"ALL IS NOT WELL"

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 12, 9 October 1917, Page 7

"ALL IS NOT WELL"

WESLEYAN CHAPLAIN ON WAR AND | THE CHURCHES. During a discussion at the British Wesleyan Conference recently the Rev. Owen Spencor Watkins, Principal Wesleyan Chaplain, straight from the front, said: "All is not right with the Church. Speaking from his knowledge of soldiers, tho war was not making them irreligious, but they thought that tho Church had failed, and should be cast on lo the scrap-heap. They wero, however, always ready to hear of Jesus Christ, and would come back after the war with a greater respect for Him. They were very impatient of denominational distinctions, and contemptuous of the things that separated Christians. They were not concorned with what a man believed, but what he was. The speech deeply stirred the conforence. Dr. Selbie, President of the National Free Church Council, and Sir E. Murray Hyslop visited the conference, and were warmly welcomed by tho •President. Dr. Selbio reminded Wesleyans that they stood for something special. They stood for the spirit of Evangelism, which had in the early dnys driven back materialise, in their country. Ho expressed the plea that they would recover their enthusiasm for humanity, and all the Churches would bo their debtors. There was a groat cry for unity, but that could not be accomplished by schemes or tricks, but by the living passion of living souls Until they got their minds filled with the real inner strength of tho Gospel, all talk about unity would surely end ill lalfc. There was a feeling abroad that the Free Churches wero too much concerned with tho comfortable, classes. He thought that was false, but thoy must take care to get rid of the impression. Another chaplain-Bcv. W. A. Pniijell -with the Guards Division in the faring lino, spoke at tho afternoon session. I lie attitude of tho men to religion-, no etuiel was different to their attitude lo he Church. There was a groat deal of te i gion before the «i«.l»»'»W „}." only difference was tlyit he had lo come out and say on which side ho w«.