RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1002, 17 December 1910, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

—— COUNCIL OF CHURCHES. ANNUAL CONGRESS IN IIELBOURNE. ; y ; . The annual congress-of .the: Council, of Churches,-.held', in'--;-Melbourne recently, was. 1 a' gathering' of great interest and importance.'.. .The congress .itself consisted of. some 200, clerical .-and Jay representatives; the proceedings, occupied the, whole- of'the-day,-■ and were crowned by a great public-meeting in the. evening, with a fine-list of-speakers. During the day, and : in,-the evening, matters of great public importance wero discussed, ■ and discussed', with intelligence and ".'power.' : The president;' the'"Rev. ;; Professor Adam,- wa's."ih : „the, chair, and . ..the selected preacher was the Rev. F.. C. Spun-. : -,

Tho-Rey. Professor.Adam, in .his presidential; address,- referring to the question of-Church-union, stated that it was premature to. predict what the outcome might.;be. , Bishop Gore,"the High Church .Bishop of Birmingham, at a recent congress =at' Cambridge, declared as ail indisputable proposition "that the ■ Anglican commuriioii--would certainly be rent -in 'twain .011 the day 011 which . any ' non-episcopally-ordained minister was formally allowed within the Anglican: communion; to ; celebrate the Eucharist; and-any' colonial Church of their coninuinioh-w-hich---".rec'ogui'sed in this vay..'tiiQ..vaUi3ity.. > olviidh-«piefi(K' pal Church .orders .. would .either , be' disowned by ./other; par,ts. of ..the - Anglican communion,; or if-tha-t.'wcro-iiot 'fho-ca-sd would causp'-divisioh -witliiK thqis; comniunion. at home." His 'statement apparently -conveyed, a'warning to' Archbishop Clarke and his confreres in Australia, and it was received with loud cheers. Unless tho Anglican Church in Australia was prepared in-the interests of a united Protestant Church, to run the risk of being disowned .by Bishop Gore and his' confreres- in tho Old Country, there,., seemed: littleprospect in the Qf-any ;' -negotiations they mights-enter into -bearing-fruit' in tho way. of" union. -'"If ,tho- 'Protestant Churches of Austrajia ha/I the faith and courage to enter into the wider union, with the Anglicans included, it would result in a uhited Protestant Church' so strong. and .vigorous that.it could afford to look, with equanimity on-whatever attitude Bishop Gore-, and his, confreres in- ""the"- Old .'^Country' should choose to tako up towards it: . The featuro'of.the luncheon was"tho address of' the l A c '! n 6"l >r hne Minister. Mr. Hughes- said'-he sympathised-with tho work of- tho Council of . Churches. As far as -lie could see there-was not 0110 word iii its manifesto with which' members; of the Labour Party -could liot cordially co-operate. 'It ; was not for him to'venture ail, opinion 011 how the council hoped to- achieve theso tilings.- The political s and. religious parties- had ,to..pursue !their , own ways. It "was a'great thing- ' to;. have • one common end in view; This-being so, lie -Hoped' it-7would hot. bo ilong' before, politicians: and preachers - were proceedmg along the same road..'. .