BACK TO PAGANISM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 438, 22 February 1909, Page 4

BACK TO PAGANISM.

STRIKING SERMON BY THE REV. T. ; H. : ;■/. ; ■■•;..-..;;/,: SPROTT.;;.:■; ■■:■■ ; .;■ O'; ; '"- ; •■■■■lll" the'coursb of his; at St.-'Paul'a '-'■ "-. pro-Cathedral yesterday morning, tho Rev. iV.H./Sprott stated,that: lie intended during ■ ,'. 'tho' coming season of Lent 'to give a series ';': of addresses on Thursday evenings on the : ■ Letters'; to■■■■•tho'.' Seven/Churches] referred to./. •-.' in 'tho Book of' Revelation. Ho went on'to- ~.\.,'. say that in these days this Book was com- ■ ■ •." ing 'to, bo' , regarded as!the. most .living, book ../' / hi the''New .Testament,-in' view of,the fact/■ that tho Church, was probably, in tho near ■ : . future ; likely to undergo the same v experi- ■■"-./■" encos!.as : .the .-"earlv- Christians nearly. ;_2OOO : v ■ years 'ago,,to whom the letters were origin- ;. •;. ally written. ■ The Church.'.then' stood in the . . :; midst ..of an' alien society—-a little ; . commun- ' ~:'. ity within.the/great-Graecd-Pagan :civilisa-:. : :■; tion; and : many .thoughtful people felt that '•■ ■ •/. tho Christian Churcli to-day ;wasgetting"intoV-L. : : a^Tery-j'Hmila^''positiohV';-:-The^.Church-.cpnld , .'-."; no.longer be regarded as' cq-extonsive Vwitk • .'■-■/■. Christendom. /.There;had' beenva" marked -re-/;: ■ ■'■■. . vival of the "Pagan conception 'of life.-/ First ' .;■ thero was ; a. position of unstable equilibrium. ■ '///' in -which; various. principles contended-" to-,'.,s gether,' but .none of them 'got.th'o upper .' : .' : hand. Then'.two great principles—the .Curia-, '-'■' ;; tian 'and tho Pagan—gradually became.' : :: '.' entangled," *and ■ now! stood opposite ; one' •; an-■ ■' ■" ,; other 'in.deadly.conflict; ''Tho'"world''had■'..:■ reached .the .close of an, age in. history. 'Wβ . ■ lived in 1 a. of. transition,' and -people. ■;•' would' be; compelled to take 'side'si'and'dV" ~ ■.olnro. where Ithey stood; The. two great prin-> ;■', ciples i of; life were' now standing. apart—the Pagan;: and_ the : frankly. ..Christian,: v ■•';'. ■and we;'.wire;- entering . upon; a : period :or :: ' i dpadly;:striigglo'between^^'thertwo. 'Men'would" /: . ■'. haveto/take one side'or, theother;-. .No one ': knew -.exactly,how the .world...would ■■ divide . , itself. v: ;Hl (the, preacher): oh :.thov':' .PaganJsioViri' the.pulpit; and they "might-be ''. onithoi.Cliristian , side in the'pew. , ' ; 'At the -•■- '..- present moment ; tlie- PagM ". side;^eemed^to'' , i.be'inthf'ascendant,' 'arid/'the"; Christian 'com- '■' ■':■': munity; ivas -only;a. pqrtionfof Christendom.. ■■'■'•■ llt :was;ilot. a question ,:oi- dogma'bri'dddtrine';';'. ■■ but; it twae ;a' 'question "."of-.:two^.conflictirijj";..".- : - : ideals; if. : life.. This , was the .position which faced/tho^■;writer' ; of.:.■ : to ; Seven/Churches ;;in 'of:Revelatibh; : -i-y and' ititho : .light of. recent •;experiehce" that'?- 1 ' 'Book,?.-'instead'vofvbeing'-fuir of/cdnuiidrums'* -■■■:: andipuzzles, : ;was' ! b'econiing : ''a''most; living r ■;' ; book;"Tho period of unstable equilibrium , of 1; - ■.which .ho.::had Yspoken;: cbmmenoed ; vat'the.'.itimcf (of; the 'Renaissahce-^the;' revival; : ' of Greek'■ arid : ;Pagan ,; learning—in\;the .techth, : xehtury.. ; It 'nearly l paganised- Baly/?-' ;at; the 'timo'i-:'.and. ; perhaps 'northern" , Europe would-have, been,•paganised :but ; for the ap-:''" ■pfarwiqe of the.^^great'personality of.Luther; '•"' Iho. Reformation. checked'tho-movement, r, but- ; ' v ;at the-present day : the Pagan view'had again.- '■' v asserted.itself 'to's.uqli an extent that peb-• ■... <plo inust ; sopn,;aß:he had:'already'.said, : make; ' the-chdioe between .the, Pagan ahd'Chrife- :: " '' tian^ principle, of life;- "When' a-.man iisbd the ! ''I word Pagan;: people who wrote; to. thfinews- ' '■'- papers seemed'to think.that. ; scoundrelism : b'r : '-' ;! :blnckgHttrdism;vwas;.moa'nt,-:b'ut; the ; wbr'd' : ' nieanfc nothings of •:■ the ;its; best was- seen! in .the Greetideal of life 1 - • • of;all man's; •power's''and;' facultiesl in>tins. , world .arid; with'reforenoe;:to••" ■ : this ;world' aloneV.whereaa"-the : Christian con; '" '.cep'tioii!of -life-"found dts-inspiration' in•i-'thV •' unsce^i■:^.^^.#^^■v■;:;V;;^^:O , ..;;:;!;A:.;';Wi'^■';' i S;';V+;:■ 1