FRIENDS' CONFERENCE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 504, 11 May 1909, Page 2

FRIENDS' CONFERENCE.

YESTERDAY'S MEETINGS. ' Address by dr. hodgkin. . - Tho conference, of the Society of Prionds was occupied during yesterday morning and part of the nftcrnooji in discussing suggestions regarding the establishment of a Friends' colony in New Zealand and a school for tho children of Friends and others as an adjunct to such a colony. 1 Most of those who' spoko strongly favoured the idea. Several Friends were appointed for the purpose of nominating a committee to go further into the matter. In the afternoon Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, D.C.L., Litt.D., delivered' an address 011. "Predestination." The sitting was open to tho public. Dr. Hodgkin said ho rejoiced that, the doctrine of predestination, as formulated by some of the great theologians of tho R-eforlnatibn, had practically faded out of the minds of. men, and Was 110 longer insisted oil by any of the churcheß. It remained to bo asked what was meant , by tho many passages in Scripture,, and especially; in the writings, of St. Paul,, where tho word was used. '.Ho believed:that in suck pas-, sages Paul was thinking, not of Heaven or Hell for tho individual; out of tho choice of nations to bo fellow-workers, with God in tlio setting up of His kingdom on earth, and of their rejection or reprobation whetl they failed to,put their freewill alongside of ihe foro-ordaining, will of God, and to co-operato in His gracious designs. Paul, as a Hebrew of the Hebrews, passed through great spirit-, uftl agonies ere he surrendered himself wholly to .tho conviction that, as the result of the coming of the Messiah, the middlo wall of partition between Jew and Gentilo was brokon down. When olio realised Piuil's "personal'equation," and looked at . Israel's election through his eyes, all difficulties, perhaps,' did not vanish, but ono saw that ho thought of the eternally.-.preordained damnation, of. individual . souls ever crossed .tho mind of tho great! apostle, and a load; was lifted off one's mind. Though, without anyexact warrant from Scripture, one might safely extend this thought of .national election to other" natioriß besides tho Hebrews. Von Ewald ha'u suggested a .triple vocation of, the.: nations—Grecco to art and philosophy, Rome to government -and jaw, Israel, to the: knowledge of God;. one indivisible, ■ eternal. Doubtless,. _ Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon had also their parts assignod'to theffi by the Almighty Poet'inHis great drama of . tlie,_ Ascent of Man.- A/' similar distribution of gifts,: with calls to various duties, was surely observable among the nations of' the modern world. .Every. ■EnMish patriot should ask himself: Wo falling in with tile eternal counsels of-God, who gave us our glorious nationality, or are, we through feloth, or selfishness,, or t>rido, or luxury, falling short of our high .calling,- and in danger.of- \being.', rejected, l ; reprobateP" Had there not also Ron Divilie predestination in the selection of tho particular lower species, wliich had developed into nlanP; Tho. Incarnation of tho Son of God put the crowning stoiio on an ediflco which had bten slowlyrearing through ages which our little human intelligence achea to contemplate. _' Tho human race was the tool-bos of tho Almighty.' But if Vo wore to do the good works whichwere foreordained 'for us, wo iiitlst seek that Divino guidanco wliioh Was tin essential part of tho scheine of Christianity.: , 1 The Revs. S.' Patorsbn and J., Reed GlaSson expressed high appreciation of the moaner in which tlio subjects had been handled., ; Mr. W,' Hi Harlock (Dunodin) read a paper oil "Quakerism in its Relation to Modern Mystioism." • A yoUng peoplo's meeting sit tho Y.M.O.Ai was conducted by Mr. Georgo Hodgkin and Miss V. Hodgkin. There Was a good attondtuiee, and tho meeting was of an interesting character. ■ '. .- ■ 1 ' '"' The conference did.not sit in tho evening, but-most of-the Friends attended a' peace meeting at tho,Y.M.O.A. / . . . ,