A RELIGIOUS AWAKENING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 274, 16 November 1905, Page 3

A RELIGIOUS AWAKENING.

REPORT TO GENERAL, ASSEMBLY. LOFTY PRESBYTERIAN IDEALS. The interesting annual report on the state of religion presented by the Rev. W. Grsy Dixon to the Presbyterian General Assembly last night created quite an enthusiastic debate, the delegates being convinced that at the present time the colony is under the iniinenee of a. great religious awakening.

Toot committee are profoaudly thankfni to ttit; God oil all grai;e and glory taat are able- to present a. report in wbiidi may be fell the breaxh oi" retumiag spriaz. Thpr»> is mu-cii. very much of winter yet Iα CtrarcJi's spirltnai cocdician, aitd vastly more in tite eirimniinities about h?r Sates; bar the voice of bprutg: is tregincins to be clearly lieurd and the ncaa -jf iLs aew life experienced, ami Ty<? cannot bet b'i glad with the quietening , of hop* , . In a majority of oar parishes aad mission distracts there i≤ an impressiou that th« Influence of religion is increasing. In a sood many all that caji be said is that the C±Lurrh seems to be holding her own. In vt»ry ftw indeed is the fearing tbat there is a weakening jf th-e influeoce o" religion apon the carp dignity. Xcang people tiieoLSiiiTes to pleasure as life's aim. Tin* attention paid tt< sport is ridiculously excessive. It is fa some places .almost hopeless to stir the minds even at the most rewta-bie yoaag men ajid women to any mental effort. A "dancing mania." possf?sses certain parishes. And one or two of our correspamients do no" shrink from Lht' lionjan xnd Anjlicaji Ginrehes mnoaz the hindran<!e:3 to religion in their parishes on. account of the lower ideal pre-rajrent in these chnrches, espedaHy tile former, on srieh matters as Sabbath observance, i-iffim- at bazaars, etc. At the other extreme "hittPr brethrenLsm" is deplored. It may be well occasionally not to keep silent aboac liie exeepthjnalJy lofty standani of thought aaid cocdnct which our Church, throngsi God's yracp to cc-r iathers. inherits, and which association with members -oL even sonic oi th<? worthiest of -the ei»ter comnranions is liabte to Impair. We ZTsnefniry note that pnbiic opinion on the question of punblin:r is greatly improving-. The outcry from press and people agaicst the totalisator is one of the most chserins manifestatiens we have had for a long time of tht sotLininesr. at tin , heart of our civic life. Out Church got credit for α-efeating the proposal to intro'ince the- totalisator into Victoria: we hope site will tate her dne sfcara in sweeping it out of New Zealand. if pleosare-lovrng is injuring in. a special ■dejrree onr young- people, of the older people it has very often to be sal<l that they seem to be in a condition of torpor. Enthusiasm is at a sad discount arn-rmg multitudes of our Church members The dairying industry seems responsible for much spiritual atrophy and sordidnese. And there is a .general complaint of the leaning oi home life. Family discipUce is doplombly ueglerted, with the result that childraE grow ignorant. sel'-indßlgent. ill-mannsred, lawless. Here we roach a. spot of veritable heart disease In oar body politic We m>te with satisfaction that the Oiinrch Is, oo the whole, atten-dinir to the dnty of aggressive evangelism. At the same time, the evangelistic note seems to be fncrf^tsingly oharactei'WLus onr regular services. In respect to the proportion of y<rang isen more or less regularly attending acme pluoe of worship reports vary widely, from 10 per cent, to practically 160 per cent. Tue prevuiliiia conviction ts that a decided majority of Presbyterian yotra? men attend Church, bnr. that the proportion is very mtrch smaller hi the community as a whole. The testimony of .ministers who hsnrtj braocies of the Young. Mec'c Bible C2ass Uniifn in their parishes is rmnnimoas and. as to the value of this orsranisa-

iioa. The report gave partictrlars of criticiams to the movement: wMch had been teeeirei. and went on to state:—Wtse. 'ng, gpiritnal guidance by pareata m the home Is mentioned as a crying need for young nrcn. "Sixty per cent, of par«rts ase'toa lazy or too bney entertaloins -Hirtr neiffbtxrars to-act as 6i»ffthsart to their

owe flesh and blood. - Then there is the splendid opportunity afforded to laymen «£ the appropriate gifts of acting- -as jeadeis of Bible classes. The aloofness, and, at times, censorlsosneea <rt aider people la rel&tksa to the ymia oi i&»»- Ctarei. ts not

Jartftoa rfrfm<tjr t extreme aiid masi rainoas to what oog&t to be the brigntest 1 aud. nwEt poientiai of Uμ ausy Tiiieeis jcf onar. week: for <Ju«L At tie close 01 a. year whicii b<? ever meiuorablf as the year of one of tie most remszkabie revivals cf religion in Bxe 'history of the tsiiversel Chnrefc no more opportune than, that with which your Committee have closed their- series of inqniriesi "Can you say aHytbiaff as to the prospects of a general revival of religion in onr colony?" The answers *re distinctly encouraging- On ail sides there is prayer, private and united, for tir? coming -of a of srraee- The gennineness of the movement at I "Waihi &is been .testified to by «ac ami J acher visitors to tb-« prosperr>a.s town 00 the Thames zoldfields. CMti-eism. even the most sysapaLthetit:. has been merged in wondr>r acd worship. More recencly there hare been aaite as remarfcable manifestations o£ the power of the Holy Ghost in the dt yof Anekhma. thoush they have been. less conspicuous -owiug to the greater po-pala-tion with its much greater diversify of interests-

The nromentons eoestian now is. "Is the awakening- at Waihi to prove the "little cloud no bigger than a man's hand which presages the coming dsihure of spiritual blessing?** Or is New Zealand to let the great opportiHirty pass? The opinion «- pressed in one of the answers that "more ctmskieratlon is (te-Irable at the Genera! Assembly of -ear most vital wort" is receiveng deference this year iv the nol-iißjr during: .assembly time of a ponfereace for the dispensing of spiritual life, and it is hoped that by the blessimr ai God this n<rw departure wul justify itself in a way tftat will fill all oar hearts with praise.

In moving the adoption of the report, the Rev. W. Gray Dixon referred to the references in the report to the Waihi revival, and said the spiritual awakening was evident in Auckland. There was a deeiDened interest in religious things, and the a/ctitmie of the average man towards religious things showed indeed that them was a rising tide. His personal conviction was that the vice of vice in the eclony was gambling, and the chief hindrance to religion ■was worldlmesi. It was often depressing- in the extreme to see how litii-e interest the fathers and mothers took in the spiritual welfare- of their children. It was exeeedingry to see the onterv raised, by press and people against the gambling eviL There were lilies in fashionable boardinghouses around that very church who regularly put their money oa the totalizator. It made cue black ashamed to think of highly educated and respectable-looking ladies (although they could not retain their respectable looks very long if they continued on those lines) who were regular gamblers. He moved a resolution

expressiiis gratification at the religious revivals at Waihi and around and in Dtmedin, recommending the holding , of eonferenees for the deepening- of spiritual life, and nnring members of the Church to abstain from every form of gambling, and to throw their influence into the movement for the abolition of the totalisstor. and the removal of national as well a≤ personal complieitv in that deadrv vice.

The Rev. H. B. Gray (Aucklaiad). in seconding, sajui that the problem was hew to sxir laymen and oSce-bearers of the Church out of their stagnant religions life into a powerful life for God and mac. He appealed tor personal individual evangelistic work. Tho present Assembly was remarkable for til" sporitaneous way in which the ministers and elders had si«rwn a desire to meet together sisaply for prayer and BToie rsadirrg. Tfce osteonu- of the Assecsbly iv that particiiiaj matter -woiild be the inspiration and uplifting of the whole Church in Xew Zealand.

The Rev. F_ E. Catherwcod (St. Petrtra, Anckland i spoke to the -ra-ras of the voojijr men's BiMe-elass nSareinent, and declared taat athletic organisations in. eonnectioii with tiarn should not be discoora£°'J.

Mr George Dawscn. (Woodlands) empoaticuily declared his opinions in regard to sraokiiis-. ''"When I see a Doctor of Divicity dr.iwing away at an. old pipe." he anxronrveed, a.mid laughter. *'he is showinir the- worst pv.-ir-.pl>> h< , can to the young." Mr Dawsew urgsd that ministers ?'no:il-d stop nmokins themselves, and advise the hoys that it wm a most degrading thin? to use tobacco in any snarK; or form. (Applause.)

Tiie Rev. x. Ta.it (Christchiireii>. who annortaced that be was not uoiag ou the platform as a eaipriS in regard to tobacco, madii- in aipqaeiit apr-sai that ministers should undertake evangelistic work taexasflves.

The Eev. Budd (Feildiag) a.skf.i thai the reference in the report to tht v liomau Catholic and Anglican ideas iii r-'?srd to bazaars migirt be deleted. The Rev. W. Gray Dixcnu Sot one syllabi*-. lApplaose.) Mr Badd moved that the reference be deleted. Replying to the amendment. Mr Gray Dixon said that the attitude of the ch.arch.es referred to in regard to rafSing at bazaars was well known, and it inisrht be well occasionally to refer to the loftiness of the Presbyterian ideal in that resoeet.

The Eev. P. R Fraser (LovelFs Flat) suggested that the clause in the report be deleted, the words being, .''and wnich association with members of even some of the worthiest of the sister communions irf liable to impair." Mr Gray Dixon replisd thai he wa* not enamoured of the phrase, and he would withdraw it.

Mr Budd's amendment was then with drawn, and the motion was unanimously adopted.