RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 293, 10 December 1910, Page 14

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

(By HRNRU F. COPEL)

■"' •"---

"Theii'shall Thy liihf. break forth as theniorulig arifl thine health, shall spring forth.ei.eediiy." — Isa. lvilL-;8. .'""'*.". Tue people who keep their piety almoac perpetually on the opera Ling uible uauadly \va.ste a great deal of Mine -vvondenug why it seems to be so sickly. Ths lraoiii of introspection makes the -religious iypo-cJiomiriac let tnere 3-re so iiiany w'flo measure their piety either accprding' to bh-e degree <kg which, it pains tliem or pains others.

Just as a growing -realisation of the iniinence of our thoughts oyer our health demands that we sha-U cease the mournful -practice of trading sickly experiences, so men ar.e realising that etr is soon blighted in the atmosphere of ha-bituai heart-search ings, complainings, and mq&iungs. When men meet only to adyeitase their Ilia they part persuaded of the orthodoxy of pessi-

Sighing oyer tjris life «*s a vale of tears only s-dds to its gloom, augments the briny stream and wastes the .breath ithat is needed bo wage the fight for the brighter day and happier 'life. YfiU find tto the spectators do __aoat of the weeping on the field of Mfe. He.-U" grief cats too "deep .for idle tears; it strikes us down only to stir us up to keener efforts. • -

Many a man who as "baXking of the cross that heaven, lays on hinot, who imagines that he is a rare saint because be has unusual sorrow, would increase his wisdom and silence his murmurings if he but looked bade to rememhe_r the foHies, tEhe meannesses, the hypocrisies, the lusts Bjid evil of years now past. He is but jreaping as he 'has sown, and the piety of ids dotage does not avail ty> change 4he law of consequences.

Piety is normal health. It is strength rather than "weakness. It is the normal and right rather than the abnormal and sensait'ionel. The pious man is he -whp ds rightly adjusted to his world and as an right retotions to tie whole of his universe. To him life is a glad tlnng, because it is part of the divine whole, not something to bp endured' as passing, to bo borne only in the prospect of a speedy release. "When you get to think of all life as bqing part of the divine plan, to know that life is right because it is divine, you -will find that life lias a place for zeal' sorrow, and it is not aU a glad song without minor chords, not all a spring holiday without clouds or toilsome •ways. But sorrow and pain then become not causes of complainings, brat sources of seli pity; they take their place as jpart of life's -whole music. .- _■ ... Sorrow has its part to play. The saddest thing that could happen to any "Would be to live for ever without its softening, sweetening, refining touch. That would be to be without knowledge of sympathy, -without real insight into •the lives about ours, without a sense of the deep places of life. Nothing is more blasting to the real flowers, ,of character than perpetual sunshine-

Pain has its. message «nd <J_spiP_ine for ail. It is but power of sepsa: tion'at its keenest. It is t^'.iftieans'by ■which we learn the laws and boundaries of life. . ft n_#ris# ujj from thg lower levels of living,- and to be insensate to pain is to b$ 'as the brute. One could hardly •think of a, rightly ordered world ■unless the breftoii of its laws involved something akin -to pain for the guilty. But sorrow pain take "their normal places in the right life. We do not ca,H our friends and neighbours to witness, how .many loads Providence has latjd upon us 'because we are called to walk through -the dark ways of sorrow; •we" Iradw'"that this is not "a load;. it is rather a' lesson, a new book which we are opening, a new story we read, a means of enriching our whole selves and an opportunity "to be richer to all others.

Men and women who pnofess to .believe in a God of infinite love ought to give evidence of their faith in tiint love, ought to-be -take fiances' on their own-destiny, and to leaves their Master Jto look'after them,, so: that bhgy might foe free to do Hig -will, to ita/y.e a share dn His work, and to make-a:new -world, in-which truth and righteousness should feign. ,'.' : . ." .'"" -,'

• It'is ..time •Wβ ceased worrying over our Inngs or our future in an asbestos pa,r!idise, attd in -the name of religion %egin to' tkke up the plough and ' bhe Hword, to brea,k up fafltnw places •of *i)d iji ih? day of justice .pifciLilqve, cjf fhn,t sort Vould give the split a chance tp find life in its fujlnesg. -iCHUBCH -MEWS" .A3R>- ITO^S.13ie Auckland Ereistytery meets next •Tuesday evening. " The Eev. H. Bull, Methodist ConnexionaJ secretory, who is 'well-known Auckland and throughout the Dominion, is retiring from the active work of thq ministry after 43 years of service. Mr. Bull holds a high place in the esteem and respect of Methodist ministers and people all over New Zealand, as a devoted and faithful : minister.

The Pap'atpetpe Presbyterian congregation has called the Rev. Q. A. Porter to ! take charge. M?- Porter -was in the Methpciist connection in tbe So.uth, hnt Was received into the ministry of the 1 Presbyterian Church .at the recent sitting of the Cfener»l Assembly. j

Tlie choir of Beresford-street Church presented the organist with a silvermp tinted . baton, at a social gathering rePently. , .

The first report of the committee having charge of the new Methodist paper of the Dominion is very encouraging. FrOm. the outset the circulation has exceeded all expectations, and it has kept on increasing everywhere.

The Rev. Leyton Richards, successor to Dr. Bevan as pastor of Collins-street Congregational Church, is described in the "British Weekly" a? a man of very fine presence, and a preacher of rare distinction.

A movement is on foot to shift the newly-eTected Congregational m.ssion building at Greenlane 'to what is considered to a mprp suitable site.

A capital convention of Methpdist Sunday School workers was recently held in Palmerston North. wire present from each district froni Auckland to Otago, the president of J \e Conference (Rev. C. H. Laws, 8.A.), pre-s.-.'.ing. Among the subjects discussed ly-.-rf "Attendance of Scholars at Pub 41° Worship," Music," '»>'."J I '? 3 1j 9 53 .9 n . 5 ." "Sunday Schools and Juissioris," and'"The Primary Department. •• Th?'conference lasted three <inys _.— ...--•

cinlih"™ l^ % Congieiational Church w Amenea n <ny at 730,718. riven r- a M P ° ndß in 5247 *toKS given as £178 per annum, which can hardly be called excessive payment.

Rev. Ivo.E. Bertram, M.A., of the Devonport Presbyterian Church, contemplates -a trip to the Old Counwith the' object of -undergoing ' a course of trji4iii.Bg-.ffl, igi -$he TJnivefisity of """"

u&Il 'interchange.;, of . Q& thp Father' Bernard 'Vatjgban: '• PV«r the tatter's description pf Protestantism as "a religion without ft spirt" A\% iliti opening of the fJoßVPntipn of the Brotherhood' of St. Afl'4?BW 51 MPRtTWIi the Bishop of louden, jfl $.9 cpiirw ;CJ$ an address, askeij; *'-Why. «Jp I fjpfc '■.'§ Roman Catholic??'"gg paused, afljj pp|i? turned: "Because, tJwuk English Catholic.'' audience, which numbered 5000 persons, chepred -Mc bishop's emphatic woj4s fel seyerftl jfttßt utes. Subsequently ' Father Vanghafl •preached at Winnipeg before a large congregation, and ffi the, course gf iftig remarks said: "Tfte...BUiWb _fif has thanked God thst he is #Pt: % _R{}? man Catholic, but lftt WP teU |hftt the Catholics in ftTP _M fa the throne as those whq tlipnisiajvftj 'English Indeed, spl strong is their loyalty that if tlia Sritish ®W r pire were to decay, tl»« }*ist gljot in it# defence woulfj ibe_ |jy B>iojn_ti_| Catholics." '

The Presbyterian Ohnrph at Ellerslie has given a unanimous to the H. W. Johnstone, 3tA- jRJiSf "Wag ft mission statiop ]_gi||] $0 of the General" Assembly in Auckland, when EOersli.e w**3 erectg4 into ft <s}iarg3.

The St. John's Metjjodist C&Hl'pft Jw*i a vigorous Young Men* Bible Glass, $$ members strong, Un4s? t&P }B*4BfSbiP R* Mr. T. E. Pr|ce. Qn » reppnt Mftoy, they divided int« grftUßl pf three or four, $n4 ylsitßfJ »ft |%§ (S%BSPS affiliated with the Jppftl WHO - Jb t!? .8 way weak #?«. limped, ftgfl a fuller knowledge of the Wflrfciflg pf #W varied sections was ' Qfl, tM, following Sunday fta WBWn Q| eftflh band ' W lw.t. he had mm »U4 noted. ..."'

The folloTying OTppaml 'WWd* &rer«' uttered by the Wanop pf I<i¥ftrp<lfil W Hit*, Y_M.C-A. of that ia difficult J nowadays for fa % %o.xQ,\ish. y?p are living in an age wii*di has ft tendency to be smart and flashy guj>erfic_.i_| rather than solid (ttlft d9»P» $%*s& looked for sernißnettes Tftther thfttt sermons, for paragraph? ffi the than articles; an age "Which t«! SPJV rather than to endWe ? Whleh WfitW ilfltqi and not letters, and wliich' evm W <.dHW''| tion seemed to.tliinkof rather' than of really ' >jYe live in a da,y iwfte.B yty think pf manuals and dictionaries fsjQ pf quotations I_han the good o\i pm 1 9¥? i fathers used .tp. 4ftTJ>f. CfitipiW rather than creatipU, Tdther I than "'',*'. l

The Methodists' 'na|ovipgip' the direction of making fieyere? 'testa pppp candidates for the IffesViyan IB England. This yea? of the 147 presents, ed only 46 aceeptedi and -Bf th*W ix came up to the Biiiv«a'eity 'atanda'dA teacher's training board ha,s also been started in connection with the Puhd*?! School work. • ■ ■■•■ - ....''

The bequests in the will of the lal* Mr. Eiehard . ■ Glynn Vivian -«' include £35,000 for founding and endowing Glynn Yiyian Miners' jyfigsicins or ffli,9§ipu halle, to be conducted by such mission as to £5000 for such purpose in each of the folio wing countries—namely, .France, Spain, Qennapy, Siberia, Rug§i» (excluding Siberia), South Africa (either at Komberley or Johannesburg), and Chile; in each case not less than £4000 being set apart for the endowment, and the balance for the purchase of a site and the erection and, equipment of the building. Each is to have a good reading room, and is to. be made warm and conU for tableand qs attractive as practicable, by being provided with goi>d and a newspaper or two, and a supply of tea so .as to draw the miners and other persons whom-the hails are intended' to' r benefit away- from 'baxs. Other bequests mclude-.'—-SJiOiOO for the Glynn yjvip. llfisgioh iii the'Uhited Kingdom■ £1500 for a Glynn, Vivian- bed at the Swansea Hospital,- . £1000 tq such, of the vhjars or rep'toys of such parishes in Swansea and Sljetty as. this .may think, fit, to be, applied in providing food, clotidng, and fuel for the destitute or struggling poor of such parishes; '£1000 similarly for poor parishes in the County and City of London;. £1000 fclw endovpnent pjf ..th,e. hftsjftW.fe? -the Jjjind founded by him recently.

Under, the leadership of, Sir R. WPerks, ithe English Wesloyan Conference has'appointed a committee for the purpose of organising and directing the Methodist Brotherhood, the object of which shall be:—(a) To cherish and extend , the .brotherhood and fenowigl-ip of the Methodist people, both member f and adherents, throughout the world; (b) to fulfil all the duties and obligations hitherto-discharged by ithe Meriir borship Bureau Committee eO far as the Church membership of is concerned; (c) to give such assistance to-Methodists leaving the United Kingdom as will secure for them an introduction to Methodist people in distant lands, and also to direct and assist theni asv far as -possible in the matter iof employment; (d) whilst the brotherhood shall not be of a charitable or philanthropic character it shall endeavour at far' as possible to assist emigrant* in establishing their hon_es in a iiew country; (c) in seeking to accomplish theee objects, the brotherhood shall co-operate with committees of the Methodist people whicji arc, or shall be, formed in other lands.

it is three years .since the M ot bo.dist ChuTeli House was started at Westminster, on the aite of. the Royal Aquarium. The great outer walls, 4ft Bin in thickness, the massive piers in the basement between which stretch" low vaults of 45ft span, the huge steel stancb> soar"? upwards to carry the dome, 4e.11, in the language of. the architect, pi uio yVi-.-i----leyan Methodists' faith in their future. The -entranoe hall and grand staircase are in polished mairhle, giving -a, very rich effect, -but apftnt from !?%! the interior decoration of the building will be ?ample almost to austerity. The whole length of the basement, 2QOf t, is given up to the tea room, "which, it is calculated, will accommodate 1000 people. The total cost of the building will not fall far short of a quarter of a million sterling.

English Methodists are trying to extend the usefulness of >the WprM'3 Missionary Conference. A series of -conventions and meetings will be held in the city of Birmingham, as being a central place, on October 18, 19 and 20. Speakers "will be drawn from those who were themselves present at Edinbu-rgh, and variouis aspects'of ; the"-work vriU he dealt with. In addition, the conference has freed the' Rev. W. H. Findlay from ordinary duties, and givfen him for jmccial work in strengthening the thpma Hse throughout the connexion.