RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1419, 20 April 1912, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

THE FREE CHURCH COUNCIL. 1500 DELEGATES MEET AT CHELTENHAM. By way of preliminary to Hie annual conlerenco of the National Council of 1: .-angelical Free Churches of England and Wales, the Rev. !•'. B. Meyer conducted three services in Cheltenham Town Hall on March •>. In the afternoon, Sir Joseph Complon-Hickett, M.P., presided at a mass meeting of Brotherhood members, who were addressed by tho Rev. F. B. Meyer on "The Relationship of the Brotherhocd Movement to the Churches." The great need of 10-ilav, Hie declared, w;as a revival such as that which the Wesleys led. Tho aristocracy had drifted from the Church into luxury, and the democracy into lovo of sport"and amusement. Tho permeation of the working classes with the principles of the Christian gospel had proved tho Balvation of this country before and would do so again in the present national crisis. The Brotherhood movement was bringing thinking working men to tho very doors of the Church, and the Church would bo a fool if she did not grip the opportunity to bridge the gulf between them. Mr. Meyer gave an evangelistic address to a huge congregation in tho Town Hall at night. On Monday night (March i) the Mavor and Mayoress (Councillor and Mrs. C.'n. Margrett) received the officials and delegates in tho tine Town Hall, w.horo tho principal meetings were held. Large and spacious as is tho hall, its size was insufficient to prevent a great crush at the reception, which was a. brilliant function. Almost everyono wjio plays a. part in the lifo and thought of Nonconformity was present.

At the ycung people's meeting, Mr. Eattenbury spoko of "The Universal Depression throughout the Free Churches," and the general sense of instability and insecurity regarding the Church and society and the truths of tho Gospel. On ail sides, ho said, were signs of doubt, of fear, and of trembling; but "all these signs are signs not of the end but of the beginning, not of the night but of the dawn."

At nine a.m. on March 5 the Town Hall was welt filled when Dr. Charles Brown delivered his sermon as retiring president. The induction of the Rev. Thomas Mitchell as president followed, and tho new president's address was a comprehensive survey of tho place and work of tho Free Churches in our national life. He said it was for statesmen and economists to see that the economic basis of legislation was sound and equitable; it was for the Church to see that the ideals of legislation were kept high and humane. Mr. Shakespeare then read his paper, "What is tho Challenge of the Age?" His conclusions may be thus summed up: That the answer, whatever it is, cannot be divorced from ethics; that the answer must be the temper of the age; that the answer must know nothing of compromise. "When wo ask," said Mr. Shakespeare, "whether the Free Churches are fitted to give tho Christian answer to the challenge of the age, wo must ask bow far they are themselves above the world. Sometimes it. does seem to me as if tho plea for a United Free Church of England, which would call a halt to so much of our mealiness and waste, is to be a voice crying in tho wilderness, and yet I do l>elievo that among younger men are those who see visions and dream dreams and will see it through."

iho Rev. Harold Drierly, in tho sociological section, had for his subject: "Tho Church and a Living Wage." In tho course of his remarks, he said: "Tho working man stays away from church for just the same reason as ho stays away from a Wagner concert, largelv' because, it represents a world of which he knows nothing. Ho stays away from church for the somo reason that the rich man stays away, and spends his Sunday on tho river, or playing golf—simply becauso ho feels no need of the spiritual." In the theological section, Dr. F. Ballard read a scholarly paper on "How far are Miracles an essential part of our Christian faith, and to what extent do •the Biblical miracles vary in credibility?". Ho declared that the question whether belief in the miracles oj Christ were necessary to-day in order to be a Christian must ultimately bo left to the individual conscience for answer. To him such a belief was essential, for ho"could not otherwise find a sure foundation for faith. The demonstration of a nonniiraculous Christ would shatter tho reliability of the Christian records, and leave Christian experience a more castlo in the air. But if somo sincere and thoughtful men assured him that to him the actual supernatural in the love of an immanent and transcendent God, the real Incarnation, tho living Christ, were as clear and sure to him without miracles as with them,' it was not. for him to judge that man or de-Christianise him. More popular, but not less thorough in treatment, was Dr. Campbell Morgan's paper on the spiritual value of the miracles in the New Testament. Dr. Morgan said tho spiritual values of the record-; of tho miracles were those of the miracles themselves. First, they focusscd attention upon Christ; secondly, they interpreted the methods of God. whom wo knew through Christ; and finally they revealed the laws of relationship between God and ourselves through Christ, showing how wo might make contact with His • power for our saving, helping, and rejecting. C.E.M.S. THE RECRNT CONFERENCE AT AUCKLAND. The conferenco of tho Church of England Men's Society, which sat at Auckland last week, concluded with a "united churchman's gathering," held in tho Concert Chamber 'f tho Town Hall. Members of the conference, together with a largo number of others, met in St. Paul's Schoolroom, Symonds Street, where they were marshalled in procession, and, headed by some thirty banner-bearers, marched, singing "Hymns the while, by way cf Princes Street, Short land Street, anil Queen Street, to the Town Hall, which was reached just about die appointed hour. At tho hall, the chair was taken by tho Anglican Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Crossley), who in his opening address referred to tho work of tho C.lO.M.S.'s Conference, and paid a high tribute to the citizens of Auckland for tho respect with which they had treated tho procession which that evening had passed through somo streets of the city. (Loud applause.) Ho would'regard that significant gathering of churchmen from ail parts of New Zealand as something of a failuro if it did not produce some fresh humility, somo- larger zeal, and somo greater courage. (Applause.) Mr. I. C. Adams (Christcluirch) delivered an address on "Tho Work of tho Laity." Uo said the C.E.M.S. was essentially a laymen's movement, riul ho felt that thero was need of more lay workers in tho Church, in order that the clergy, both in towns ami in the country, should have the help which they so much required, and upon which they could rely. Tho enormous amount of work which the clergy had to do left them no time for study, littio time for meditation, and still less for preparation. If the C.E.M.S. could do something to lighten the labours of tho clergy, the members would distinctly brighten their individual outlooks. To this end co-operation was necessary,, and the ordained priest and tho layman should bo partners in tho work, and tho proper relationship between them should never be over-trained. (Cheers.) Tho Rev. Arthur limes Hopkins, who represents the dioreso of Melanesia, spoko on "Tho Layman's Duty 'Towards Missionary Work," and maintained that missionary work \ as really tho "layman's job," but all laymen had not realised it aS Jk S. K. M'Carthy, S.M. (Napier), delivered an address on "The Church in Relation to Social Problems." Ho said that primarily tho duty of educating tho voting rested upon the parent, but the Statu had taken over that duly. In his view,' I ho Stale should not overload tho school syllabus In such an extent that religions education in tho schools was not feasible, in respect of the land problem, the liquor quest iru, and the gambling evil, ho counselled all churchmen that these were questions that would have to bo faoL-d, and faced manfullv. (Applause.) The Bishop of Christcluirch (Dr. Julius), who was cordially welcomed, said one could not look at (ho procession that evening, or at the meeting, without thanking God for the progress tho C.E.M.S. had made in New /.calami. It was part of the Church, and the Church had but ono object, viz.-to present (ho Lord Jesus Christ to tho world in even- age. They heard sometimes a great deal of this CiiiucK but 6omc,timc3 too littlo ibout

jho Church's Master, and sometimes thev failed (o realise that (lie Church was not flu end, but a moans to an end, and that end was tho manifestation of tho Church's Lord and .Master. .And that, was what churchmen had to aim at. (Applause.)