THE CHURCH'S DUTY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1338, 16 January 1912, Page 6

THE CHURCH'S DUTY.

ADDRESS BY THE DEAN OF ST. PAUL'S. THE CHRISTIAN STANDARD. The Dean of St. Paul's (Dr. Inge), gave the fourth and last of his lectures on "The Church and the Spirit of the Age" at Sion College, London, on December 1. when Jlre. Creigliton again presided over a largo meeting of the Women's Diocesan Association. ■ A Church, ihe Dean said, in aspiring to influence tlie world wns prone to make throe blunders, symbolised by the three temptations of our Lord. First, she was templed to try to reach men's souls through their stomachs, bidding for popular favour with material advantages. The younger clergy were tumbling over each other in their eagerness to bo appointed Court chaplains lo King Demos. The present distribution of Weiilth was ahsuril; Out tlioi'o wero fundamental differences between tho views of life taken-by Christianity and .by Social Democracy. Socialism assumed that the stye made the pigs; Christianity declared that the pig niado tho stye. Tho consistent Socialist hated eugenics as he hated Christianity, because that science held nature to be .more important than mutate. He must define tho difference between the attitude: of Social Democracy and that of Christianity, localise their beloved Bishop had lately taken tho line of trying to claim;the La' bour movement as essentially Christian. Christianity proved triumphantly that the highest life might be led.in extreme poverty. We might infer from Christ's teaching that He regarded a simple sufficiency as tho most favourable condition; but He certainly set a, very low vallio on tho apparatus an:l accessories of life. The revolutionary party's view, as expressed by Marx, was that tho idea of God should be destroyed.' The working man, however, would soon find out that his misleaders,-promising him an earthly paradise at the. end of a. flowery path, were leading him to a premature hell through a way of blood. -Then he would turn to the Leader who alone .could help. But it was treason to Christ and to,tho labouring classes themselves if tho Church secularised its message. It was only "othcr-worldliness" which had transformed and would transform this World. Otlierworldliness. merely meant'the immeasurable superiority of spiritual values. '.'Winning tho masses", was a phrase for,politicians, not for evangelists. If they allied themselves with- mankind "in tlie loontp" they allied themselves .'with mankind at its worst.' ■•• The second temptation was to rely on [ miracles, or on cutting knots which should be united. There , were no short cuts to tho Kingdom, of" God, though'the systems of religious magic, demanding the sacrifice of tho intellect, promised admission by private ticket. -. . ' . : • ■ The third temptation,was to use violence or frand.v in the service of God's Kingdom. A colossal amount of evil had been wrought by unscrupulous diplomacy m a good cause. The Church'-must never get hold of people" except on their best side. . ■• . ■ The whole duty of Churchpebple tta's to hold up the Christian standard of values and to live by it themselves. Ghrist luid unique stress on love arid sympathy; broke down all barriers, sacrnd and profane, between men; taught the' duty of hopefulness and trust; advocated jSlain living without asceticism; drew tlie sting of death by making it the gate of. life; and showed how we must- die daily to , sin and lie borne unto righteousness. Wo might do great good by. refusing respect to successful rascality.' Wo could yet an example of simplicity in bur way.oi: living;, t-et.our face, against successful rascality. We could'set an 'example of. .simplicity 'in our way of living; set'biir face against immoral, extravagant, or foolish fashions; try to save what might ypt to saved of the old English Sunday; protest vigorously against betting and gambling, including all card-playing for money; and in many other ways show thut tho Church conscience..was.as real a?, that rather tortuousand greasy in.sti'uirierit of party politics, the Nonconformist conscience. , The breaking, down of class barriers was surely a good thing. "Tlio -'gardener or bricklayer or shop assistant might be is good a gentleman as the squire or banker or clergyman, if raised above pinching poverty. It was a snobbish , idea that the nobility of our work depended on its kind and not on tho way it was done. The aristocratic ideal, to which lie attached immense importance, was 1 distorted and ruined by class distinctions. When once, it was realised that the onlv claims to respect were intellect and character (or should he add beaiity?), and that it did not matter a pin what a man's trade was, a more healthy tone about education would result. Tho Church could support the movement for the proper care of the feeble-minded, who, being more prolific than Uio aanc, were swelling the. ranks of vice and crime. ,We were breeding cl.iefly from our worst stock, and some form of rational selection was absolutely necessary. The Church had a right-to say that luxury was always ruinous. A high standard of comfort was leading to race suicide. Nothing failed like success. As a class became prosperous and rich, it began to decay.. s

Mrs. Creiuhtoii, innioving a warm vote of thanks to the lecturer, said that the subject had been chosen not by him but by the Association. She painted'out Mult iho English Socialism of such men as.Mr. Rarusay JlacDonald was not in any sense opiwsed to roliffion. The Dean, pressed to publish his lecturps, said that his present judsnnent was against that course, but he would consider .the request. ' ' .' MR. MEYER ON NONCONFORMIST CONSCIENCE. The, Rov. F. B. Meyer writes as follows to the "Daily Mail":— Sir,—Sinco reading the report of tho last lecture of the Dean of St. Paul's I havb felt considerable uneasiness in regard to the,adjective he applies .to tho Nonconformist conscience. Ho that it is "greasy." , Now, we are a\yare of tho dean's wide culture, and wo arc sure that lie would not recklessly fling about words which might causo misunderstanding,, but what does this phrase: connote? I am a> Nonconformist, and hope tluitl possess a conscience, but it is rather distressing to be told that it .is possibly greasy. ...So. far as I. know any'thiug about grease; if is used to make things easy. But I have always thought that the" Nonconformist conscience, made things difficult. However, perhaps, the' dean will l»o able to furnish particular instances that, in his judgment, justify his epithet. I have no further desire than to behave courteously and respectfully towards one whom I have always regarded as a gentleman and a. scholar.'