CHURCH UNITY.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16155, 8 March 1918, Page 8

CHURCH UNITY.

-LINK UP THE SPIRITUAL FORCEo." CONG REG A' I' lOSA LI ST' S VIEWPOINT. "An army chaplain startled an audience recently by boldly declaring, in the proof or the unity of Christendom, that if some hostile forco arose to destroy any one branch of the Church of Jesus Cnrist on earth, all the other branches would unito and rise to defend and deliver the denomination attacked," declared the Rev. A. Hodge, of Napier, in his address from the chair at last night's meeting of the Congregational Union. He continued that the Church must fight for her own life, and for the iifo of the world. The trageay was that she was the subjcct of the ir.ost violent criticism, and attack from the very ay oriel that she must save. Sho wa? charged with originating and perpetuating strife on account of her seemingly divided presentation or attivudo to the world. However, in ( spite of t/ic outward divisions, the Church stood united in herself. Yet, in spite of her spiritual unity, she did present a lamentably divided front to the new <vorld, born in August, 1914, and there might be much profit in patiently listening to the enemy's charge, because it might lead to penitenco and consequent" amendment. . It wa3 a fact of dmne revelation, continued the speaker, that God intended a visible union _ among the churches, and that_ Ho did, in the personality and teaching of Jesus Clivist, provide the world with a unifying power sufficient to quell all its antagonisms and allay its deep unrest. It -was only a united Christendom that could save the world. If there was an urgent call to-day to link up the spiritual forces "by unifving the spiritual organisations —and there was—then it became the sacred duty of every church member to contribute something towards this most tiesirablo consummation. A unitea church would nossess a unique power which would do more to invigorate the world than any other thing. A closer union of non-episyopal churches was demanded, and., a perfectly workable federation could be quickly arranged in New Zealand. Object lessons in their midst should be sufficient warning. As soon as some "Teat cause claimed the attention ot tho Christian peoplo the Churches, in their separate conditions, were not able to respond and cope with the new work. That, and that alone, was the secret of the separate existence of the Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A., W.C.T.U., Temperance Alliance, Bible-in-Schools League, and a dozen or more organisations outside the control of the Church. Tho Church and those organisations should not exist separately, but as different committees of one united Church. Of all those the Y.M.C.A. kept nearest the Church, and as a consequence was the most successful ; but no complete success ever could he achieved by any of those organisations whilst existing separately as such.

It had beon suggested. Mr Hodge went on to say; that the first step towards a United New Zealand Church was a union of their own body with tlio Presbyterian Church, but whenever the question was seriously mentioned, there was a suggestion of absorption, and the lion and the lamb episode was supposed to illustrate the position. As long as they had fear of absorption, there would be no closer union. The re-union of the non-Episcopal Churches must mean morging, and merging often_ would mean absorption, but absorption did not mean extinction or annihilation. The Congregational ideal would mean a contribution to the greater Church more real and far leaching- than e%'en they themselves realised. _ Tn Australia, wh.ere serious negotiations were going on to form a United. Australian Church, it had been suggested that Congregationalism was but a ropeof sand, and the members a fortuitous concourse of atoms. In reply to that some resourceful Australian Congregationalist romarked that it was a rope of sand that kept the billows in their appointed bounds, and that if Christ was in every atom, each atom would be vitally attached to the other. The Rev. "W. C. Paterson, ex-chairman of the Congregational Union of New South Wales,' and present convener of the Congregational section of the Church Union Committee, held a decided opinion that the Congregational Churches would contribute much in a United Church that would open up a way by which Congregational ideals mig:ht exert a orofounder influence within a Union than they were ever likely to exert under present conditions. Then why should Cougregationalists be afraid of absorption If they could not bear to drop the name, why not let it be, '"'The Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, with which is incorporated the Congregational Union?"

The speaker, in conclusion,, said : "Tho Church will not fp.il. but must close no linr ranks and enforce her iiitvs.cnto. Righteousness oxalteth a nation! TTu = is thp onlv cloar and certain sound amid failure, confusion, and strife.''

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