SUNDAY READING

Taranaki Daily News, 2 December 1916, Page 6

SUNDAY READING

THE TRUTH REVEALED. SURMISES UNTENABLE The views of the church, concerning I man's duty to Gtod as distinguished from the views of the "man in the street" were lucidly defined bv the Right Rev. A. W. Averill, D.D., 'Bishop of Auckland, in his sermon at St. Mary's Church, New Plymouth, Jast Sunday evening, on the occasion of the anniversary of the opening of the church. Dr. Averill read several chapters from the 10th chapter of St. Matthew, and quoted, ''When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Pliillippi, he asked His disciple.'?, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some Elms; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou are the Christ, tho Son of the living God."

APPEAL TO THE INDIVIDUAL Supposing Jesus asked these questions to-day, said the Bishop, would there be any difference between the answer of "men" and "ye"? Jesus realised the distinction between the opinion of the general public—"the man in the street" —and the opinion of His ehcseu apostles. The Bishop referred to Christ's attitude towards the people who had followed Him to Ciptrnsum after feeding the 5000. Christ spoke of Himself as the Bread of Life, and said, "He that eateth tin's bread shall live for ever.'* Many of His disciples said, 'ilhis is a hard saying. Who can hear it?" From that time ma'-.y of His disciple; went back and walked no inorj with Kim. What did Christ <J U then? He turned to the twelve and said, "Will ye also ' }?o away?" Then caraj the answer, "Loid, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eti-rcal life, sir.d we believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Christ turned from the general publia to the few. He could oni' help those who were net prepared to take iV.tn at His word. Then again, in the Lord's great high priestly prayer, St. John 17, He raid, "I pray not for the world, but for then, whom thou 'bust give.i Me." It was not that He was indifferent to the general public. Bi3 beautiful parables of the lost sheep, the b:-t coin, and the loat amply testify to His yearning for tiu restoration and salvation of all. Eat His plan was to build up a strcng centre and to woi.r through that centre to the circumference. And so it was infinitely more important that i\ie few cho.:en ones should know the truth and witness to the truth than that He should give undue time ..nd attention to the people generally.

VAGUE SPECULATION VALUELESS. The preacher impressed dport his hearers the importance c; definite knowledge. Jesus did not :'.nd does r.ot accept the surmise of the man in the street with regard to Himself as sufficient for His chosen ones. As members o.* God's church v.\. arc amongst the chosen ones. Jit is not sufficient ior you und me, when referring to Christ, to Kay, "Oh! Some say j-jj are'i a good man; some say yon are .. prophet; some say you are a reformer; and say you are u temporary incarnation of Christ." Men may say that. Sects and coteries may' say that. But Christ asks, "Whom say ye that I am ?" Remember the airswer of St. Peter, who said, "Thou art the Christ." This drew from Christ one of the greatest commendations ever uttered, "Who I am is not a matter of speculation, but revelation. Who I really am is the rock on which is to bj built, the true Church —My Church. And acceptance of truth with regard to Myself proves that you are a stone or piece of rock fit to be a foundation stone of My Clu.rch." Only those who put revelation before speculation are privileged to be stones in the great spiritual t?i:iple oi God, St. Peter grasped this truth, for he wrote, "To whom coming, ai unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious." In thanking God to-day for the witness of tho Church of England let our thankfulness be based apon the fact thai the teaching of the Church is based upon revelation and not upon the suntisirigs of men, and that revelation is both logical and scriptural. While 'holding, fast to the revealed truth, we welcome light from all sources wh:sh can illumine the truth.

WHAT 13 THE GOSPEL-» The duty 'of the Church, proceeded the Bishop, is to set forth .the Gospel. What is the Gospel? It is the good tidings revealed by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is a statement of acts, not opinions, or deductions, but plain facts. St. Paul, in i, Corinthians, 15, jays, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel, which also ye have received and wherein ye stand." Then he goes on to declare that the Gospel i; a statement of facts, the facts of the incarnate and historic life of Christ. Thank God our Prayer Book faithfully preaches the Gospel in bringing before us in due order and proportion the facts in the incarnate life of Christ. Sunday by Sunday the Church seasons preach the real Go'spcl during the first half of the Christian your; and then during the long Trinity 'season we are reminded of the great Christian duties and obligations which we deduce from those facts. The Gospel sermon is not the sermon which sets forth man's opinions cr comments, but the sermon which faithfully teaches the Christ of God, and the facts of His incarnate life. It U not what rrsen say that matters, but what ye say,

!A FAITHFUL WITNESS. The Church, ol England is often misunderstood and misrepresented by the man in the street, the Bishop went on, because she endeavors to be a faithful witness to the revelation of Jesus Christ, and refuses to put human ,vpc-:u-laiio.i before 1)1 vino revelation. "Se ilijil be my witnesses," is the Divine command, and loyalty to rtve.iled truth is c.'i- watchword.. Trulli L* never popular, but popularity is not always the best tomnieadntion. '*' Ye seek to kill me," said Jesus, "a man that had told you the truth." And men would seek to kill Jesus> today if He were on earth. We cannot be like the unjust steward and cut tiow'ti mens' indebtedness, and say that i; doesn't matter. No dcubc he acquired a passing popularity for his dishonest;?, but men in their secret hearts cp'.'.M sgfily. dewis? tip.

WORLD'S IDEA OF RELIGION. The world's idea of religion is a Very curious one. It is something like- that of the woman of Samaria, more or leas interesting externally so long as it does not touch conscience and influence the uiorat life. The world 'has the idea that religion is chiefly sentimental, with a touch of emotion. Religion, it thinks, lias its proper place in times of national joy and sorrow, but as far as influencing life and conduct, or revealing men to themselves, it is an altogether different matter. The world's idea knows nothing of sacrifice, and has very little of God or Christ in it at ail. VALUE 01? THE CREEDS.

One often hears it said that it doesn't matter what a man'believes, that conduct is the all-important thing, that creeds are merely fetters upon the intellect. "In the name of God I deny both statements," the Bishop added in an impressive voice. It does matter what a man believes, for, consciously or unconsciously, his conduct is bound to be colored hy his belief. Look at Germany at the present time. Read what the German philosophers, professors and even pastors have been teaching the German people. Is die God iaught in Germany the God of the Lord Jesus Christ? No! It is Germany's special monopoly. It-makes all the difference what a man believes 1 .

If I went to some great station and got into the first train that I saw, it might take me far from my destination. It would be far more rational to bestow a little trouble in finding out which was the right train. Tf a chemist took down any bottle on his shelf and gave you the contents as medicine, it might matter very considerably if it happened to be poison. THE CREEDS DEFINE!*

"Christ is the truth. v'brist -came to reveal ti'iitli, aiul we have no right to water down that truth even to make it more acceptable. And then what is ja. creed? It is a hedge or protection :.round the truth revealed by Christ. It is no invention of man. It is the 'combined witness and consciousness of the whole church of God expressing explicitly what 'Jie teaching of Christ and hi* apostles really is. It is not „ substitute, for the faith. It is merely a prolectioA "Years ago in England there existed {rreat common lands, or open, unfenced spaces. Individuals began to clip and enclose bits and appropriate them, so it was necessary to enclose these commons and to protect them for the common good. It is exactly tile same with the Creeds. They are fences enclosing the great common faith of Christendom, and they were and are necessary to prevent individuals from stealing bits of that faith. There is plenty of room inside the ,great hedge of the Creeds for reverent "free thought and reverent speculation..'

LOI'ALTY O? THE CHLIICH Thame Cod! '-lie Church ov England has always taught that Chrhti?.mty is not tliU or that doctrine or Shibboleth, but a devotion to the Christ of God, and devotion means obedience, said the preacher. It is because we believe in the Divine Son thai, \-.e believe in the Divine Father, and not merely in God in name only, , ( first cause, a shean of tendencies unknowable, or even a:i impersonal Providence. "I and the Father are one." It is because We believe id Divine Christ, that we believe in Church as a Divine Society. "My ChurJi," iidwelt by His Spirit, according to tlup/omise of Christ.

lii the face of tliusc worth of ojr Lord concerning His Spirit's guidance of the Church we must believe that the institution of the Lord's Day. confirmation, the New Testament, the threefold ministry are not accidents b'..t the direct outcome of thn Spirit's promised guidance, and that the Church of England, with its long history of over 1200 years, and with roots reaching clown to the Day of Pentecost, is intended to be the spiritual home of the English-speak-ing people.

ADHERENCE TO THE TRUTH. "I was always taught to respect the opinions of those who differed from me,'' continued Dr. Averill. "I do so, but at the samft time I claim the same respect for the teaching of the Church of England, and 1 love and honor my mother Church for loyally upholding the truth as revealed by Jesus, and carried out in the Church by His Spirit. 1 believe that we shall best'bring aboui the .'..rity of the Church for which Christ prayed by absolute loyalty to the truth as we see it, and not attempt to water down the truth in order to make it more generally acceptable. I believe that the world needs something more than vague theories and speculations, more than flabbiness and inde-finitc-ness, aad I believe that in the teaching and witness of the Church men can plant their feet >n the solid rock of truth."

In his concluding words, Dr. Averill appealed to bis hearers to help to make the Church a real power in the land. Help to keep it to its Divine mission, namely, to uphold truth and reject compromise. Show to the world, he said, that you believe and that you are prepared to back up your belief by sacrifice and devotion. Don't be among the | men who speculate, but among the faithful who believe.