RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 103, 1 May 1909, Page 12

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

THE CENTENARY OF BISHOP

.By the REV. W. BEATTY. M.A.)

c. John x., 11.—" 1 am the Hood Shop herd; the (.ood Shepherd giveth His u'fe fot the sheep."

The Bible is a book of shepherds. Ah. I, lire Patriarch Moses, David, were all keepers of flocks: and this fact is not i.-oidenta', but highly significant. God _aye man, whom He made in His own inia'P. authority over the lower animal. This was an important and needful element in man's moral and spiritual training. If he forgot his divinely-appointed position and feared or worshipped the creatures that ; n the order ot Creation were beneath him. he sank himself into the state of a weak, cowardly animal. If, on the other hand, he used his authority hardly, scornfully, cruelly, his conception of God became false and hard, his char-

acter became selfish and brutal. All this can clearly be gathered from the history of different nations. If, again, man exercised this office of care and government in a humble and gentle spirit, with a sense of duty and responsibility, regarding the dumb creatures that wore under his sway as a trust, not merely as a possession, the effects on himself were good and blessed. He came to understand, believe and rejoice in God's fatherly rule over men, to know that the Lord was his Shepherd, and he learned to govern his fellow men justly, seriously, fairly, tenderly, feelingly. Therefore, when the Son of God, the Lord of men

.aid " 1 am the Good Shepherd,' those who had perceived the true meani-ig of the shepherd's calling understood His loving and beautiful parable: those who had regarded domestic animals not as objects of man's care and protection, but merely as means of gain could not understand. Xothing can more effectually illustrate the worth, dignity and sacredness of those occupations which we often count merely worldly and secular, can convince us more powerfully that to the simple, tumble, obedient all human life is a divine lesson book.

Now. Christ c'aims to be the Oood Shepherd because He was giving His life for the sheep. He means that He was going to die for His flock, but lie means much more. He was living for them, His whole time and thought and powers were devoted to their serv'ce and wellbeing. And read in the light of the parable of the vine and the branches, of the revelation 1 am the bread of life of the Lord's Supper. Christ's words imply that He imparts His own life to His people, that He nourishes them with the heavenly and spiritual food of His body and blood, His Godhead and His manhood. He is the true King of men berause He is the true Saviour, Xourisher snd Protector of men. His authority is supreme because His love and selt-sacri- ] five are full and complete. And so He contrasts Himself with false shepherds. The hireling, He says, fleeth because he is an hireling and careth not for the shppp. To n_e authority selfishly, covetously looking for gain, reputation, power, is to be a false shepherd, to sin grievously against God. to injure grievously our fellow-men. And Christ gives another mark of false shepherds. He that rntereth not by the door into tho sheepfold, hut climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. To separate ourselves from those whom we have to rule, to teach, to tend, to regard ourselves as of a different order, having different interests, is to rob Ood of His glory, to rob our brethren of the justice, tho kindness, the sympathy, the help, which are their due. Christ made Himse'f altogether one with His shopp, He shared their weariness, their pain, their sickness, their death. He even made their sin His own, and bore it in His bodyon the tree. He went before them on earth and in the grave, that Ho might lead them to Heaven, and to eternal life.

Now Christ stands alone as the true! shepherd and bishop of our souls. Xo create dbeing. whether nngel or man. can share bis place. Yet Ho had made kings and priests and shepherds of His people, and Tie commanded His apostles to feed His flock. Under the one divine Shepherd there are many human shepherds sent by Him to carry on His ■work. Every person, whether an eclesiastical or civil ruler, a parent, a master, a teacher, to whom the government and care of any of his fellowmen is entrusted is a shepherd. And if he is to fulfil his office rightly he must act 5n tbe Name of Christ, for the sake, of Christ, in the spirit of Christ. He must steadfastly regard his flock as Christ's flock, as a charge, not as a possession; he must give his life for his flock, if not iby dying for them, at least by living for them. He must dread and shun tbe spirit of the hireling, and count it sin and presumption to look for reward. He must make himself one with his flock, bear their burdens, grieve for their sins, share their lot, rejoice in their joy and sympathise in their sorrow. He must go before them to lead thejß in the way of life, and not drive them in a path which he himself refuses to tread. So it was with Christ's apostles, and it was with the Evangelists, one of whom we remember to-day "Take Mark." (writes S. Paul), "bring- his with thee, for he is profitable to mc for ministry, for service." The true shepherd is the servant of God, the servant of men for their good for Christ's sake. And so it was with tbe Bishop of New Zealand, whom some of you have known, whom all of us, I hope, honour and revere as one of the good and wise men whom God gave to this colony in its early days. George Augustus Selwyn | was endowed with great intellectual ability, with bodily strength, energy, courage, endurance. But it was not these gifts alone that made him a great man. He might have used them selfishly, sordidly, ambitiously to gain his own purposes, to serve his own ends. But by the grace of God he ivis inspired nnd enabled to devote himself and all that he had to tbe service of Christ, to the benefit of Christ's people. And so he was a true shepherd and bishop of men. Xo one can read the story of Pelwvn's work hero or in England, without feeling that he lived for Christ's -beep and was. ready, if need be. to die for them. And to him every man of whatsoever race or colour was one of Christ's flock, for whom the Good Shepherd had died. Whether the Bishop's

judgment regarding the Maori question was always wise, or his actions always prudent, we cannot decide, and need not discuss. His motives at any rate were always high, pure, sincere, and he gave a needful precious testimony that there is a unity and fellowship of humanity which is larger and deeper than na- __?.-. br ecclesiastical ties. The words as Sic j-__t_ r ■were graven on the heart

of the servant." Other sheep I have | which are not of this fold, them also I j must bring, and they shall hear "My j voice, and there shall be one flock and I one Shepherd." Again, Selwyn was free from the spirit of the hirling. So far from seeking gain for himself, be gave freely of his own for the common good. He had learned the truth of the saying: It is more blessed to give than to receive. While worthily upholding the dignity of his sacred office, bo was sunple in his habits, regardless or scornful of the petty forms of worldly pomp and observance, and so, without seeking it. he won the reward of the reverence of true-heftrted men and women.

Like the Good Shepherd, too. the bishop made himself one with his people, lived their life, shared their hardships, dangers, privations, toils, went before them in the difficult path of duty. Therefore people of all classes and conditions felt and acknowledged that in the bishop they had not a mere ecclesiastical official, but a man like themselves. Rightly, therefore, do we honour the bishop and colonist, whom the Providence of God associated with the early days of this Church and nation. The best proof that we do really honour him is to seek to live and work in the same spirit, and with tho same aims as ho did. And so we. too, in our several vocations and. ministries, will do something to build lip the City and Kingdom of God. and will be. if not memorable, at least useful.

An appeal is being made in connection with this commemoration for funds for selwyn College, Cambridge, and St. John's College, Auckland. If the=e institutions are t.aining mon in Selwyn's personal faith, in Seiwyn's loyal acceptance of the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England, in .Selwyn's profound regard for constitutional government and freedom, in Selwyn's earnest desire that the Church should inform, inspire, uplift, not dominate and corrupt n itional life, in Selwyn's conviction that a Christian minister is tbe servant of Christ and the servant of men for Christ's sake, and for their true wefare, then they are worthy of the most liberal support. But there is one memorial to the Bishop of Xew Zealand of which no official mention has been made; I refer to the fund for maintaining a chaplain to the Hospital and other public institutions. The care of the afflicted and distressed in mind. body, or estate, was dear to Selwyn's heart. And the present chaplain is doing his difficult and trying work with a diligence and faithfulness of which the Bishop would have approved. Those who fool moved to make any contribution, large or small, to tho capital or the income of the Selwyn Chaplaincy Fund, may be assured t vat they are giving expression to their reverence and thankfulness for a good and noble _.{». and helping to provid. for a needful, humane, and truly Christian work.

CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES.

A commission of the Presbytery visited j Waiuku, Pollock. Awitu, and Kohekohe \ on Monday and Tuesday for the purpose, of obtaining full information in regard to the proposal to divide Waiuku into two charges. The result of their investigations will be reported to the Presbytery on Tuesday, May 11th. The* Rev. W. Trotter is at present visiting Opotiki for the of moderating in a call to a minister. VJntil the meeting of the church is held, it is not known upon whom the charge will fall, as tkere are several candidates. ' The Rev. E. Walker has been preaching at Mangere for the past three weeks, as°a candidate, for the vacant pastorate of the Presbyterian Church in that district. The Rev. Walker (of St. James' Trcsbvtoriau Church) and the Rev. Alexander Miller (of Edondalo Church) are at present on a visit to Sydney. They will nave an opportunity of being present at the meetings of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the State of New South Wales, which opens on Tuesday. May 4th, in St. Stephen's I Church, Sydney.

_n order has been placed with Messrs. Jones and Willis, of London, for the Bishop Cowie memorial window. The estimated cost is £280. apart from transit charges .

Between four and five hundred mon attended the meeting in connection with the Auckland Brotherhood P.S.A. in the Methodist Mission Hall, East-street, last Sunday afternoon to listen to an address by the Rev. G. H. Cole, of the Central Mission, Melbourne. The subject was "Black Spots in Social Life." Mr. Cole, who is a sergeant of police, as well as a parson, was enabled, from his personal knowledge of city and slum work, to speak In a most fearless manner of some of the spots which make for the downfall of his fellowmen. His pointed appeals, and humour and pathos, kept the meeting in full sympathy with the object in view, and repeated applause evidenced that his words were appreciated. Prior to the service, the Central Mission Brass | Band played through Newton, and, with scouts of P.S.A.. created a greater interest in the service than would have | otherwise been manifested. Xext Sunday afternoon Mr. Cole finishes his talkto men.

The Rev. Howard Elliott, who is expected to arrive in June to take the pastorate of Mount Eden Baptist Churcn, has been minister of the church at Clayfield, Queensland, for the last eight years. The foundations are being laid of a fine new building for the San Francisco V.M.C.A., whose premises were destroyed ; by the earthquake. It will be a steel frame, fire-proof structure, and will contain 140 sleeping rooms. The lobby will he a feature, from which an auditorium, seating 1000 people, will open. A day school for boys, with machinery for a craft school, will be established. Dr. John H. de Forest, the missionary of the American Congregational Board at Sendai, has been decorated by the-Im-perial Government of Japan with the Order of the Rising Sun, in recognition of his services in removing misunderstanding among Americans as to the attitude of Japan toward the United States | A window to the memory of Dr. John Watson (lan Maclaren), the famous author and divine, was lately unveiled at Westminster College. Cambridge, by the widow of the late doctor, who was accompanied by her three sons. The window was subscribed for by a number of colleagues of Dr. Watson in the Presby-

terian ministry, most of whom are connected with Westminster College. The Methodist Missionary Board has chesen two ministerial probationers for appointment to and training in mission work in India. The two chosen are the Rev. F. L. Nunn, of Queensland, and formerly of West Australia, and the Rev. J. H. Allen, of South Australia. In the case of Mr. Allen, it is proposed to delay his departure to India until towards the end of 1909 in order that he may have the opportunity of completing his B.Sc. course at Adelaide University.