POLITICS AND THE PULPIT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 722, 22 January 1910, Page 4

POLITICS AND THE PULPIT.

. The.ridiculous, yet ■iogical,'-'.'climax has■ been reached, of the' interference of the ■Church. in'. ;■ The.other, day; it- was ■■reported, in .connection with/tKe\return.:oi: : ,tno' : :-KEY.i.vQy:SiK VESTEii- HoKire, ..a Congrcgationalist minister j as member.f or Ipswich,' that when the minister afterwards.enter-; ed his' pulpit: at Whitefield's, Tabernacle/, his congregation 50.far forgot, the sanctity of the 'placej.'and'.' purpose off their' gathering as to ■'■cheer and ;\va've ■ their.' hats and handkerchiefs. ■■■.The;'exhibition'-'surely showed , the ..very', wrong, condition of .mind in which they came to church, and it is' to be hoped, though perhaps hardly to be, expected, that 118. Hohne rebuked them.fitly before- beginning his .sermon.' To-day, it;is reported in our cable news that, 1 following the defeat '■ of; .■ Mr. -Will Crooks; Labour member for Wool-, wich,the vicar of St. John's, Plumstead, has announced his' intention of holding a thanksgiving service to comihcniorate ; the time of delivprarice; of Woolwich, from the hands of : So : •oiaUsts: and. Sabbath-breakers. Wo cannot, imagine anything, inore certain to lower the dignjty and .iriflu-: ence of : his.Church. This proposal ia even more remarkable' than tho. Nbn-. conformist demonstration, hot only because it goes further and emanates from the clergyman himself, but also bocausej while many of the Nonconformist ministers have been politicians hardly less- than pastors, throughout tho recent; crisis, Anglican ministers have ; generally : \ been more restrained, and havel received from ■ those. m authority- over them somo exceedingly good' advice.as to the difference between, religion and .The Archbishop 1 of Canterbury, while urging : on', his .people "the solemn ; obligation .of, raakingthosd." (i.c.V- political) interests . and : anxiotics and ; controversios the subject of constant andO expectant prayer," addod wisely, ''T do not in the least mean that wo havo ,a right in thought or prayer.to .identify the political or,social.icause, whatever it bo, which wd have made our own

with: the will of God; or to regard our opponents in such controversies as being, necessarily. inspired, by p.less inspired, or by a lesß devout or GoD-fearing purpose than that which; actuates ourselves." The Bishop of Southwell pointed out , that "congregations are as' well .able to. study polities as :their, ministers,, and 'as congregations have no right to reply the preacher who touches politics is presuming on his office and irritates his audience," 'Roman Catholic Bishops have claimed for' themselves the right to-direct the political votes of their flock, but it is impossible to conceive of either of the scenes suggested by the cablegrams occurring; in a Eoman Catholic Church. They show that when, a minister mistakes politics for his mission the. result will very probably be that his,congregation will .lose ; sight of .the sanctity arid . spiritual influence' of his Church'and of a minister's, true position, even if he does not, like the vicar at Plumstead, loso sigEt of them himself., ~,'v: .' ~ ;