RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1043, 4 February 1911, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

A VERNACULAR LITURGY, AX INTERESTING PAPER, At a largely-attended meeting of members .nul friends of the Manchester branch of the Catholic Truth Soeioty a paper by the Very Rev. Prior Lfscher, o.l\, 011 "Vernacular Liturgy Considered" was read by Father Aspinall. The paper began by stating that the discussion which at different times, and recently ill America, had been raised on tlio use of the vernacular in the Catholic liturgy, served at least tlio good purpose of showing that a delenee or tlio I existing practic'c was opportune. In old times tho liturgy was celebrated in tlie vernacular or vulgar tongue, for the A])ost!es in public worship meet that language wliich was tne native tongue of 1110 people to whom they administered. 'Iliai. was quite clear jik-,0 from clie ancient liturgies, lor tliey. wero written m those .languages wluen were in lornier times tlio vernacular and <u3minon ones. jiut when, these languages in which-the liturgy had .boon written became obsolete, the Church, in her great zeal for tho honour of the worsmp of God, and tearing that the Sacred .Mysteries should becomc of lictle esteem when performed iu the vulvar tongue, retained the ancient language in her mystical-liturgy. As regarded Latin, whatever was its.origin in the liturgy, whether it entered first as a living or-dead language, the facts of the present shoiv tnat it was a custom and law many centuries old. It had an established position of its own. it was venerable in its antiquity, .endeared to millions by its associations, occupying a unique place ill the history ol the Latin tongue itself, a species of Latin that had acquired a music, a grace, a beauty all its own. It. had resounded through.iiio vaults of the most- glorious buildings ercctod to tho worship of tlio Creator,, and had earned for itself a victorious career visible to every eye. It was really the universal language, and such a universal language as they could never hope to see agaiu. Tlia Latin language was attached to tho Universal Church. That Church was one, with a unity unlike any other. It had never yet succumbed to tlio national peculiarity and idiosyncrasy of language. Tho Church required ail external symbol of her highest unity. Her work, her mission 'throughout the world was one, and ono language was a safeguard of that unity when it was, like Latin, unchanged and unchangeable. The vernacular introduced meant mysticism abolished. It meant ceremonial shorn of its interpretative'character. "Where the . vernacular came in, the .meaning of ceremony went out. Nations were striving against ccclcsiastical .unity with a force and a will be.yond any former precedent. _ The opposite tendency of a great centripetal force was absolutely required to..resist- that universal . aggression, and'where could it ,be better l'ound, among all possible external signs, than in that great sign of .the Day of Pentecost, the feast, of union and charity, in one tongue. (Applause.)

"THE FAITH AND MODERN THOUGHT."

PROFESSOR WE NOT ON THE REV. "WILLIAM TEMPLE'S BOOK/ : In -the •''-Theologische Literaturzeitung" lor December It), Prof. Wendt, 'of Jc-na, reviews tlie work, lately publishod by the HeV. ' AYilliara Temple, .headmaster of Ilepton, under tie title, "The Faith and Modern - Thought" (Alacmillan). ■ Dr. YVendt says: "The lcctures aro'apologetic in the best sense of the word. . . ." After a brief survey of the contents of the"ivork, he goes oil: '"lhe lectures aro attractive becauM of the warmth with which tho writer defends the truth and-value of Christian teaching as a whole;-and by the clear and simple stylo of his exposition. It is easy to sec. from this book that the anther is a theologian of many fitted training. We hope that in tlie future he may produce much more excellent work, which .will help towards tliii systematic development and establishment of Christian doctrine."

Mr.--Temple is a son of-the-late Archbishop of Canterbury, and'recently paid a visit to. Australia.

DEATH OF REV. T. C. SELBY.

PREACHER, AUTHOR, AND CRITIC-. Rev, Thomas G. Selby, tho wellknown W.esleyan minister, died at Bromley, Kent, on December 12, at tho age -of sixty-four. Few modern Wes-. ■ leyau ministers have' been known ; so widely through their published sermons. Such volumes'as "The Imperfect Angel," "The Unheeding God," "The Min- ' istry of the Lord Jesus," and "The Divino Craftsman," were hailed far arid wide as masterpieces of the art of preaching. His fame was all the moro singular in that lie had a decidedly unattractive delivery as a preacher, and ho never attracted largo congregations when-ho occupied the pulpit. Born :-.i. New Radford, Nottingham, in IS4G, Mr. Selby was educated at private schools in Nottingham and Derby. Ho was accepted for tho ministry in 1867, and, volunteering for foreign work, was sent to Richmond College. After a year there he was called but. for.service in Southern China;'and for fifteen years laboured in the Canton District. Ho returned • home in 1883, with his health impaired by his residence . in China, and for fifteen years fulfilled tho work of. a circuit: minister. He was elected, to the Legal Hundred in 1894, and ill ISB6 he delivered, the Fern Icy Lccture, a masterly exposition of "Tho Theology of Modern Fiction." Mr. Selby's literary- work included the translation into Chinese of a- Life of Christ and the translation of many Chinese stories into English. Possessing a virile .and. mordant pen, Mr. Selby 'played some part in journalism, his reviewing work being particularly brilliant.

THE ADVENT HOPE.

DEAN 1 ROBINSON AT THE ABBEY. A remarkable amount of interest was taken in a'course of lectures on "The Advent- Hope in St. Paul's Epistles," the first of which the Dean of Westminster delivered in tho Abbey on Saturday afternoon, December 4. Tho famo of -Dr. Arniitage Robinson as an ecclesiastical scholar and the fact that he is shortly leaving Westminster drew a large, congregation. In introducing his subject, the Dean spoke of tho relation of our Lord's thought and teaching to tho main conceptions set forth in tho Jewish apocalyptic literature which pervaded tho best Jewish life of His time. .He proceeded to..speak of St. Paul's apocalyptic picture of tile future in 1 Thossalonians. With regard to the time of Christ's coming Paul told the Thessaloniaiis the one thing certain was that it would take the world by surprise. Clearly he did not contemplate that ho or the.v (with some possible exceptions) would die before the Advent. Everywhere he taught and organised as though an indefinitely long period was before tho Church. There was no hurry in the life of Christ, and plainly Ho intended that there should be none in tho lives of His disciples. Paul urged eager and watchful expectation of the coming, but he pointed out to the converts from heathenism the change they had already" experienced was greater than any that- could be in store for them. Their

salvation had begun ; its coutinuanco was as sure as God was sure. "That," said the l)ean, • "is the. new thought which Christianity has introduced into the midst of tl:o Jewish expectations of :;alvaticn. . This conviction that the kingdom is"i and is to lie. leads to many puzzling inconsistencies in the Gospel and in the.rest- of tho New Testament. The salvation U both present and future: the lilo is both life now and life to come—eternal life in Christ. This is the steadying thought. Nothing that the future has in store can compare with that passage from 'death to li?o winch has already, . taken-, place. Tho enthusiastic...ioy which marks"the.'first Christians was a safeguard against the paralysis which the immediivtoly-expect-cd Advent, the moment of winch was utterly uncertain, might have produced.'

MOOffY BIBLE INSTITUTE,

TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

The secretary of'the Moody" Bible Institute; Chicago (founded by Dwight L. Moody), writes: Tho institute is planning to celebrate it's" twenty-fifth amiijersary by a week'of special services, beginning Founders Day, February. 5, 3911- Invitations have,been sent to oyer six thousand graduates arid-former students, who are scattered all over the world, engaged in various forms of Christian 'work. A strong programme 'is ■ being prepared, : and spmo of tho most notable ministers and laymen of this, and other, lands .aro• expected to assist in the . celebration. Last year the enrolment was six'hundred and fifty-one, of whom about four hundred were men and two hundred and fifty were women. Tho object of this anniversary week is . not simply to mark off. another milestone in the history of flie. institute,' but also -to inaugurate a vigorous campaign for awakening interest in Bible study and in individual effort, to -win ii:en to Christ among Christians generally.

CHRISTIAN UNITY,

A LIVERPOOL CONFERENCE. ' Ail exceedingly interesting discussion of t-lio problem of Christian reunion took placo at a . meeting of the Liverpool Christian Conference, with Sir Edward Russell as chairman. The subject was'Trospects of Reunion in View of tlio World's .Missionary Conference in Edinburgh/' and in opening the discussion Rev. T. H. Martin (Congregational Church, • Crosby) said that umtv was the nucst of the age, and one effect was tlio Edinburgh Conference. Among non-episcopal Churches there was a far .arger spirit of co-operation and friendliness. than ever before. Anxious as the} ot the Free Churches woro for tile end ol ; division and strife, tliey were not prepared to give up in the interests of umtv the essential principles of their Cluirc-limaiiship. If the Roman and Anglican Churches insisted that "apostolical succession" and an episcopallv ordained ministry were absolutely essential," union would remain impossible. „ Rev. Father Frere (Anglican), of Miruold, followed..- He thought they would all ajrcc that reunion was possible, and that the almost impossible tiling was that disunion should go on. To be real, however, tho reunion would have to be absolutely comprehensive, taking ill the whole world and every form of Cnristian belief. The evil snirit of prejudice would have'to.be banished. He welcomed the growing inclination- t» a2.roe oh positive things and drop negations, and also'tho-tendency to learn, which was what in the Ion" run would bring them to their goal. Ho declared that undeiiominationalism whs a real hindrance;-in- spits' of its [rood work it dicl not he in ..the . direct-, line of.tje- . union. Much morelionoful was-the frank insistence upon all the different denominations. They needed. 110 surrender of principle.; only- a distinct and full emphasis cf .everything they know, themselves to be; true.: When they succeeded in comprehending the sacredness of individual experience and tlio sacredness of tho corporate life in one great- whole, they would be able to unite on many smaller points. ■

PASTOR ARCHIBALD BROWN,

"The Rev; Archibald'G. Brown, wlioso powerful ministry has extended for nearly half a. century, will- retire-from official pastoral work this year. Next Sunday, December 18 (says tho "British Weekly" of December IS) he will preach his farewell sermons in ,tho Metropolitan' Tabernacle, where for the past three-and a half years he has; occupied the pulpit with great' Acceptance and has drawn largo congregations. Impaired health and advancing years have compelled Air. Brown to relinquish tho heavy responsibilities of a large church. After a few Weeks' rest, he will return for a public valedictory service, to bo held proba.bly towards the end of January, and later it is hoped that ho may be able to take occasional preaching engagements. On Christmas Sunday" Dr. H. Grat-tan Guinness will preach in the Tabernacle, and he will also, conduct the watch-night s<£vice. During the month of January it is expected that the pulpit w-ill be occupied by the Eev A C. Dixon. D.D., of tho Moody Church' Chicago, U.S.A."> '

' JOTTINCS,

.Mrs. Victoria Sankev, widow of Ira David Sankoy, the singing evangelist,-died on September 24 at her home, Brooklyn, after a short illness. \\ ith her at tho time of her death were her two sons, John E. and Ira Sankev. One of the latest undertakings to whit'li she devoted her time was tho preparaii'lnV ° f 3 *| roll S ° f . In f m . oria l windows ,!l" \-! ng hcr husband's famous livmn i 'lo Ninety .and. Nine." Theso-'win-' dows she presented to tho First Methodist Episcopal- Church of New Castle Pa., which sho attended in her childhood. —

A Chicago church census taken on a recent Saturday and Sunday shows:'— Number of persons reached, 2,000,000; number without church preference, 175,000; regular church attendants, 000,000; irregular attendants, '175,000; number with membership letters, but out of touch with churches, 450,000; refused to give information, 3 000. The census was taken by 12,000. workers representing 800 churches. '

The Archmandrito Papnconstantiiios' the head of the Greek Church in Jlel' ■bourne, intends to leave Australia at Master. _In the course of a letter'" to the Ago the reverend gentleman expresses his sincere thanks to " mv brethren of the Anglican clergy and especially to Archbishop Clarke', f or their many kindnesses to' me as tb hrad of the Greek Orthodox Church in A ictoria. I shall always be a warm supporter or the closer relations of the Anglican and orthodox ehuielics' and I hope to publish soon after mv'arrival in England a book bearing upon this matter." - >

Addressing the 'Women's Own at Clareniont- Central Mr C T Studd stated that he was about-' to skirt almost immediately for Central Africa. Formerly captain of the Cambridge cricket eleven, Air. Studd volunteered, with six other well-known undergraduates for missionary work in China, and worked in inland China for ten years. Later." ho worked for over six years in India. Sinec liis return homo iio lias spoken on many religious platforms in his own honielv aiid°fu<*Scd, hut-forcible style. Now the burden of .the natives of. darkest Africa is 011 his heart, and ho is going out on his own responsibility, to study tlieir conditions" and do what- he can to help them.