RELIGIODS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 24, 28 January 1911, Page 14

RELIGIODS WORLD.

"THIS YEAR'S-.MEgSAGK" ;• (Sermon hy the." Archpist^o^cpi. York'-at Bristol.) In this sermonthe Archbishop of Xork eaid that! for many of them that.was indeed, that day a hallowed spot. Xearly 900 of'thenihiid met .together that morning in the most holy and wonderful feast of unity with our blessed Lord , , and in Him with one another. Most eurely did he feel that words were then epoken between the disciples and the Master which they would treasure in their memories.

But now they were met to listen to flome word from Him to them all, and Vas it not a striking token of Hia preeence still in the midst of our modern English life, that in the midst of a busy working day that great Cathedral should be filled from end to end, and that there should be hundreds remaining outside unable to find room within, gathered together merely to listen to come simple message from One Whom none of them had ever seen, but Whose presence in their midst none of them could ever doubt.

It wae the solemnity of that service, on their conference day, that they ceased from speaking things concerning themselves, and that they met to hear <What the Lord God would , say concerning them. Their'"voices were for a moment hushedj they -were there to listen for His.

They knew it wae only a human voice —a voice which came from one who ■knew himself to foe simply and solely their comrade in all the temptations and difficulty of the Christian life. It was only a human voice, which sought to interpret His message, and he could not have presumed to speak in Hie name were it not for this —that day 'by day throughout each year he renewed the offer of that body of men to tihe Lord Christ for His service in their.English Church; that day by day He renewed the pleas that He would paridon their sins and continue to fill- them ■with the strength of His Holy Spirit. It was only in the strength of that continued prayer that he could ever dare ■to aek them to listen to 'his message aa if it came from the unseen, but preBent, Lord Himself.

Many of them would rememfoer the message which last year -was given to them:

"No man having put his Ihand to the plough, and looking iback is fit for the Kingdom of God."

They were reminded that the growth of power meant the growth of responsibility; that quite plainly God had : some purpose for the movement, elee He could aot have allowed it to have the place End the promise that in spite of their lunworthiness *t held.

Year toy year had seen more plainly the closing in of the grasp of the divine will upon that movement. They were Ibidden to prepare for the eervke which He might have in store for them; they were bidden to remember that if He gave them great opportunity, He would demand great sacrifices. He would ask them to withstand the influences which might weaken them, the influences of popularity or of numbers, Or of an unconsecrated spirit; to withstand the influence which divided, such aa the spirit of party; to withstand the influenoes which might be depressing,, euch as disa-pp ointment at their manifold (failures. God would demand that each man should be prepared, because he had joined that movement, to be led in his own personal life deeper and deeper into onion with His Master.

That year, continued his Grace, he | assumed that they Were willing to go i orwaTd, that they were servants waiting upon their Lord, and the loins of self-discipline girded: about, - and the lamps of zeal burning in their heaTts If so, what was His word J "The Lord eaid unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may "be filled."

Last year the message was, "Go in. ■de&pen your chai-acter, deepen your faith, deepen, your consecration, close in your ramk3, be sure of yourself, do not carry afodut with you the encumbrance of men who have not got. your spirit; make for spiritual reality, honesty, ana Bincerity."

This year the word was, "Go out."' Having gone in-and become deeper, they were, by the' very strength which that inward movement had brought them, to go oiit anil serve more widely afield. Their spirit was called to be deep only an order that their service may be wide. There was some danger lest they should etop at themselves—lest they should 'be-, come debating societies, mutual improve'merit societies; ,lest they should, be wrapped up in merely ecclesiastical interests; lest they should be concerned only with the building-up of themselves and their most holy faith, and because of that danger the word was given to them this year to go out.

There was indeed still room in the House of God, which was lacking in respect of those who remained outside There were many of our richer men, our educated men, our professional and business men, drifting out of, all touch with the saving strength of the grace of God, the message of His Word; and the strength of llis sacraments. They were finding, somehow, that the old church did not interpret their living needs, and he believed that those classes would only come again to their churchmanship.when they were brought into such a brotherhood as that—a brotherhood of common eervice and effort, and labour for 'high causes and for Christ. There were our country labourers, the toilers on the soil in our country villages, standing ■wholly apart;, but there was a place for them in the body of Him, Who was the friend and companion of country people. There were greatest, not in need, but in numbers, the masses of our working men in this u,nck other great cities, and Churchmen weje called "upon, by everything they believed their church to be, to be the instruments of filling it with those who were thus standing outside.

If they were, as they believed them-1 -Selves to be, the Holy Catholic Church. I •;i this land, then upon them, more than upon aJi-others, rested the responsibility of linking their church a real Catholic brotherhood, in wiiich high and low, rich and poor, met together, in which ou* scattered working classes found the richsat and most real and most glowing brotherhood that the world could 6how. If they were the National Church, could thpv rest content while they saw the ren] dominant powers of tlie future of our nation solidifying, strengthening, inepirins thomsclvps more and more without the leadership of Jesus Christ?

He knew what many of the members of the C.E.M.S. wpte crying to do in thpir branehps. and he prayed with all hie heart that God's blessing might rest upon their efforts.

The ibest way was the simplest, though it was often the hardest. It was to Ibring the men in one by one. There was not one of them who could not think of some man, some lad, 'wiihin. Ms circle of business, Ms neighbourhood,? pr--home, who: was standing outside. oK'drifting. Xie££hem take ; thcfee'inieh,;".tH6,s#.'lad3, as a commission to them front -the Lord, Who loved' them. Let theiro pray foi '■ them, watch for their chance ofJsp'eaking ' to them, plead with them, be patient ■ with' them, and by God's grace bring them in. The Archbishop also made re- ; ferenec to missionary work abroad, and emphasised the fact that, in the words of a Bristol clergyman, the C.E.M.S. i would find iteelf when it became missionary. The most important question that could be put to their conference was: "Lord, what would thou have mc to do?" j The answer was: The Lord said unto | the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that My houee may be filled.