RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 936, 1 October 1910, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

THE BIBLE SOCIETY'S REPORT, SIX NEW LANGUAGES. To walk through the warehouse of the British and 1 Eoreign Bible Society is - a vivid and wonderful lesson in world geography, and similarly the annual report of;the society, /just issued, lias much of the fascination of a. World-wide travel book. To those who turn over the pages .for the' first, time tie volume is an introduction to countries and peoples .and tribes "and tongues of whorir thoy had never heard, or "hardly heard, before! The Bible, or .parts of 'it, is now published by the society in 424' languages, and; .during the past s year six -.new s ;languages -; were .added ,to the. list.The; Gospel of-Matthew', was issued for, the first time in Omgom, .the spfeeCh of a powerful Bantu tribe in French Congo, and .both Matthew, and Join in Namau, the speech of .40,000; cannibals on tho south''coast- of British New .Guiuea. : . For. three'.' of:-, tbe new,' versions the". society is indebted. to Continental schol-' ars. A complete New Testament has at ' last, been 'published in Tigrinya, l ,a; Semitic language" spoken by 3,000,000. people in a province of AbyssiniL::;.: In Braille typo for. the, blind, now books, were "completed last year.in Welsh, Spanish, Italian, Gujarati, 'and two '^/The 1 rwssu4;:6f - the. English Biblo in revised Braillehas now been, completed. In all 6,620,024 Bibles, New Testaments,: and., portions were'; issued last year —an increase of. 685,000. on tho previous; year, ,This was .the "first time the issues havo risen to' 6,000,000 copies. "V- The increase is; chiefly due to progress in the Far East. More than-1,500,000 copies of the Scriptures went to China, and of these nearly' 99 per. cent; were sold;/.'.while 356,000 books, were circulated in Korea:,and 305,000 in Japan. .. •' •' In .all: £89,120-was received from' 1 the sale of Scriptures; last' year. „ .• -The: total receipts,' >■, including 7';: special V funds, amounted" to .'£234',728, wliile." the total expenditure, was "£242,890(":., Thus .there .was' a ,'deficienoy of l '£8162 tie general fund, receipts, were : less; thai the previous year;.- Since . its' foundation' in 1804, ..the Bible' Society- has; issued'over 222,000,000 copies ,'y of , tho Scriptures. Those who would _ know more of the varied and-fascinating wflrk should" ,turn" to the.report for themselves..

PAULINE MYSTICISM. BRILLIANT LECTURE BY DR, . INGE V The lectures; given at. Summer School of Theology at Exeter by. Dr. .1 Inge, tho Lady -'.Margaret;-Professor of; Divinity at' Cambridge, were ;/ He '.was -'rapid /iri' his/.deliveryj.:possibly, because he had so much to .say. ,- His lectures_ wero briliant'. discourses on.. a fascinating; theme,arid it! w'as! evident - that-inany ;of ,lis pronouncements .were, a revelation to Bohio of the-clergy pre-! Sent. Dr. .Inge is a potent , personal force, winsome iind . impressive, and -.evidencesi mastery, of. liis, subject, i?!- 'To- , watch' ; ! and listen; was an , inspiration. Tho .'most striking portion' was Dr. Irige'sAdiscussion; He regarded/it, as—first, the belief that the: universe ; J is tone/ in !' ; a - stricter ; sense than''is .commonly. hold,; and, secoua, .that'! this-.' unity: behind. ' is, ■ or! may be, intuitively grasped. Religious -mysticism' .adds- that■ salvation' consists incident ifying-ourselves with .this one.'JalWinbracirig principle,! arid ; : thai the means to be- employed are.first purification and; then.. toKgKten'jneiitiCClirisr tiari! mysticism adds -furtner- that there is ' a; vital! identity -!between 1 the;; : '!: Being !whtf.' made the worlds' and; the;;histoiical; Jesiis., .Therefore the mystic .speaks/ of. unity , with -.Christ;and:'|of. iug Christ,! arid 'finds in the whole history; of the- Incarnation,-a sort of, divine: plsy/'.The Christian-^ whereby it was lriado/easy for cultivated Greekifand'Roiniiris^/to, '.accept,;.the';new. religion, -is: Paul's greatest contribution to! Christianity; By .this ineans .Christianity was .brought into line .with tho •gfeatVnait^ : them. - It is .-St. aPaul»who; helps us to 'see "tho .whole process.of Christ-.";/!He. it >3s . who ' based : Christianity on . "natural-: .thbiiaturEii .world, as weli 'as' "natural law- in the , spiritual;/world."!;V-,.1n;. ;"th'e : of his conversion, he does riot separate, as we vTh'is; stamps; himVas • ; X" mystic. v'-Hej held; that, only \ those dan see'- visions who ' ares V capable, ■and;the,' internal' just as. much 'fpart^bf^'Ah'e;,Divine "illumination;/as ,'tliei' •/external; revelation.. : To Paul, these irradiations- camo as sudden flashes, •• as visions. / The study,of evidences Paul regards., with.distrust, arid almost with contempt.;;/, : /;?;f*t;/ ? /;■ ■'

A NEW METHODIST HYMNAL. '; '.'After l boing'in. use:' fori twenty. years, i the .present ;dis£;Hymrialys,:.^ ! in' .the /eyangelicaU;churches, aid' decidtidvto '!'provide ; : a'''suitable," Supple-, ment to r the • Church '• Hymnal. Tho General 'I3ook Cohimitteo lias been' lish at; the earliest data such a Supplement, aud.it is'to contaiii 250 hymns, or ;'-.il'ot. to": 'exceed' *■':300. Weekly." . •: .;;!■ : : .'V '' v ':'• :. > ' :: : • '- :

' CONGREGATIONALISM. .Mr;": ;Jiihii/ ; ;Mihsliull, ,i df. : 'thoEriglisli Congregational TJriibrij: has .compiled tlie '{ollo?mng'.fltatißtics^regardittg^tfi«'^nrorld'B; Congregationalism• , . .' ;.f,Church ..members 1,400,051 • Churches ' •.-',15,874 ' Sunday Sclioblscholars.'.V. 1,678i558 ' ' This shows an increase .of.l2,Bsß'membors /