WAIAPU DIOCESANSYNOD.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1873, 6 October 1913, Page 10

WAIAPU DIOCESANSYNOD.

BISHOP'S ADDRESS. THE RELIGIOUS OUTOOOKIn his presidential address at tho opening of tho Anglican Synod of the Diocese of Waiapu on Friday, Bishop Averill stated that the missions held amongst the 'Maoris in tho. Bay of Plenty and Hawko's Bay districts by tho Rov. i'\ A. Bennett, Mission Chaplain, havo resulted in a large number of Maoris returning to the fold of tho Church, and Becking tho grace of Confirmation. He also referred to tho spiritual revival and the changing attltudo of the onco disaffected Maoris towards tho Gospel and Church of their fathers, and for the gradually opening door into tho Tuhoo country and tho hearts of tho Uriwera. people. Marsdon Centenary. Referring to tho Marsden Centenary, Dr. Avorill said: "Tho commemoration itself should be a groat national as well as ecclesiastical ovont for not only do we owe to Samuel Marsden the introduction of the Gospel into New Zea- ' land, but also the arts of civilised life. It was tho Gospel, and tho splendid courage, enthusiasm, and ' work' of ttilrsclen and many of tho early missionaries "W'hicli opened New Zealand to tho settler and laid tho foundation of civilised lifo with its peaceful and proiitab'lo agricultural and pastoral pursuits. It would bo a disgrace to Now Zealand if it hllowed tho Marsden Centenary to come and go without a real cJoYt to commomorato it worthily and to acknowledge tho debt which this favoured country owes to tlia work which Marsden inspired and for so many years personally fostered. Tho settler followed in tho wake ot the missionary, and without tho work and influenco of tho missionary his stay in this country would have been very short, and it' seems only fitting that those who have reaped a goodly harvest through tho evangelising of tho Natives of Now Zealand should desire to oxpress their gratitude in some tang'iblo way. Tho prosperity of tho Dominion to-daj should mean a splendid thankoffering for the work of God's Church in this land, and if tho province had any real sense of gratitude it should endow tho proposed Bishopric of Taranaki, and complete the buildings of St. John's College, Auckland, in addition to tfce other objects already suggested." Theosophy. In the sccond part of his address tho Bishop said:— "Tho subtle attack upon the Christian faith by the many ramifications of theosophy and tho productions of the Theosophical Society is perhaps the inevitable result of the apathy and slackness'of Western Christianity in Evangelising tho East and its slowness to realiso that the 'perfect man' can never be attained until tho East gives its much-needed contribution to the understanding of the Christ, tho realisation of His ethical system and the completion of His Body, tho Church. It is my solemn duty to warn the faithful of the insidious attack upon the very foundations of tho Christian religion which is popularly known as Theosophy, and which seeks to hide its real tenots under tho use of Christian language and to win the sympathy of .the very elect." After comparing some of the 1 teachings of theosophy with tho doctrines of tho Church, l)r. Averill asked i "Can Christianity and theosophy bo reconciled or is theosophy 'a different Gospel, which is not another Gospel.' Can theosophy possibly bo reconciled with what St. Paul declares to be tho Gospel? fiertainly not. The 'Christ' of theosophy is not tho Christ of tho apostles of tho Catholic Church, but tho Christ of tho heresies condemned by the Uni<ersal Church, the Spirit-guided Body jf tho Christ of God." Tho Bishop concluded this part of his address as follows: —"Doubtless tho negations of ultra-Protestantism have done much to prepare the way for somo more positive knowledge about tho 'lifo beyond,' but I maintain that the Catholic doctrine of purification, growth and development in tho Paradise of God is infinitely more reasonable and truo than any imaginary reincarnation for the purpose of attaining to 'perfection.' 'Work out you own salvation with fear and trembling.'" '; s Reunion. In dealing with tho question of - reunion, the Bishop commended to sympathetic consideration the excellent motives and preliminary work of the Joint Commission appointed to arrahgo for a World Conference on "Faith and order," by the Church in America. "The unity of tho Church will come .just as soon as Christians are roady for it, and not till thou, and the commission therefore reaiisds that the first step toward unity must come in tho hearts , and consciences of Christians and create a passion for unity, and convert vague and misty hopes into real prayer and work for the crowning consummation of Christ's unifying work for tho world Can we dare to say that tho missionary work of the Church is better dono by tho Churches than it would be by tho Church P Must we not acknowledge with shame that' our ecclesiastical differences are tho iiost carious hindrance to tho work of Evangelisation and often productive of confusion and even despair? _ ■ "Perhaps in no direction is the impotence of the Churches to bo moro clearly seen than in their inability to influence social ideals and to speak as a corporate conscience against injustice, vice, and class selfishness. Tho duty oi tho Church is nothing less than tho regeneration of society, tho establishment of a new earth in which dwolleth righteousness. "I fully realise that tho time has not yet arrived for a constructive policy, and any- ill-considered, impatient action would bo most injurious to tho cause of unity, but I do not hesitate to say that tho time is ripe— yea, over-ripe— for a moro careful and prayerful consideration of this all-important matter than it' has received at present, for it transcends in importance" every other problem which confronts tho Church and many of tho problems of the Church and of the world are the offspring of our djsunited Christianity. "It must bo Christ's goal which wo seek and for which we pray and work. Organic unity, visible unity and nothing short of it—and wo must first 'lay', tho plausible suggestion that perhaps something short of visible unity may bo substituted for it. It is truo that wo may not livo to see it} but somo of us may, but wo shall not have lived _in vain if we havo removed 0110 stumbling block out of way of the, fulfilment of our Lord's Prayer: 'Grant that they may be 0110 ... that the world may beliove that Thou hast sent Me.' "