CONGREGATIONAL UNION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1926, 8 December 1913, Page 9

CONGREGATIONAL UNION.

— >> THE MAKLXG OF THE FUTURE. r Clibbon, of Stamlord Hill is lac chairman of tho English Congregational Union, and delivered liis piesidential address at Southend on ? ln ," g for his subject, ilmi "f" K! l''nture," ho said: ■ liiey must set themselves deliberately to buifcl a better future for tho country. J.ieu were living in a monstrous paradox, they were novel' richer and never jworer. If the hour was critical for tho Church it was still moro critical for human society. Thov had aumirablo organisations, nnd doubtless tliey would havo more, for tho birtlirato of institutions was very high, but the really great thing wliich 110 c'hurch

attempted was tho mission to modern JMiglnwl. Tho masses outsido tho Uiurcli abounded in 'honest, candid, and geilbious men. Without a brave faitii 111 Providerco and their unfailing kindness to each-other, life among the poor Mould bo impossible. Their goodness was tho safeguard against revolution. Hie social fabric rested upon the generosity of thoso who liaving least cavo most. b n . A youthful, simple, and supple Umrch was needed. While the churches seemed indispensable, they constituted a standing danger to religion, for every Umrch tended to externaliso and coiin' 1< f ='°n. tended also to mako i -Gelt an end rather than a means. it was said that Nonconformist ministers appeared considerably carried away into party politics and pleasant Sunday afternoons; ho was the victim of niisiiilormation. Jlut could they not understand that it was possible for honest »nd intelligent men, judging from the outside world, to have the impression that A unconformity had taken on too distinctly a political colour, and that it ft as allowing itself to be used too readily as a political tool? If those things were not true, let them see that they never would become true. Thero wore rumours that overtures were to be made to them on the part of the Established Uiureli Co-operation with the Church of England qua Church thev would oauerly welcome, hut with tl!e Establishment as such they could hold no terms. It was suggested, further, that they shop d ainalgnmato with, for example, J* baptists, in order to abolish overlapping. Rut overlapping should be avoided without amalgamation. Sneaking frankly and for himself, he wished to keep their people as they were. Convinced as lie was that laymen would plav a very important part, in the future development of religious tl ought, ho would do his utmost to pioscrvn their people with, and for tho sake of, precisely those qualities of mind and 'heart tlint distinguished, without soimrntinir tliem from other Christian people. ' ' "liaron Von Hugel had come to the conclusion that- tho workmen in West Knrope and North America hud, or thought thev had, a social grievance a'tainst all the churches as the supposed apologists of the exploiters and oppressors of labour. That, was a fact in front of which all tho churches should examine themselves."-