RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 562, 17 July 1909, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY

DR. CLIFFORD ON MEREDITH. NOVELIST AS EXPONENT OF . .SCRIPTURE. ■■.■■' Under the heading- "Meredith as tho Mirror of his Ago and Ours," Dr. Clifford, in a recent sermon, said: "He is indeed an expositor of Scripture, of tho Scripturo which God has written on, the. face of the earth and the face of human life," and went on to oxamine' Meredith's attitude towards evolution, scepticism, freedom, the younger generation, and other great problems.'.''xes, but you say, ' how hard ho is to read,' " continued tho preachor. He quoted MarkPattison's'opinion that Meredith's name is \yell known to. novel readers as a label warning them not to touch. "Wo, love a book that sings sweet lullabies to us. \Vo ask to be like, a bucket placed near a flowing river, into which the water caii.go without .any effort on'tho part of the bucket.: That is how wo like to read. If you want to understand; Meredith you must think. Youmust wrestle with theso : sentences so that you may extract their meaning, and you will discover that no author has packed into a sentence so much wealth of thought and vividity of.expression as George Meredith." , Dealing with Meredith's schemo of human life, Dr. Clifford called attention to'tho splendid, battlo whiQi ho had waged against the three Apollyons of our day, selfishness, half-heartedness, and cowardice, adding that anybody wlio helped us in meeting them.was verily a benefactor: Like Browning, and the "apostlo Paul, Meredith taught that.all things work togethor for good, "but if the goal is. good, and Meredith is sure of it, the battle is hard." ■ ■ ,-■''■'• Perhaps the most interesting passage m Dr. Clifford's sermon was that on Meredith as a shepherd and counsellor. In this connection Dr. Clifford explained what.he considered were Meredith's live great words to us. Tho first was that we must live the 'life of faith. . The second concerned tlw valuo of prayer. ■ "The teaching of Meredith about prayer will do you a lot of good," commented Dr. Clifford. The third word was courage, f'l suppose," .said the lion of Nonconformity, "there is no sentence I have written oftener in the albums of. young/men and women than ' Cowardice is the ten and bottom ■ sin of modern, society.' Another, of my favourite' Meredith quotations is Expediency is man's wisdom; doing Tight is God's.'" The other two words were "Hope" and "Joy." "■■'.'•■ .. :■'■'. At the close Dr. Clifford dwelt on the two,- things which he missed, in Meredith. "One is that he does not help me to thmkof the Eternal, of the Infinite, in the-sweet and tender'and wholesome, and, as it seems to me/sine way'that Jesus Christ does. He does not: help mo ; to think of: God, the Eternal, that ho' so often speaks, or as nature, law, and earth, : as the Father. And "the■'other thing I miss is this. Hβ does not make so much use of the man-lovmg Nazarene as I should like him .to do. He refers to. Him and ' speaks ' : His thought' and preaches upon His work,, but he does not make the Christ, the Eternal; Redeemer, and Eternal King of men, so dominant in jhia thought and life as I would have'been glad if- he--had." , . .;..'. '..'.' '-...:'.

CHURCH, AND STAGE.

APPEAL FOE CO-OPERATION;

■The Bishop of London,,. speaking at the annual meeting- of the Actors'j Orphanage fund,, said'that as ho looked rounds London there were' two things, which; he saw and which he could name as the two, most powerful influences in London upon- tho lifo of tho people, andHhose two were the.Church .and the stage. -.' v . '■' ;•' ." -".-■,,'■' : '--' "'■■'■' '•;■ , Hβ wanted those two great. powcrs j to Work more closely together than, they did. It seomedto him that it was for all. of them to try'to ennoble arid onliven and- brighten the life \of tho great city to which they bc 7 longed, and he himself had backed, up to>..a certain extent the Actors'-.Church Union .be-cause-he looked upon that as, an-effort—not of a patronising sort, because the stage did 1 not want that—but,as a..brotherly : ettort.to try and draw their two great' professions closer -together.' As a, matter;? of fact, he llbokodjUpon tho acting professiori.as, giving a very great-.rest to tho tired people, m his diocese, by ' carrying-them .right aWay-out of another sphere .altogether. He was Teminded of an old woman in East London who'said: "I can only get out , of Bethnall Green in one way, and that is by fburponco spent on gin." .' . .....! Mr. George: Alexander, '.nv proposingi a vote of tijumks to the Bishop,' said that, as his lordship' "had said, - they did .not want patronage from the Church, but .they did wish the Church would 'work hand 'in hand with- thorn and' try \at times t'o see their better side.. Some little time ago a clergyman friend of his wrote; saying i 'My son John has threatened: to go upon'the stage, and I want you to stop him.'V That carried him back to.his own boyhood, when his father threatened him and told him' not to go upon the'stage, 1 and, strange .to; say, sitting on his left was one of his friends who advised him to disobey; his, parents, Shortly afterwards that young man went on the stage, and'he met him and asked him how his father took it. "I have not seen iiim," tho young man answered,, but he takes soine interest in me,' because whenever any actor is charged with a crime he underlines the report,of it in the newspaper and sends it to me." (Laughter:) Thai; proceeded Mr. Alexander, the sort of sympathy they did not want. ' ' -\ .

THE SCOTTISH ASSEMBLIES.

v QUESTION OF: UNION,

The question of the cemfereribo. with the United Free. Church on the ecclesiastical situation in Scotland, and on tho main- pauses •which keeptho Churches apart, ; was .Mβ. principal subject before tho members vt the General. Assembly of tho Established Church of Scotland'during the closing days of its recent session. The official motion agreeing to this "unrestricted conference", was submitted by Dr. Norman Macleod, who, in a speech of great power, declared that.it was not to be. understood that tho representatives of either Church would go into the conference prepared to 'surrender thein dearest convictions, or to give away any vital principle. Union might not come as soon as they hoped, but, there were the herald signs of its approach above the horizon. .' ■■ , . : There, was a protracted debate over the formula of subscription To the Confession cf Faith. There was a', perfect shower of.- motions and amendments, but itho battle raged between tho official motion'and,that'by the Rov. Peter Anton. Tho official motion,, which was eventually.agreed to, was as follows:—: "I hereby subscribe to the Confession of Faith, declaring that I accept it as the Confession of this Church, and.that I: believe the fundamental doctrines contained therein.' Mr. Anton's'opinion of the proposed formula was that-it was the silliest thwg v they had, and that it/bore the stamp of crude, immature and juvenile thought.. _ ■'.:_. ■In the co'urso of his closing address Dr. Robertson, the Moderator, referred to the question of Church Union; and he asked if thprc .was anything.in: all tho Christian outlook or their tiino to iiispiro more, hope than the manifest deepening of the feeling of brotherhood between men of the different Christian Churches, and the manifest" longing fer its fuller realisation in corporate union. Lord Kinnaird,' in the course of his address as Commissioner, hoped that tho motion that had been adopted would cheer them to: pray and labour for further co-operation,'and lie believed that tho work of that would mako.it memorable, in tho history of Scotland. .: : : '■„'•, j At tlie General Assembly of the United Free Cliurcli tliero was keen interest m tho report of tho Church and State Committee. With co-operation in tho air aggressive action was deprecated. The committee .was <Kappointed "with instruction to watch over the subject." For the present the question of Disestablishment has been placed on _a top sholf. When submitting the motion that a com?nittcfi should bp apiwinted.to confer with tho col-responding commatteo \ of the 'Estab--1 lished Church on the question of co-operation, ■Dr. Henderson,itho Moderator,-made a stirring appcnl for amity. Ho. said that ho was suro'tne.fceling of the. wholo , Assembly, was that they had arrived'at a very great mq-: mont in tho history, not only of thoir own ■ Chuwh, but of £k> Presbjtoriaa Church in

Scotland. Dr. Lawe seconded,. and said it was worth while coming all tho way fropi Central Africa to do. so. ' Tho motion was. , agreed to,, and a committeo of 105 members was appointed, with Dr. Henderson, con : .■..: veiier, and Dr."Robson, vice-convener. 3 , Dr: Henderson took for the subject of his . closing address a reviowiof tho Church's'posi- ~.'. tiori, and ho: made a : strong appeal for in-, creased support to the Central Fund. Union,., ho said,! would come not by mere goodwill ori' adroit scheming, bnt with an awakened sense-- > of tlio. urgency of spiritual service, when the ' people saw that their divisions wore creating obstacles to their tree work throughout tho/ -\ .country.—"Christian. 'World."- . ■.;•;.';

];'■'. BIBLICAL RESEARCH. i>

PONTIFICAL LNSTItUTB FOUNDED. '■ A Pontifical Institute of Biblical etudiej has.been formed in Rome. Tho Jato Pdntift " (writes the Rome correspondent, of tho'Eng- ■ ■fish "Tablet'!) had ; hoped to be dble to found. \ a Biblical University in Honio shortly after' ■ tlio constitution of tho Pontifical Biblical v Commission, and frequently lamented the; fact that tho finances of tho Holy See did.'/.' not permit him to undertake it. . Bius Xi";'has never lost sight of tbo same objective, > ■ but discovered early that tho question :or\ ; and moans \yas not tho only difpcolty,. in .the'way of its* realisation. At one time,, apparently, tho plan was to* liavo the, Uni- ■ vorsity centre round tho Biblical Comnriß* sion, and bo entirely dependent on it, ; but' . there were several reasons ,against tttis, and. ; ■' tho new institute'will have' no; other con-' nection with the commission than that ;'of ; '-'..i; ; bsing guided by its decisions and following tho courso prescribed by the commission for , the attainment of the Academio Degrees in Sacred Scripture. . '_ ■_ v . .-. The apostolic letter by which wie institute was founded contains tho following clauses:- : "The aim of the Pontifical Biblical tube is that, there, may bo in the-city of Rome- a centre for the higher Btudies relafc---.'-.' ing to the Sacred Books,_ designed to promote in the most: elSoacious way possibly' ; . Biblical learning and all the studies- con- '; nected with it. For the attainment of this" ; : end it is, , first of all, important that young men" selected from' both of €ho : . clergy and'from tlio various nations after■ having finished the ordinary course of' phil- ' t osophy- and theology, become so perfected : and practised in Biblical etudies" that they; ' may bo capable afterwards of employing them bofh in-public and in private, , and-' ; both by writing and teaching, and securing' . approval by the so-lidity, and sincerity -of : their dockiue,' be able to maintain the dig-' nityof these studies cither as professors m "■; Catholic schools or by writing in defence of/ Catholic truth. . ■ ' ' ■ .""■■)■'- . ■■ Finally, fho end of the institute requires ; that it ehpuld defend, promulgate and pro- ~/ mote Eoun'd teaching concerning the Sacred.,' , Books; in perfect conformity; with the;rule ... given or to be given; by this Holy ApostolioJ ;;,■'■• See against false, erroneous, '■' temerarious, ;■ ■■ and'heretical., opinions, •especially.' those r,.; broached',by modern, writer^.'■ ■ ..;.. '' ■' .' :.;' 'k . : . ■•':>' ' "" '. '''":'. ''■ ■'•. .''":.■ '-. -':

JOTTINGS.

' At tie British Christian Endeavour annual' '■'■'•• convention, held at Bristol recently, tho Rev. ''■; ■ E. Abbott (Maccks(ield), in his presidential'; ■ address', said that Christian Endeavour ,had , . not 'exhausted- its possibilities of service." to V : the Churches.- ■'Wisely- guided .and sympa- y : thetically exploited by the Churches, ■ it was. y capable of another twenty years of fruitful-/, service. The past year had been one of:, strenuous .toil, , but happy' activity. . : had always been desirable had now become imperative/' namely,-' the steady, continuous influx, of young life into the Churches. The y predominant factor in the'situation was not ' the "raau in -the ..street," but tho child in.-'-, the : home.''.. Sunday School.. Christian ■'- En- ' ieavour .had: contributed two million, of - : members to the .Churches in a ljttlo over/;;' twenty-five years. (Applause.);/ There was--•■': elasticity in their method, \but no compromise of principle. Antagonism and misconception respecting tho movement .were y passing away; Tho necessity of tho Churches . ' was tho, opportunity of Clinstian JEndeavour, \ .which was loyal to the Churches and hadnot .yju ,lostythe';"Evangelistic spirit; '■«*"."■ • • ..,-■ ■•:,"■ .'-.V:; :, The .election of Principal of the (New Collego,' Edinburgh, in.room of the Marcus Dbds, has boon made \ The 'Rev. Dr. v Hastings had given notice that ho would proposo tho name'of Professor James A. Paterson, and tho Rev. Dr. Diclrieithat of Professor MacEweu, but they intimated that m ; view of the nomination of Dr. Whyto they, at the request of their nominees, and withy a view to a' unanimous apppuitinerit, asked'-\ leave t-o.withdraw their motions. (Applause);) : \: The- Rev. : Dr. Breminer, Glasgow; then pro-" posed'that'tlw Rev. Dr. Alexander Whyte ■',;■;( bo appointed Principal. Of tho eleven Synods. , the whole had nominated Dr. Whyte, and , • iorty-four of the sixty Presbyteries had also . sent -up his name. Dr. Whyto was-a man pre-eminent among the preachers of Scotland and elsewhere, and it would bo a great, incentive to the students to feel that they;. T Had at the head of the college a man who ; had illustrated the : powor of tlio pulpit as ■• it seldom hail been illustrated'in the ivstory ..-.'■ of Scotland. The' Rev. Dr.-Whyte, was unamj I mously elected. Professor Kennedy, author of elected. Professor Kennedy, author of ■ several authoritative published works, bae ■■* been appointed Professor of New Testament:. Literature,and Theology in-the college. ;■;■■;•■ Canon Hensley Hensori, interviewed wheny ■'; in America recently, admitted that, uj the :-<> last few years the Tractarian or High ChurcU . party, in- England had: gained strength.' ; - Though only 8000 of the 24,000-clergymca.:;;: of the- Church of England are identifaod witlij, . ' it, ! the number included many , in; prominent;!: ''■ positions,'and-perhaps four-Bfths > • of; tne-.,,;. Bishops. This tendency,; if not arrested : .would, ho said, take the Church'of England.;£ further and further' away froni b*mg, as_ it .- tad been ever since tho Reformation,. Me bulwark of Protestantism. On the ; other ,-■. hand, Dr. Heilson sees forces at work out- ~-y side tho clergy, among the■ laity,-and-in-ihe I ; world atMargc, that to arrest this ■ tendency. Dr. Henson expressed his appre-( ciation of the contributions which-many Won- -. : -v conformist 1 leaders aro making .to, religious ; thought and' activity. Ho instanced , Dr.; Forsytlr and 'Mr. Jowett, and spoko with. ■ . special enthusiasm of tho vencratea Dr:_. Macliren, and .of-the intellectunl and spiritual,, leaders' , in Scotland, such/ as George Adam - . Smith and Professor Dcnuoy. Tho Ven'.M. P. Furso has teen selected b. : o-ucceod tho now Archbishop of' Cape Town", fli the . Biskoprio. of Pretoria. -■ lho_ now,; ; ; Bish'opis ason of tho late Archdeacon Furse, ; ; wlio was appointed by Mr. Gladstone to. a ':. canoury of). Westminster, and .among h » ; ;; many accomplished.bwthers arp Mr.. Mc-nseU;« Furse, the sculptor, and Major Furse,. D.b.0., /, Mr Furso graduated at Trinity' Col ege, Ox--ford, a foundation which has producod an astonishing number of distinguished eccJesi-,-. astics.iriclnding tho Primate, Bishop Uro, J and leather Btiintoh. Ho remained a. Follovr of Trinitv until hie marriage—which took , placo in tho college chapel-after which ho volunteered .with his American mfo for mis- ;, sion work in South Africa. .' ... ; : ~',; The Australasian branches *of tlie Y.M.C.AI ; - aro being approa'chod for contributions to a "Technical , . Collega and Hostel," as ,ay memorial, to the lato Sir Gcorgo'. Walhams,;,,; founder of tho association. Tho buildmg n ; to stand as nearly.as possible m the heart :y of London, in close proximity to tho juno-y tiou of Oxford Strcot,. Tottenham Court Road, and Charing Cross Circus. Tho Circus • is''the centre of tlio greatest yavenuo or ■ London from cast to west, and' is crossed by tho most important lino of'traffic from north to south. Four, contributions '. of. .■'. £5000, several of £1000,. and;a number.of ', £500 havij already been , received, but , a balance of £83,000 is still required tocoiu-' pleto and furnish tho building. •;. ./. .. -~ Salvationists are delighted with- General, Booth's selection of tho; now Australasian .'■,'• Commanders—Commissioner and, Mrs. Hay. , The Commissioner's service extends over .27 ; years, His appointments have included tlio ' Chief Secretaryship of Great-Britain, under : the immediato direction of the Chief of tho , Staff.- For two'years ho has been in charge;-.i';-of the. International Training- Homes, Lon-::i----don. Mrs. Hay, for seven years, conducted';' tho great slum.operations of the Army.., : itty>'' London. '•;.■,■ ■■'. : ■ -■. ' ..■' : .''/y'Mrs. R. L. Wertheim, formerly, of Deiiyor City,. U.S.A., who recently '..conducted.':. a '■'<).< successful mission in Elt!iam, : is uow. holding a similar mission, in ,\Yestnprt t •-. ■ y