RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 407, 16 January 1909, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

A MODERN APPLICATION

REV. 11. J. CAMPBELL'S AMUSING ANALOGY. Preaching at the City Temple last month the Rev. R. J. Campbell told the story of Naaman, the Syrian, who was sent by his: king to Elislia to be cured of his leprosy. Notwithstanding the Oriental setting, Mr. Campbell said, the story might very well be modern. , " Let tiiem iniagiuo the Kaiser sending Prince 13ulow over to this country .to' be cured, say, of nervous debility. Imagine our King sending him on to Dr. Clifford/: Let them picture an imposing procession, stopping before the doctor's house,, and a message sent asking him. to come out. j AVhat an anticlimax it would bo if tho preacher refused to come out at all—which was quite probably what would happen, from what lie knew of Dr. Clifford. Supposing that he sent out, instead, a message telling Prirtce Billow to try a course of cold baths in the Thames in tho early morning.. That was just what happened in the case of Naaman. Israel was then in . just the same state of "nerves" about Syria as' England was in about Germany. Naaman was just as great a man as the German Chancellor, and perhaps moro so. The .only di'ferenco' was that the preacher did not now set himself up as the healer of . the body, but even .that

■might como about, for many people maintained that physical and spiritual therapeutics ought never, to have been separated; | WOMEN AS PASTORS. ■ A CONGREGATIONAL OFFER. , A good deal of interest, has been caused in Free Church circles at Homo by tho an.nouncemoiit that Miss L. C. R. Smith,, of ISouthport, had received a call to the pastorate of a Congregational Church. Miss Smith had been engaged as missioner at .the Church for six months. She received her early edujcation at Waterloo High .School, near Liverpool; then she had five years' musical training in Loudon, passing with great credit , all. examinations. She was a Church of England organist for a number of years, went through a course of training for two years at a missionary college, and has been engaged for the past twelve months in mission work at 'Glasgow and elsewhere. She is stated to have created a very favourable impression in London a few weeks ago, is a'good speaker, and was to address over \a thousand'men on a'recent Sunday. ■■ Miss Smith's acceptance of the pastorate is contingent upon her.being recognised as. a' fully. ordained. minister., .by the.' County Union and the Congregational Union of England and, Wales.; ■ The secretary of the Congregational Union (the! Rev. H. J. Wells) asked by a " Daily " representative what reception ail application of this; kind would' receive at the • hands _of the-council,' .refused to say. ." It is sufficient.to,say that in any such" event the 'County'' Union would take the initiative. In the national union we have never had to deal with the possibility' of a woman pastor, and. until such a contingency arises I cannot express any ■ 'A'woman pastor would! not be a new thing in Nonconformity. For the last two years Miss Gertrude, von Patzokl has been pastor of the Free Christian Church at Leicester. /

AN EAST END AGAPE. , x Of all the institutions, of the, early .Chuicli, the Love' Feast, or Agape,' .sbems to' have become the; most extinct' (States the " Church Times It shares.':', with ■'.•'"baptism. for the dead, arid the kiss of 'peace, a distinct mention in" the New Testament, hud a practical non-existence now.. .. .* ■ Yet, ■ as a moans, of veal usefulness, a social meal after tho Eucharist might be of the greatest "use. ■ -A.s an'founcx : rql 'yrictke is better than a pound of 1 perhaps the' following recent! experience, of '.a newcomer to: the East Eiid of London.may bo useful :— On^Suflday-,morning, shortly before eight, groups: of- men might.nave :ueen. .seen coining up ill all' direction's .to St. Dunstan's, Stepney.. T-hey;were gathering for the. Men's Qorporato Communion, -, begun " fourteen years-- ago by, Bishop Hoskyns,'when: rector-of Stepney, and. continued .aniiually ever since. One .hundred and sixty-three men ~ communicated 'at the Eucharist.' The service was Merbccke, sung, ' by the men of the- united choirs of St. Dunstan's and St. Faith's. • , ..This gathering of devout Churchmen earlyi on a Sunday morning in'!the. East -End of London was sufficiently, striking, hut the Love Feast, which, followed -was even .more unique.. The .whole number of men met again at the Red Coat Hall on Stepney, Green at 9.15 a.ih; and sat'down to ; . breakfast.-.' All ages and classes were there. Three.'generations of one ' family sat. down .together. The . grandfather had been at the siege of Sobastopol, and the grandson was a schoolboy : at the Red Coat' School. ' The, Rector of sStepney .took the chair,, and with the three, churchwardens sat' at, the " high table-.". ' After breakfast'theRev. W. R. Mounsey, of All Hallows' Barkspoke on the necessity of optimism: in the; Christian life, and at ten o'clock they separated. Those present will, not soon ,forget'the brotherly"~and devotional: gatherings - If " the use of Unction is to be revived in tho Eng-lish-Church, possibly a. real value may ,still be discovered in the Apostolic custom of the Agape. 1 ; ..; ,■ ■. ' JOTTINCS. .: Mr. Bramwell Booth, on whoso shoulders falls most of the administrative work of the Salvation Armj;, devotes'a" very considerable portion of his time to the care and teaching of the "young .idea." Recently he conducted a. whole day's meetings. with : 600 young meii and women from London and the home counties. The chief, as Mr. Booth is kn,own' to his forces, deals with the most complex problems of personal morality, religion 1 .and habit in forcible, yet simple fashion, Such every-day. questions "as ..bedroom ventilation and a good working "bill of fare" are given as much proportionate attention as the dogmatic and doctrinal teachings of tho Army. ' It seems incredible that, the work of'-tho Churches' Commission, whose termination has been several times announced as■ ati hand, is still unfinished'and likely to", be so for some time. Three hundred allocation orders yet regain- to be dealt With for-as' many congregations. Claims by the Free Church, moreover, for! their expenditure' since 1900, and for extraordinary expenditure, are likely to be generously met by the .commissioners, so'that, the/price,to: be paid by the United Free Church is not all reckoned,' and must be heavier than its highest previous estimate, nnd that was a very bicjli figure. It must .bo admitted (says tfic "Christian World") that the United Free Church labours under a decided hardship in tho continual uncertainty as to the .limit of its indebtedness.

Dr. Wardlaw Thompson lias. just-Jamiched a scheme for' raising one million shillings in the English Congregational Churches (of ''whoso union lie is this year chairman): to meet the London Missionary Society's present needs, and ' thus mako.the year of . his I occupancy of the chair of the Congregational Union .a great'-missionary ycarin a very 1 .practical'.sense. .A. friend who .is .deeply, interested in the'. society has already'given 10,000 shillings as the first contribution to the fund, and, has promised Dr. Thompson the last 10,000 shillings if the fund is completed. The society faces a deficit of £50,000, a ud : its reserves are. so exhausted that its work cannot bo financed next year unless speedy relief _is given by its constituents. The deficiency is the aceumula-. •tion of five years, during which the normal income:.of tlio socety has grown, but has not overtaken the financial needs which the success of its work abroad has brought in its train. . >

As this year has been remarkablo for the increase of interest in foreign'missions" due to the i'aii-Anglican Congress and-the. Lambeth Conference,■■ so it seems will' 1909 bo noted for, its Church pageants and exhibitions. • London will bo .the scene of the English Church Pageant in June, and,about .the same tinio the great_ Church Missionary Exhibition ■ will be held in the Agricultural Hall. Another interesting ecclesiastical event will bo the celebration in tlio town of Crediton of the 1000th_ anniversary of-tlio,.con-secration of the Hrst bishop bearing that title. -.

• The appeal for money for the'new Methodist; mission boats, for New; Guinea and the | Solomon Islands made throughout the Commonwealth and New Zealand is meeting with .. a liberal response, and it is hoped the boats will be delivered at the stations free of cost to the. society v

. Dr. Townsend, es-President of . the. National Free Church Council, Has had the courago. to protest against long prayers. "They must oo killed," he told a meeting 1 of. 'Newcastle: United Methodists. "They aro uriscriptural, and there, is no prayer in tho Bible of a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes' duration. Long prayers malco our meetings, dull." V

The United Free Church, the "Christian World'' thinks, deserves credit for the almost amazing power of its generosity. 1 On the back; of. the: adverse, decision of. the House 1 of. .Lords came an appeal from its officials. for 1 £100,000. The appeal was duly responded, to. On tho back of that came another for £150,000, wherewith to build churches and manses for dispossessed congregations awl' ministers in the Highlands.. This sum,tboj' . has ,been practically raised. It looks. as if a good deal of the spirit which animated, the Fathers-and Brethren of Disruption timea: still remains unquenched.

The Bishop of Dorking, who'was to have gone out, to South Tokio as Dr. Awdry's'coadjutor, is, after all, to become his. successor (states the •" Standard "). It is earnestly to. be hoped that rest and changes may restore Bishop Awdry to health. Dr. Boutflowcr's appointment, due. to the unanimous choice of the .Japanese - Synod, is full- of promise. 1 He is 45 years of age, was educated at .Upi; piugham and Christ Church; and for eleven years was domestic chaplain to Bishop Westoott. _As Bishop of Dorking,- in,tlie diocese of Winchester, lie has. for several years, had-, charge of Surrey, whero he will be'.greatly; missed. . > .

Reports have been received, of .the wonder- 1 ful scenes witnessed at the"Convention Hall.Washington, in connection with the special; mission of. Gipsy Smith. Among the. audience the Right Hon. James Bryce, British Ambassador, was seen' by a reporter, to:whom he said he was heartily in accord with '■ Mr. Smith .and his "work. : "Mr. . Smith -is . a wonderful man," said Mr. Bryce,. "and ha. is doing a wonderful work, not only in this country, but in England. His eloquence is superb, and his methods of preaching the'• proper kind of Gospel{t-o the rich and poorand 1 to the Church member ,and the outcasii alike have , won many souls' to Christ. And . ho will continue to do even moro good if- J he; follows '.the same line of t-caching." ~- .'

Tho Rev.\ George Hooper, of Dulwich, )vho has just been inducted to the presidency " of the 'Metropolitan Federation., of FreeChurches, is : a foremost figure; among tho ''' London ministers of the United : MetEbdistf Church/ His. breezy personality and ':vigor-. ; '. ous plain salted with humour, and' witty- and;, ready .replies to interruptions/.. place - him _ among the most popular; platform' speakers- in i the . country. . His ministry at-Oanning-towri; included distinguished social ;. service during the',bad winter of 1904-5, when the .Thames Iron Works ' almost':'' en- ' tirely closed down. Of later years, ho has . travelled a.great deal in the.interests of the.:' Free Church Council movement. His early, training made- him a Methodist,: his -father":.'; having been for half, a century a AVesleyan. local preacher. Mr.'Hooper himself began ! work on the Cleveland Mission ' of. that Church. Then for three years, ho was an Anglican missioner. . Then V followed ] ten ; years'of successful labour as a-Conriexional/ missioner ", of ■ tlie TJnit-ed Methodist. Free : Churches'.: He entered the; regular ministry.,, in 1898.' Hp is tho only . minister. in London.•. on the Central. Committee for old age pensions. .

!'■ The great united evangelistic mission in Lon* donj projected by: Lord Kinriaird;and a' : cbm-, mitteo 'of . Anglican" arid Free':Church Evangelicals, has been abandoried, on the ground that neither the time nor the circumstances seem propitious. The London s ' "Christian World" says:—"The decision, we feel, is,a,' wise one. There is undoubtedly a growing disinclination airiong English ;i xeh'gious people ;for. imposing : mission*s. and, aspreading dis?, position to 'endeavour to! effect-the/results at .which the-big missions aim—but so often ' fail to achieve less ambitious means. 1 . It; ■is a satisfactory; sign of the times.that many ministers now." hold .special missions in their own churches instead of calling in. professional evangelists'; Recent experience loft the; impression that expensive revivalist "missions waste moriey and effort without- appreciably strengthening the: churches. The American evangelists have lost their vogue, and even some ; of the Free ChurehCouncil'a missioners can bo spared for; prolonged periods of service abroad."

,' Tho Pope .is 'again indisposed (wrote' al .Rome correspondent on November 30), having taken cold a few.days ago when no inaugurated in the "Hall of Geographical Maps " '.an' exhibition,of the frifts -which his • Holiness received' from; the']faithful_ thro'"*out the world; on the; occasion : of his jubilee*-'. The ..Pontiff v on ; that occasion especially ad- ' mired tho many church- vestments of. beautiful Irish lace which has been forwarded* : This ..time tho...cold took a'more acute fonnj-; the hoarseness' developing into a cough with: -. slight fever.;: The Pontiff did not .wish "to ; suspend his audience, but his doctors insisted l on the point/ upon which Pius X ret-orted, ; " You, then,V will be responsible for the con-' , sequences." Professor Marchiafava; replied:-. "The consequence will be a more-speedy re- ; covery,"; but the .Pope, added, '-' Meanwhile/, however, -I shall be lolled several times over by the: press in different.countries.!|.. -Not-;, withstanding his reluctance, the Pope has been obliged to' yield to the desire of the , doctors, and he. now remains in bed, where : -he is nursed by his own sisters,: who: on such\ occasions return -;to_ .-him ' and agaiii-.take;: charge of his daily life. . . ; :'v;