RELIGION OF HUMANITY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 250, 21 October 1891, Page 8

RELIGION OF HUMANITY.

THIS AFTERNOON'S MEETING.

The City Hall was crowded again ab three o'clock thi3 afternoon. General Booth said that he had to speak of the religion of humanity—that was the religion suitable for humanity. We understood a knowledge of God. We understood that system of religion which had to do with the knowledge of God, the love of God, tho service of God, and the worship of God, and which had to do also with the duties v/e owed our fellowmen. By humanity we meanb not only ourselves, but the entire world, or at any rate that part of it which came within our reach. He would not go away that afternoon —to China or India, Europe or America, or even to the other colony of Victoria — he would not go outside bhe building. He would confine himself to the humanity inside it, and to bhe religion that was needed by the men and women there, and not only needed by them, but was obligatory on them. HUMANITY NEEDED RELIGION. That went without saying. It was proved by past history, and by the prevalence of religion everywhere. There had never been a people worth calling a people without a religion. A few strange savage tribes may have been brought under notice who did not pay any particular attention to religion ; bub he did not think it was always easy for travellers to give the ciharaeterisbie3 of a nation or deal with their secret feelings by merely spending a few days amongst them. History disclosed the fact that everywhere and in all ages men had been religious. The humanising influence of religion was further shown by the interest which ,was_ taken in it and by bhe sacrifices made for it. Had we not knowledge of the

BIRTH OF RELIGION

in our hearts. If we might be able to get along and exist with some degree of comfort in times of prosperity, of ease, and of quietness without it; yet when we came to hours of affliction, adversity, and death, we felt how important religion was. One of the first things which humanity wanted was an assurance of the existence of a God. We could look into the book of nature, and infer from its testimony that there was a God. Many things in this world proclaimed that the hand which made them was divine. Ho could not exactly understand the meaning of some men whose great ambition seemed to be to prove that

THERE WAS NO GOD,

Their ambition ought to be bo prove that tbere was a God. It seemed so desirable that there should be a God. Ib seemed to be so desirable that wo should have a father whose mighty arms could embrace us. There was a consciousness ; there were certain instincts ; there were certain feelings that were with us since our tirst memory, that there was a God. A religion that must suit humanity must make us sure of this fact, and he thanked heaven that the religion of Jesus Christ—the religion that fie proclaimed —made us sure that there was a God, The law of God was, " You ehall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and love thy neighbour as thyself. " God could not ask from us leas than love, for no mau could give him more. This was reasonable. This was compie-

hensible. This was practicable. The religion which humanity needed must bring with ib some method for

THE REMOVAL OF GUILT,

There was no man there who could stand up and say, "Never in my lifetime have wronged my neighbour." If a man broke the law of the colony he would be punished, and the punishment of breaking the law of God wae self-condemnation —" the gnawing: of the worm that never dies." The salvation suited to humanity must nob only give the desire to do right, bub also give the power by which ib could be done. It was one thing to know what to do, and another thing to have fche power to accomplish ib. What a chasm there was between what we knew wo ought to do, and what we actually did. We retired ab night in self-condemnation becauee we things that we ought nob to have done during the day. We wanted light and power to walk in the love of God.

The interest aroused in the advent of General Booth to this colony is very great, and pictures of him are being freely cold. Mr R. Rew, grocer, of Vicboria-street, is giving away gratis excellent chromo pictures of the General in the form of pictorial calendars. The likenesses are admirable.