CONGREGATIONALISM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1203, 11 August 1911, Page 9

CONGREGATIONALISM.

CONFERENCE CONTINUED. BRIGHT SERVICES. The conference of the Wellington District Congregational Union was continued yesterday in tho Courtenay Place Church. The Rev. W. A. Evans presided, n A paper was read by Bar. M. Bowden Harris (Alicetown) on "The Relation of tho Home to the Church." Mr. Harris contrasted the method of Sabbath observance of some years agb in England with the pracrico to-day. While some, ha said, may contend that the old style was a little too Puritanical and straight-laced, it must bq admitted that we could very well do jyith a little more of the same training to-day. He was more and more convinced that early training should be done in the homes. In some degree irreverence was introduced into the life of the young by the carping spirit of criticism of the Church and its ministers by the parents, it was necessary to be true in the home to the minister. The children should be trained to regard him as their friend. A discussion followed the reading of the paper, the general trend of the remarks being in the direction of showing that the Sunday schools, without the assistance of tho home influence, were more or less unable to adequately supply the foundarional «:ork necessary to keep the children on tho right path when they grew up. The Rev. W. A. Evans said that naturalism had got hold of tho home and Church life; and things were determined from the point of view of natnralism, and not from the aspect of higher ideals. The real proWom of to-day was to get hold of the parents find impress upon them the need of bringing the young up with something higher and greater in their lives than mere naturalism.

ENRICHMENT 01 SERVICES. Mr. Redman (of Masterton) read a paper on "Tho Enrichment it the Church Services." The ideal was to have a service in which all could join and obtain enjoyment. Tho hymns and Psalms must be sych as all could sing, and they must bo aDlo to pray with the minister. All must be able to feel that they could worship freely, and (hat God was their Father and would have them bo happy. He went at length into the importance of having the piaces of worship so constructed and fitted up that there was a senso of comfort and physical rest. Why should churches not be as comfortable and restful as the firstclass compartments on steamers or railway carriages? Never mind about the likelihood of people going to sleep; that would not happen if the right people were in charge of the service. It was important that the singing should be such as could be joined in and enjoyed by all the congregation. Anthems and voluntaries could not be called a real part of worship. They may pleas?, but they seldom appealed to those instincts which were helped by an inspiring service. The anthem would go, and the solo singer would fake its place, because very often the voice of the performer had far more beneficial offect upon the people than the singing of an antliem. This office of chief singer would scarcely be lower than that of the preacher. Sp?aking of prayer in the church, he said he believed their services would l>B enriched if they had tho free and fixed prayers—those of tho minjttor and the fixed prayers of the congregation. "I don't know," said the speaker, "that we have given up our right to any of the forms of the old Church (tho Anglican) because our fathers came out of it. ("No.") Tho service of tho old Church has been tho channel of speech by which millions of souls have been drawn to the Almighty. Yet wo are not prepared to tie up our church in the straightjacket, so to speak, of liturgy." . Their services did suffer because the worshippers did not join more in contorted pravcr. What they wanted was richness without , ritual. They should not be afraid to draw on that which would enrich and beautify their services. -They must consider all methods that would draw souls to Christ. He also reminded his hearers that the administering of■ the Lord's Supper was ritualistic and yot it was the most beautiful of all their services because of its mystic character and its helpfulness, and because they all joined in it. They should bring men along tho lino of least resistance. When men loved that which was beautiful that was their least resistance -along which they could be brought to God. "Thiat which is old and decayeth," he quoted from Scripture, "vanisheth away." ; Therefore they had not always to go along the lines of their tathcrs. (Applause.) NB' TEMP/RE DECREE. The question- of protesting against the Ne Tremere decreewas raised by the Rev. Bowden Harris, who thought they would be lacking in their duty if they allowed, the matter to pa-ss without doing anything. It was subsequently moved by Mr. B. L. Thomas (Nelson): "That this Congregational Conference expresses its strong protest against the No Temere decree and requests tho committee to frame a resolution and to send it on to the proper quarters." The resolution was carried unanimously.

ADDRESS BY THE REV. B. L. THOMAS. At the Congregational Church, 'Wellington Terrace last night, a nioting of the Wellington district of tho Union was held. Tho Her. B.' L. Thomas, ef Nelson, delivered an- address. ■ lie said that -the great need in the church was souls. We had to become instruments of God's will ia such a way that we could carry out that which Ho had seen fit. to do through human means. A Christian became a slave and at t'lie samo time ho was freo: ho was a slave of goodness and truth. The new era in tho world was coincident with the birth, tho life, and the teaching of Christ, and no uior4 could the old era be gone back to. "Woe to tho vanquished" was the state of Borne in !.he pagan days, but Christianity had ousted that state of affairs, andth'e power of Christianity was never to wane. The Babylon of old had fallen. Would they look for tho modern Babylon in London, or in any of the great cities, or in Wellington? That Babylon which John saw fall was present , everywhere in tho wo:ld to-day. The Christian Church was a nursery for the soul. They wore engaged in that noble calling which the Church of England called tho cure of souls. The demand made oh all believing people was to win th« world to God. "God was desirous of using every person who could bu used for tho carrying out of His great purpose. Tho call to-day was to be loyal to the Divine Leader. God was depending on those present to do some of fho work which ho had entrusted to men and women. They were present to renew their allegiance to their Leader. He hoped the Great Leader's blowing would descend upon them and qualify them for sorvico wherever they went , .