LACK OF SPIRITUAL VIGOUR.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1384, 9 March 1912, Page 9

LACK OF SPIRITUAL VIGOUR.

ADDRESS BT THE REV. G. W. J. SPEXCE. In his ndiVrcss at the opening of the Methodist Conference at Auckland, the Hev. G. Vv. Spciico said: "And now I come to notice briefly some aspects of our church life, which should compel the earnest thought of this, conference. It will be admitted, I think, by the mest optimistic amongst us that it not altogether well with us as a denomination—that there are symptoms _of weakness, aye, eren of decline, which call for speedy arrest, if we arc not to fall behind our own great past. We are prosperous in material things; we are,, as the schedules rlkmv, multiplying sanctuaries; such funds as those fc-r Home and Foreign Missions steadily improve; awl for all this we are unfeigneiUy thankful. But there is another kind of prosperity which, it must he franklv owned, we are not enjoying to the full extent of our opportunities. Our testimony for Christ is not as virile, as convincing, nor as fruitful as we have a right to expect. There is a dearth of conversions. We arc not gripping' the consciences of men as we should. To be sure we are able to report an increase in church membership, but what is that increase when spread over a connexion such as ours? How small, how inadequate, how disappointing! Xor does the attendance at public wor.-hip indicate a more hopeful state of affairs. -As for the social means of grace, ■ these havo, to a large extent, fallen into disuse. There is a want of religious enthusiasm. There Is a lack of general interest in spiritual things, and of readiiK , to lend a helping hand in sHiins to savo the Inst— lho very mission which Christ came to fulfil, and' which J!c committed lo His disciples. Fathers and brethren, while I do not d:\re to suggest that we as a church have become spiritually bankrupt, 1 do suggest that it is quite time we searched out tho causes and sought with Divine assistance tho remedy for our present lack of spiritual vigour."