arrival of another Christian minister among them. That, he considered, was an event of no ordinary importance, when they considered the momentous results likely to flow from it. From his peculiar avocations, he had many opportunities of witnessing the spiritual destitution which existed in this land.

There was one part of Mr. Huie's address which had much affected him. It was that in which he spoke of the deep solicitude felt by anxious mothers and affectionate sisters, respecting the religious prosperity of their relatives. When travelling through the country, and sojourning at various stations, it was his wont to look at the bookshelf to see if he could find some improving volume to refresh his mind after the toil of the day, and his eye would often rest upon some affectionate inscription expressive of the pious anxiety of loving mothers and sisters, for the spiritual well being of their relatives. But, alas, when he contrasted the principles there inculcated, with evidence he saw around him, he was constrained to the conclusion that the objects of all this solicitude had forgotten the God of their fathers, and the religion of their fatherland. Ministers were indeed greatly needed.

Till very lately, the whole extent of the colony, with the exception of the three far distant principal towns, were wholly without the aid and benefit of the Christian Ministry. He had resided in the bush nearly eight years, and during that period he had received but three passing visits from ministers of the Gospel. One from his dear friend and brother at Buntingdale, - another from Mr. Forbes, about five years since, - and lately he had been favoured with a call from his friend, Mr. Hastie. He trusted that in the arrangements they made for further operations they would not overlook the interior. He could tell the meeting that in many parts of the country, children grow up to maturity without the slightest knowledge even of forms of religion, or its elementary principles. Was such a state of things to continue? They must not be guided in their arrangements by the mere amount of numbers. In estimating the relative importance of the country localities, they must adopt some other rate of comparison, some other principle of estimation than a regard to the numerical amount of population. They must look forward to the future, and think what localities are likely to become in a few years, and not merely look at what they now are. Let those now present look back eight years, to the former condition of Melbourne and recollect how small it then was; and yet look at it now. Throughout the whole of the country, population was increasing with a rapidity not to be estimated by ordinary calculations. They must consult for the future therefore, rather than the present. And as the Free Church had been the first to occupy the field, so they had peculiar facilities for its successful occupation, and he hoped they would proceed in the spirit they had begun, and spread throughout the length and breadth of the land, the light, the influence, and the blessed results of Gospel ministrations.

Mr. Parker then submitted the following motion:

That regarding the supremacy of Christ over his church as a truth, the maintenance of which is intimately connected with the spiritual wellbeing of believers, and the success of the gospel ministry, the meeting would rejoice in the vindication of this principle which has been given at various times, by maintaining it, defending it, suffering in its behalf; and especially in the testimony born by those who at great temporal loss and sacrifice, have abandoned their connexion with the Scottish Establishment.

This resolution having been seconded by Mr. Peter Drummond, of Geelong, was carried unanimously.

The Rev. Mr. Sweetman, after reading the third resolution, which is as follows -

That this meeting has heard with the most heartfelt satisfaction of the formation of prayer meetings in behalf of the mission to this colony: and under a sense of the need of a more enlarged measure of God's blessing, would earnestly call upon all the friends of religion both in the colony and mother country, to continue abound in humble earnest and believing prayer for grace and guidance to those who are engaged in preaching the gospel, and advancing Christ's kingdom in this land,

said, that he truly acknowledged it as an honor to be invited to this meeting, and to take part in its proceedings. He had read the accounts which had from time to time appeared of the events in Scotland, and had made himself acquainted, at least in some degree, with the questions which had arisen. He entirely concurred in the principles of the Free Church, and admired the grace of God as displayed in its origin, progress, and success. It is indeed the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. He gladly welcomed another brother in labour in this cause, and he looked on him with a warm interest, from the circumstance which Mr. Huie had mentioned, viz., that prayer associations had been formed by the ladies who had sent him out. He had no doubt that he was selected after prayer, - that Mr. Huie had considered the proposals made to him after prayer, - that prayer was made for him when he was set apart, and that when he was sent forth, he was accompanied and followed by prayer. Could there be any doubt of the success of one sent out under such circumstances? No. God has declared that his Word will not return unto Him void, but as the rain descends and the snow from heaven, watering the earth and causing it to bring forth and bud, so shall the word be which proceeds from his mouth. But the success and the blessings needed by his servants could only be obtained in answer to prayer. And those ministers stood in special need of prayer who were placed in such circumstances as Mr. Huie was likely to stand in.

Brother Hastie, he had no doubt, felt it to be a different thing labouring in the bush, from what he had formerly felt in a town. For his own part, were he to be separated from the society he now enjoyed, he thought that he would be in danger of sinking into depression, although it would not be right. He did not mean altogether christian society, for ministers besides the society of ordinary man, needed the society of other ministers. There were feelings peculiar to ministers which none but ministers could feel, and he regarded it as one of his greatest privileges to be able to enjoy the society of his brethren. Those who were shut out from such privileges needed therefore the more the prayers of the church, and what encouragement we have to pray! "If ye, being evil, " says our Saviour, "know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."

[Want of space has compelled us to omit a considerable portion of Mr. Huie's address, which however will be found in our contemporary the "Messenger". Editor - "Port Phillip Gazette"]