RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1908, 17 November 1913, Page 11

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

ANGLICAN CHURCH CONGRESS CHRISTIAN REUNION. THE CHUItCH AS AGENT OP THE KINGDOM OF. GOD. The Anglican Chure.fi Congress opened at Southampton on September SO. The Holy Communion was celebrated in all the churches of the toivii, the Bishop of Winchester (Dr. Talbot) being tho cetobraiit at Holv flood Church in tho presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. H© was assisted by tho Bishops of Southampton. and Guildford, all three in oopes ana mitres. Tho first morning of tho Congress is always picturesque, as it includes a procession through t'he streets. The clergy, in their whito surplices, relieved by tho brigiit-eolouftid hoods of different Universities., the Bishops, in their red Convocation robes, 'and the processional crosses arid ban* ners catching the rava of t'he. sua, combined to form for the many spectators who lined 1 both sides ©f the streets a striking pictuTOj of which tho keynotes were imprcssiveness and withal simplicity. Tho Call to Faith, Presently' tie procession divided into three! parts. Tho first stopped at All Saints' Church, where the Bishop of Jarrow Was the preacher; the second turned aside at St. Imke's to hear the Bishop of London, and the- rest moved On to St. Mao's, where was the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop's sermon was a sincwo and dignified call to the highest . forms of Christian, life. H<s . welcomed the work wliich the Congress was doing to stimulate action and to bring home to the people a living con* caption of tiho Kingdom of God on earth. He condemned tlie prevailing at- . t-rfcude of easy acquiescence in a low : standard of Christianity and the common qualities of complacency and lack of zeal. Ho was ready to admit that) in the past the Church had not sufficiently acted as a spur to < onscieflce, atld had blundered by driving those who were ready and eager to talco part in tho work of the Church along too narrow and conventional a groove, _ Put ■shortly, thd point of the Archbishop's sermon was that in every sphere of activity tho Church must teach her people that they are members of Christ's body. 11l ©Very- form of public

work the goal must not bo simply the fulfilment of tho duties of English eitinonsliip and in -the. forwarding of philanthropic aiid social endeavour the motives of those who take part must bo primarily and definitely religious. ' church Union. "When, tho Congress met in tho Coli* seum in tho afternoon ft' deputation from tho Southampton' Evangelical Free Church Council, representing 35 congregations, presented an illuminated address, which was read by tho lift v. I'. Holmes. It stated that they recognised with devout thankfulness the groat services rendered by the Bishops, clergy, scholars, thinkers, teachers, and statesmen of the Established Church. While Nonconformists differed from them on certain important matters, they rejoiced in tho many points of'

agreement, and joined them in prayer for tho unity of the body of Christ ajrd tho coming of tho Kingdom of God. Freo Churchman were thankful for tho signs apparent in Many directions, ; especially on tho mission field, of a : strengthening tendency towards a.n approximation in matters common to both 5 sides, and thoy earnestly wished to foster such fellowship, the more so in view of the strong forces which in the preI sent day threatened to disintegrate much that former generations constructed a lid maintained. They specially welcomed the Bishop of the diocese, whose saintly character and Christian " statesmanship were the common possession of the whole community. (Oieers.) ' Tho president, returning thanks for the address, said the Congress cordially reciprocated the kind "words it contained, all the moro that, those who had. presented it did not conceal tho differences between them and the Church. Churchmen felt those differences vary intensely, and hoped that Nonconformists would come some day, perhaps in the days of tho grandchildren of people now present; to feel as Churchmen felt, for' assuredly each in that case would_ learn from the other. It was sometimes said that it was difficult for men to be sincerely friendly when they were in strong antagonism. That was a shallow view. A very little knowledge of human nature and history 1 and a little consideration for one ailother enabled a man to say, "I hate what my opponent is doing, yet ha is a brother., and what he is doing seems as right to him as what I am doing seems to mo." Therefore, he for one Wished

to persevere in these friendly relations which were part of the life of Nonconformists and Churchmen. (Cheers.)

Thd President's Address. The Coliseum was crowded for the Bishop of Winchester's presidential address, and he was very cordially received when he appeared on the platform, followed by tho Mayor of South, ampton and tho Archbishop. The Bishop of Winchester said: "My own particular duty is to submit to

j™ ""u ijucposo ana mcinoa or tins present Congress. We dispense, on this occasion, with all alternatives; we present to you a- single problem, and invito the whole Congress to pursue with vjs .1 single course and programme. The problem is indicated by the general title: tho Kingdom of God in the world of to-day. _ Wo shall not overlook tho manifold ovidcnco that the work of the Kingdom is done, and that the Kingdom comes, in many a way outside of the Church, howevpr tho word Church is understood. It is so done partly because, as has. been suggested, 'the Kingdom is an inspiration as well as an institution,' and many men,who are not professing Christians have learntmany things by the infiltration into life and thought of Christian influence; but further yet, because, as has been lately said by that noble Christian thinker, Baron von Huge!, there are things *infcispensa.blo to the development <if our complete humanity,' and oven to that or our religion, which comes to us from «odj' but yet do so independently from non-religious levels of life." Through these, too, in a d-ogrce, the Kingdom works and comes. Towards these we Of the Church must bo frank, friendly, unassuming, and apt to learn." Tin's Knm-ikl give to Christians a lar<re disinterested, sympathetic, respectful way of dealing with all movements for good, while it does not lesson by a fraction, but rather increases and ens, tho special responsibility of the Church, and of each Christian for the advance of the Kingdom. Wo must seek th.e help <jf the Spirit of God, alike for origination and for interpretation; for what we may do ourselves, and for learning from the. gifts, thoughts, and actions cf others. "But now and here, in the name of the King, 'de par le Roi>' we, in this congress, shall try to approach three subjects of absorbing practical interest- : the Kingdom of God aiid the Sexes, the Races, a.Md the Social Order. In each of the three great aibjects we shall s.(?e that tho Kingdom, and the Church «n its behalf, .nrast fight, . It must fight against selfishness and lust Mild pride, ami against callous or thoughless oppression. But it must fight in its own way and by spiritual weapons. It cannot seek to remedy class injustice by class antipathy. It could not promote negro rebellion, because white men arc cruel. It cannot see _ class against class, or women against men. Tho forces of the Kingdom will be directed steadily lo avert . or lessen, strife; to Blake men feel how.

brutal it is: how readily it turns -fe) harm; how passion and selfishness possess themselves 'of it ant), thrive in its atmosphere ; how poorly wo remedy selfishness by selfishftoss and prejudice by prejudice. The Kingdom .lias, moreover, in it the real powers of conciliation , because its principles compel us to approach each other with judgment as fair as wo would men should give unto lis and to challenge our xjoti faults critically as those of Others;.wo Wo quietly restrained from ranking idols of reactions and rebellions and calling them divine. • All this is hard enough. And perhaps as hard-as t'h'O task of fighting and fighting rightly is the task of the growing and tlio building, For liere a great part of duty m.av be in letting alone; in. forbearance; in watching things grow which are not of our planting or tending; and recognising in these outside growths tilings which have ill them soma of the power of tho Kingdom. I fear (or shall I hope?) that wo may hear things in this congress mud frankly though temperately which will make lis realise how little in many a place and upon many a question at Home and abroad Churchmen recognise tho need for unflinching application of Christian principles to social injustices, to economic problems, to race prcjudico. Has tho idea, in many cases, so much as occurred to them? Do they not sometimes resent the suggestion of it as an impcrtin* enee? Did the. e.s-Ptesident of tho Congress use light or false words at Middlesbrough when ho spoke of 'the extraordinary apathy and sloth of. tho ' . averago member of the Church of Eng- ■ land on these questions of paramount public and social importance?' Wo must not bo content to build the. sepulchres of tho prophets; we must ask what true prophets would say to-day. May our service be truly and reverently rendered to our God and Kir.g, to Hi's Kingdom, j to our nation, and to all those patient. toiling, and suil'ering multitudes who— from treadmill lives unrelieved by change, unchecred by tho prospect of hotter things, iinbrightened by art and beauty,:, without margins or pleasure., in • constant danger of calamity and pauperism, and, too often, without the illumin-. atioft of a faith which has made itself intelligible to therti^—look upward for the dawning of a better day." (CheeTS.) The Men Who Run tho Empire. "The Empire is the greatest trust ever put in tho people," said Lord Solborne at the oil. Thursday (October 2). "No people hs.s had such a responsibility as oirrs or such a chance, because on us is s imposed tha : trust of guiding and helping a greater ■ proportion of the backward races of the earth than any other nation. Therefore I would ask you always to thjnk. of the Empiro and you also to think of your Civil Servants in tho native, protectorates and the Native Affairs Departments. Their work is not (fren guessed at iu this country; yet they give lives of devoted service to these backward people. They are fulfilling your mission and your responsibility, and it is for you to support them and pray for them." Lord Selboruo contended that the white race was bound to assume Control wherever it worked among backward races, but he urged thai Such control should he full, complete, and exercised in the light of day or "you get the tyranny and the anarchy which we stories of the Congo and the Putumayo reveal/ 1

Then cairo Sir Sydney Olivier, who told his story swiftly, too swiftly in-deed-to enable the lingo audience to grasp the significance of all his points. As Lord Sclborne and as Dr. Cameron, the .Coadjutor Bislwp of Capo Town, dealt with the African in Africa, so Sir Sydney Olivier dealt frith the transplanted African. Sir Sydney began' hy pointhm out that there was a vast difference ce.twoen the statement that ; "a negro is a backward matt" and "the negro is aft inferior race," In the United States the negro wag feared and opposed, not because he* was ig* narant, but because he was a negro. And he put t'h© question for the practical legislator thus : Is he to discriminate on the ground of backwardness or on the ground of race? Speaking of Jamaica, where he had been Governor and where hp finally established his great reputation, Sir Sydney declared that the negro there was on a vary different level from hia grandfather, the plantation slave, and Ms great-grand-the African savage. And _he put this dowii t0..-"thp freedom of civio mixture and the continuous application to the race' of humanity, legal equality, identical justice, education,, ana freedom," and, ho added, "wo must resolutely disclaim the' colour lino" (art exclamation whieh met. with warm approval).

LUKEWARM SPIRIT OF THE CHURCHES.

STRAIGHT CRITICISM AT BAPTIST assembly. Preaching the- opening Sermon rit the autumnal assembly of the Baptist Union at Manchester on September 29, the Rev. Charles Brown, IKB., of London, spoke iu strong terms against the passionless respectability of the moderate type of religionist, who was tolerated in the Churches to-day.

"I am not at all sure," he Said., "that the Laodicean spirit loathed in the New Testament i? not precisely the spirit that we approve of. What is itp It is the extremely moderate spirit, if I may call anything moderate extreme. It is the moderate spirit that steers carefully between the two extremes. It is an extremely genial spirit that tolerates everything except the straight gate and the narrow way. It is a piety that adopts as its motto 'Let your moderation he known to all men, 5 There is not a,' church that needs that counsel anywhere to-day. People think they aro quoting St. Paul, but lie never said that.' Ho said, 'Let your forbearance be known to all men.''"

This Laodicean spirit was broad, tolarant,'and compromising. "You do not like the cold man," he continued, "freezing the church. But doe? your modem church like any hotter the hot man, the enthusiast? The man who is neither cold nor hot is just the man. You like the man who can suit himself to any company and accommodate himself to any society, ..Find the man who is all afire with, a burning passion to bring the world to Christ, so burning that ho can think of nothing else, and ask whether you should welcome him iuto your church. Ask whether you can find a hot church to-day. It. seems to me that such churches aro not found ovory day. The Laodicean typo is the typo that is cultivated, tho colourless kind of religion, religion in mild doses, mixed judiciously with a considerable amount of wor'illiness, an atmosphere in the church in which an irreligious and ungodly mail docs not feel out of place, but tolerably at home. That is the type that tho New Testamentloathes." This was the spirit that was too apt to go with prosperity, as it was always apt to go with ignorance. It was quo of the worst- and most hopeless spirits with which to do anything, "Tho host thing that could happen to any of us," continued Dr. Brown, "is some volcanic disturbance of our seif-complacew.c,y and self-satisfaction." It- was n-.pt' ignorance that was a man's ruin. Ignorance did not matter if a man knew he was ignorant and was humbled by it, made earnest, and wanting to learn. It was self-satisfaction which was iv species ot solMelusion t-liat waß tho ruin for in, numerable souls.

He nailed upon tlio Or.!relies to repout- and change tlioir course. Let the word bo like a blazing danger signal tolling tlso Churelws that tlto.v wore on the wrong track. ''Repent of tlio lack of lirotheriv lone in your communions," he added, "of joaloiis.v and greed, tho exalting of the standard* of the world-" be z-ealouß and rcpoiilu"