RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1645, 11 January 1913, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

THE REV. J. E, WATTS-DITCHFIELD.

ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOMEHOME. After nearly nino months' nbsenco from England tho Rov. J.' E. Watts-Ditchiield arrived at Euston on Friday November 22. Although owing to tho delay in tho arrival of tho Empress of Britain at Liverpool the train was several hours late, a largo crowd assembled on tho platform to meet him, t when an address of welcome was read by Mr. W. T. Mean, churchwarden, and also one from the* Mayor on behalf of tho borough of Bethnal tireen. When tho toxical in which Mr. WattsDitchfield wasproceeding reached the confines of his parish, it was almost midnight, but the throngs in the streets were so great that repeated stops had to bo made that tho crowd might demonstrate their hearty welcome. A torchlight procession was formed, and tho sceuo outsido tho vicarage was one not easily to be forgotten. Sockets were fired and cheers were raised, and then followed silence mid the crowd joined heartily in tho singing of the Doxology, ; after which Mr. Watts-Ditchfield gavo the crowd, now an. enormous one, his blessing. On Sunday, November 25, largo numbers assembled at the Wly celebrations, the church being crowded morning and evening; and in the afternoon-it was filled with- men. Meetings wero held nightly in tho parish during the week, ami tho utmost enthusiasm was manifested by the people at his return, strong; and vigorous, to take up his work among them, again. . / The'sidesm.m at St. James Uio. Less, Bethnal Green, w-ere hard put to it on the Sunday evening to find room for all those who wished to join in-the thanksgiving service which celebrated tho return of tho vicar from his mission to men in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Probably the handsome church had never been moro crowded. ..The service, which included special hymns of praise, the Doxology, and the Hallelujah Chorus,was of? the heartiest character. Mr. Watts-Ditch-field, looking remarkably well and sun-' tanned, preached a vigorous sermon full of fresh illustrations from the experiences of the past nino mouths. Mr. Deakin, formerly Premier of Australia, ho said, told him that tho thing that impressed him. most when he came to King Edward's Coronation was an incident he saw in a dark alley. at midnight. On i doorstep he saw a little lad of twelve sheltering his littlo 6ister, aged throe. The lad had taken off his coat and wrapped it round tho child, and had covered her feet with his cap.. Mr. Deakin said nothing ho saw in London would remain longer in his memory. When ho ( was enjoying a twenty-eight hours' railway journey in Canada, Mr. Watts-Ditchfield was told.a remarkable story by the Bishop of Yukon. Tho Bishop had worked for years amon| tho Esquimaux without conversions. At last came a revival, and he baptised two hundred. Later on there came news of. the discovery of a new tribe of.Esquimaux 1500 mil's away. No white man had ever visited them. The Bishop called for twelve volunteers to undertake and perilous. journey on foot, that tho newly-discovered tribe might hear of Christ. Ev,ery one of his 200 converts volunteered for service. > '.

THE CLERGY AND THE BIBLE. IMPORTANT! DEBATE- IN CpNVO- '' CATION. In the Lower House-,of Convocation of Canterbury, on November, 21 the Dean of Westminster' moved the .last Recommendation of the Committee on the- Koval Letter of Business; This provided that the third question to deacons:, "Do you unfeigncdly,- believe all the Canonical Scripture of the Old and New .Testament? Answer—l do believe them'—bo altered n's '-fallows:—"Do you unfeignably believe that tho Canonical ,Scripturcs of tho Old "and -New Testament contain all things necessary "to , etornnl salvatioji through faith in Jesus Christ? - Answer— .1 do so. be1ieve.".,.,,,,, - ... • The Dean-introduced the proposal in,a restrained and conciliatory! speech,, in which ho emphasised from tho experience of himself and others the., anxiety and perplexity.icaused by, the' present ambig-', uous question.. Ho argupd.that the question as it now stood was often, interpreted as'committing 'the. candidates to' a belief in-verbal'inspiration which tho Church had never laid,down. The Dean of Norwich, in seconding, maintained that; the question was - often explained by Bishops in tho light of tho question to priests, but that it was eminently desirable to regularise this actionj and td.ninko the formula unambiguous. In the course of the debate the proposal was supported by the Dean of Christ Church and by Bishop Mitchinson. The latter,'in a striking and courageous speechtold the House of the numerous cases of perplexity which ho himself had known, and warned them that this was one of tho reasons why the elite of Oxford and Cambridge. men were no longer inclined to take Orders. Confessions of faith ought to be taken as expressed in the natural sense of the words, without.any reservation, and men should not bo tempted to palter with conscience. The opposition to change was led by the' Dean of Canterbury in a speech of great'earnestness.' He.contended that the chango would mean, 1 not only the removal of difficulties, but the pronunciation of a -negative as to "unfeigned belief" in Scripture, and would seem to tho laity to be an abandonment of belief. He agreed that verbal inspiration was-only a pious opinion,-.but maintained that the Bible as a whole and in all its parts, was the Word'of God and authoritative. Tho demand for chango had been caused by the recklessness of modern criticism, nnd against this criticism lie believed thcro was now a strong reaction, even on the 'Continent, : . . i . . i The retention of tho present question was also strongly advocated bv Canon Ncwbolt and the Archdeacon-of Berkshire, tho former maintaining that nothing less was at stake than tho authority of tho' Bible, among plain;and simple Christians, and i that the laity, were opposed to any change. If a man could not answer the question in the affirmative quite honestly it was better-that he'should not be ordained. The Archdeacon of I Dorset; suggested that the question should bo left as;it stands and an- explanatory-note, inserted.-.' Canon Drummondthen moved the "previous question," which was seconded by the Dean of Lincoln, and carried by a majority of 10 votes (40 against '30),''. , There are-evidently many members.for whom the' "provions question" has attractions as an. escape from, difficulties (says tho "Guardian") but there are also not a few to whom it appears'to be a most undesirable way of avoiding direct,'decisions on points where definite guidance is'renuh'ed. In the present instance tho effect is almost the. same as a direct nega-. tivei and practically the House, determined to ■ refuse anv relief in- tho cases of perplexity and distress, which on'the strongest possible testimony were declared to. bo very common among candidates fqr Hfiy- Orders. No ,more 'uportnht ."oint has been raised in the course of the Revision- proposals, nnd - results' of' the' voto may well provo more, serious than tho opponents of. tho proposal realise.