RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2138, 2 May 1914, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

THE FINALITY OF JESUS CH RIST. I'WWKSSOn CAIRNS'* I/ECTUItISS AT CAMKUIDGj;, ' Tho ftov. I'lofes.sffr Cairns, of A:bi>.rtai University, gaw> a series of Lenten Matures at Cainliridgo University beWO largo audiences 0.11 • "The ifeasonaWeness to Christian raith," ami in his final address iio spoke fit tlia im roa.y.i o.t eiitt;iiiil;V. Tho address was jiiv.eii in tto toijgo Ksainination lialt, .wiiicli was alnwst entirely fil-isd. the a-ndienco comprising both gi'atluaio& and uiidorgradttafe.

Cairns said he wanted to say something about Uio finality of tljo revelation i.ll jqsns 'Chrtsi—ivhiifc was ■kiii)\'vii. to-day as hs absoluteness. 'J'i;a liomfcst <rkaj>torS Hi. .111 Jiis .opiici! "'> were tho_stories of the .great founders of religion. Quo read how' 1 hey dre-S' to them tlio braver am! nobler hearts tif their day, and ihe.ll after thai tiiDo oi; dis'.iplesliiji, there c:tmo a liiuo of hattloj when ail tile existing statjo forces <>J sodiety were up in arms aisaiiifct t.he> vovointicnajy trnih. liin if humanity was aoing iorw-ard., the new trwtii. triumphed. and Imiii.miiy was 'lifted into a new zono for a ihite, And tliou tiro age' passed, and faith crystalise,! and l'liu'deiied, Thru they had all the static forces of society up hi defence «,f what oiifip Was rero'hrtiofiary, iiiid they men might seo tho 'liberator of his age. Mi tho hands of ids fo'lion-cl's, Woii'io tho tyrant of Hj&agts that ®aino .after, a-iul t!»e whole thins Was foiigjit (Hit again.,. Tliat was tho story of all the ac®s,

'We}[, was thai going to happen wiilr Jesus Ciirixt? Theix- was absokitelj',, to his thinliih'jj, :i)..0 froslft eOitelusion if Ho i,v as just like ilie oth- f iniifirt'CTs of religion, Only flroisi-'Wi If He had not tlio 'a.bSol:u(:e in Him, tivi> day woiih! come wiieii lmnianiiy would pass 11 im .by, ami fie would ho outlawed, and only som'etlti.njj of Him would ga oil.. It was tlio very ess. nee of historical Christianity to believe i.3hu. Jesus Christ would lisver : l.ie. outhnvxl. bat that of His kiiigdoiit t-ivovo should bo iin end. That was what ho nieaiit Ivy jitinU ity, bttt abso.hitetiess, s.o.fnetliing ally aivcl divinely foit. They vould Knt. inaii'.iain the lordsjiip of Clirisi in th» Christian souse, tiuiess tiiey held to iUs (ifiality -and a'bsoiutejiess. It was tl.ui hardest Ihing in tl.w world to bo aV.selutely vcracwils witli the Giospel story,, and .not to soo thai th.e Josirs that it presented always assumed and declared tha finaSitv of Mis revelation. If Ho had not that finality about Hint, (lien, ile over-valiiod Himself, ovcr*o.stiinated Hi? place in human history, gravely ovt 1-,-sxiniat.cd Mis history, imruded H'iniiSOilf iieiweoM niau a.nd God. Tiny Iceturcil. said Ire found hiiilsclf in iifis position wlicn ho studied ite . lir.man .Testis; sjo l'oujtd oiio wlto simply I'i.l'ct 'Win witli ti-nst and .jitaflnoss., and wlieft 110 cause to tile position that ho, had :gcrfc io choose that either lie had led hmnamty wrong and away tvoin Cod e.r else that lie was tho Christ, lie made, for his part, the mortal spring of faith, ';1 frolife'O tniit Ho ift dirtet, t'lia Son of Gorl." Thai was tho essential fuiid.v inental Chrisiiaii cenviciiou. And if it we.ro so, what a wealth of now kuowledgo tiioy had llierc—a pew world. Tkoy had got tfj rc-iuterpMit Nature unci re-inierpfOt liistory. M< was qnta.i'reipalioii to make tktt snrir.g of faith and lo to able to hold to it. Oil the oilier hand, if tliey were not -sure of Je'siiS, if tliejf thonght Ho could b,t> i:\istaVn, their idea of God bccamo denressed, and they coidd 110 longer speak .with confidence of Cod as tho Ileavr-illy Father.

Tiioy had t# decide . \vhe tiier jtiip story of Christ Was. a iiiffe'epifeßtlo in human history or whether it iva.s tho_ coro <?f alt history, the- very heart of it. 110 si;lia iiot believo .it possiM&-.to fee ■& Christian man mdvss the? bajieved that tiii) fundamental order of i hiugs v,-aa Christian throii;;l> and tlirotig.ii. it wag men with that bolifcf who had <louo "the heavy work of tfio Church, and «o",il'l eoniinno to do it. All over the world to-day men word provinjr the fores .of what'the Api'istle said., "Who is ho Who (jverconielh the world, Lut ho that hviieveth that Jesus is the Son of Cod. - ' Aft i'etiqiws we're fundamentally n' prayer for life, Tiun, was it hv aeeiijciit, ditl they' think, that the central 'fact of Christianity Was the rosunec!.ion and the central hh-n of tiro New Testament was eternal life? It Was f:l» greatest alvswe'r tts prayer o;u Imtiiatt record.

. PRAYER.S FOR THE DEAD. ANGLICAN RECTI ill \ lEU 3, Commcm has been caused! in Anna* can. circles iji Sydney i'v the. views expressed in Ills Easter sjimdsry evening seii-i'ioit in' St. jajiies'-S 'Cii-UrcSi tyy %» ll.Ov, 'W. ,J?.- Wentworth'Sliielfis rcgaidiiiK -tlio jnueh-debauHf i-iubiect of prayers for tlio dead. Jr. tHg. course' nf his 4iseo.iiP.so hi; remarked that ,u<( Subject had bfteii so much discussed ill rcconu yeafs as to ■Whether it was. pernussib!" to ptfly for tlio' dead- _ lie Vttts well awavo how strongly objections io tho in act ice had fiooi .iiiaclf", biit lie could not far tho lite -of libit seo whero tho ■ litjiie of sitsii ■objectio.us livy. Lite phrivss undoubtedly was ait uiti'orhin:rt<> one. ■It was tlio use-of ■tlio word "dead'" . that killed it. That word, -started all tho difficulties Slid doubts. i.Vn:ycrS [of tho living iifte? teft, ■prayers fo.f. tbo'so 'vvlvo had passed through tii.o grave and tho gates of death, or pray-, ■ef.s for ti® faitlifwl d:c-pj:teu-«-'Su»)i : of expressing it -would -be- more -co'vrcot^ Su.re-l;V, lie icau'titi-uecl., it 'could rio.-t lift ; .t truo instinct which allowed its to ! pra.V for souls riglit lip to tlio moment '■ of iht-:r death, and then, liecaui-.e. siiorira : fell. forbatU Its, to jvrtvy Tor those saino snula after that took rS.tiiny: {Ivlto wei ! o 'who had ipa-?sed .iiilo : lito in manifest iucoinploienoss, v ith 1 capacity tindeVclcipedi Sv*it|h powor tillused! witli their faults .-still SM:eorree(e;l. • If our belief w;iS that ihero w-fsre.'still in tlio life, bevond heights to climb, thai, tho path throuidi pavadir-e was a path oi? progress, iViid tli-ivt) those wii lovetl were still climbing t-bo way of aseetit, wky should, wd itrefuso to pr'a'y; for thorn? _ .. ... ■Let -tliOiii bo certain of olio 'thingv Tho Chinch of, Knsikmd bad ijovcr bidtlcu .'liEr wssriditfla- to- offw: prayors for (ho dead. It was truo that when tho Thirty-nine Articles were framed and mite 4isciissi<ni a iW-sgh tfraft- was jiftparcd contaiiiinix. ;i condoiiiiiation of pi'ilyers for the. dead. .-But Professor Ftillau had reminded than that, w.iie'n ■tlifi liiat'ter caiiite uw l<;ir decision tho i-tufees had decided (iistinetly that- pray,rs IV-r ibe dead were not excluded, and tlio drailed article?, were never printed ill- C(inse(juei)C(> ot this deeisinn. A p-cat deal of the inatcriahsm :of tbp iircseni diiy' writ ;rci|;arii te df-ail; \vnS due tei ;!io fact ihat. pcoph' l had on-fir trapted tli'.; ti.-i-ri'il<! Ifabiu of tlveli; dead, standing iti- their black coats at tlio- cemetery for a few. minutes, and tlwii fiji-ii-i'itg a-'ivay. .ii-wi tprfio'ttiii.p; all about) tlieus. If wft' hr>liitvci iivat (Sod's love wa:.s (lie !ii:U bi!Iween its -wo Were I'oijiid to ))ra.v for the dead. ' A NEW r.JODCRATOR. TKo fey. fcmo- tl. Giiiies, M.A., of 'I'dnity Ch-ii-i-il'i, llaii'p.siead. bias been, cos'diai.ly ntfd uiiaiiiiiioiisiy selecteii. by s tlio lnvai'd of Momuiaiiiin for tlio 3\tiait» ■(sra.tersh.ip .irf :!te cu.suing Synod ol the jStigltsii ! , re..-bytoi'ian. Cliureh. .Air, Gillies, who .luui a distlhgnishod career as ft student at _ S'ew, College, E'din. ■ biin-h, was ordaiiied at Coldstream (Frt'e. Church) 111 1579, so thau he. lias been thi'riy-iivo years in tiio ministry, 110 was called; to T!ampstor;d in 1537,- ; and has ihtts beeti in lii's l ; oni]on chargo : for tweittv-soven years, 110 lias iitko.n a; considerablo part in tlio work of this London North Presby.tcr.v, and of l;:tn; yvirs has .doiio unich to further ilia interests of iho pooiVM' einirciios in con'. j.H'ct-ion wiSli tho Qiiurcli Aid. Critiuniiieo, ■ '■ is tin. author of an able and interesting volumo ob .leicmiali. ;i . : . ~