RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 215, 7 September 1912, Page 14

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

PLACE OF THE MTBACtTLOTIS. The question of the place of miracle in the Christian religion has been much before the public mind recently, says the "Christian World." It is a question to which all intelligent members of onr Churches want to be able to give a clear and reasonable answer; a qucMion on which many congregations—in particular the younger people—need light and guidance. No book goes more satisfactorily to the heart of the matter than "Religion and Miracle," by Rev. George A. Gordon, DJX, of Boston, on whom one of the chief American universities conferred the LLJ). degree the other day, in recognition of his conspicuous influence as a leader of contemporary thought. One is liable to be puzzled and perplexed by the p-roblem of tho miracles of the Old or New Testament when the attempt is made to deckle the importance or credibility of each miracle singly without first getting a firm foothold of principle from which to survey the whole subject. The great value of Dr. Gordon's hook —the main part of which consists of a <xmrs<> of lectures delrvered at Ya.!e University—is that he establishes this foundation of principle. With characteristic vigour and lucidity of thought and exposition he sJidwb that the question of miracle is not primary but secondary in Christian faith- Ail that is essential in the Christiaji reßgion—all on which faith has ever really rested —is" secure apart from miracle. If we can be sure of that -—and Dr. Gordon pute his case most persuasively and convincingly—we need not be perturbed by any problem of the miraculous. We have got a firm stand-ing-ground on things that cannot be shaken,.and are-able to face the question of this or that particular miracle with patient, untroohled, clear mind and heart. That is what is needed to judge each narrative and miraculous occurrence

fairly and reasonably. So much of the timidity and uncertainty which has characterised the words of Christian teachers on this subject has been duo to the lack of this firm foothold of faith. Dr. Gordon is sure of his gTound, sure of his vital Christian faith, and therefore he is reverently bold, in the discussion of such great problems as those of the Virgin Birth and the Kesnrrecfckra, of prayer and the Divine Immanence 5n the world, in the beantSnl preface to his book he

says.: — "When a teacher and preacher of the Christian religion moves from the circumference towards the heart of faith, miracles fall out of the sphere of his vision. He may not deny the reality of miracles, but more and more miracles ceases to be significant for him. lie is dealing with the Eternal as it shines by its own light, and in that case outward witness of any kind for the things of the 800 l becomes superfluous. For many years I have lived in this mood. Slowly miracles have ceased to serve mc in the evolution of my belief, in thn moral campaign of my Bpirit. For mc the heart of the universe is God, the Eternal Spirit; the permanent force in man is the soul that answers to the Infinite soul; the incomparable genius of Christianity is in the way in which it enables human being to live in the consciousness of our Father in Heaven. Christianity is, in my judgment, incomparable as the religion of revelation and reconciliation; it brings spirit to light, the Divine and the human; it 'brings peace.* THE AGE OF FBIVOLITY. Preaching at St. Paul's, Portmansqnare, Key. J. Stuart Holden, in a striking sermon on the words of Jesus regarding "children, playing in the market-place," said he did not forget that the Gospel said men must become child-like, but there was an eternity of difference between being child-like and childish, and this was not a child-like but a childish age. With the almost imperceptible growth of frivolity there came a growing distaste for work, and play became . everything. Enthusiasms were bad form, and all was pleasure and fashion. Referring to those who rejected John because he was too stern, and Jesus because He was too companionable, Mr Holden remarked: "Let a man thunder out the law of God, and people will say his ' preaching is too hard; let him dwell on the wooing note, and they will say bis preaching has no virility in it. Yes, we preachers are jnst like puppets put up to be aimed at, and we don't mind criticism. That doesn't harm us. It is not the messengers who matter; it is the attitude of the critic to the message. When Jesus says, We have piped unto you, and *ye have not danced . . ." it is (I say reverently) a3 if He'Baid, 'I am really at my wits' end to know what to say to you people' And that is the spirit thai lays hold of His servants again and again." CHTTBCH ITEWS AND NOTES. In ■Dγ. Eipley's meeting house, Carter Lane, 100 'bund-red years ago Last .Tune, was founded? the Baptist Union. Burmese Baptists are raising a fund ingratitude for the coming of Adoniranv Judson to Burma a century ago. A brass taiblet -was recently unveil pel in the Parish Church. Torphi-ehpn, which 'had' 'been erected to the memory! of the 'Rev. John Bonar, 3F.A., who was' minister of tha-t parish from lfin.i to 1747. The tablet was erected by the jrreat-great-great-grandson, Mr Horatius Boner. • ■"■ • Many Auckland residents still have a kindly recollection of "Ted Wright," the captain who first broke ground for the Salvation Army in this city. The. task was no e»»Sy one. for in those ilavs ! the Army had not become popular with ! people, 'but Captain. .Wright, with liis' bright, cheery spirit, won his way rapid- : ly. After rising- to the rank of Colonel | in the Army, he retired a year or two | ago, and is now the Rev. Edward \ Wright, of 3aden Presbyterian Church. I Sit. Louis,, U.3*A. That famous, "temple not made with hands, as . John '"Wesley once called it, Gwennap Pit, was filled to overflow™-' on Whit Monday last on the occasion of the annual services, which has pi-ob a.Uy been hela ,without a break since the days of Wesley. John Wesley's favourite preaching place in Cornwall, a county in which and -for which he did so much was ,at Gwennap Pit, Altogether he visited Gwennap— ie about two miles from the town of Redruth—thirty, four limes between 1743 and 1788. The Pit on Whit Monday was a scene not easily forgotten. Seated, around, rising tier on tier, was a" congregation raTcly to be equalled, numbering in and around the top of tllfl pit fully live thousand persons The preacher was the Rev. C. W *pdrc* B , 8.A., 8.D., of London. He In "•dentally mentioned that Ms great grandfather was converted in the pi Sxder the preaching of Wesley.

Birmingham YJSduCA. recently raised £6,000 by means of a rapid campaign conducted by Mr A. H. Johnson. It is now free from debt.

The Bey. G. A. Wilson, pastor of the Pathhead Baptist Church, Kirkcaldy, has accepted a call to the Kingsbridge Baptist Church, Adelaide, He closes his ministry at Kirkcaldy on the last Sunday of this montfh.

The huge organ in the church founded by John Alexander Dowie at 2ion City has 5,124 pipes and is capable of 219 combinations. About 7,000 people attended the dedication of the organ recently.

Manifold are the methods adapted to raise funds for churches. "Guess the vUxu's weight," was one of a series of competitions recently at a bazaar in connection with Holy Trinity Church, Southwall.

It ia understood that the President of the General Conference ha 3 nominated the following Australasian members ot the Methodist Ecumenical Commission, which will include representatives of all sections 0,1" Methodism in every part of. the world—viz., Rev. Dr. Youngman, Queensland; Rev. J. K. Cwruthers, N>\v South Wales: Rev. Dγ- \V. Williams, 1".L.5., Victoria; Sir S. J. Way, P.C., South Australia; Rev. S. LawTy, New Zealand. The convener is the Rev. 0rJames Chapman, London.

A quarter of a century has passed aince Hugh Price Hughes founded the West London Mission, a work tor which he gave his life-blood. At the recent anniversary meetings his name was reverently mentioned by every speaker. The present superintendent, the Rev. J. E. Rattenbury, is leading a forward movement which realises the moat daring dreams of the first superintendent. The public meeting in Queen's Hall, Langham Place, was one of the finest evening gatherings in the record of the mission. On the platform were four M.P.'s —Mr Arnold Rowntree, Mr Gerald France, Mr Ernest IT. Lamb, and Mr Silvester Home. The principal speaker was Canon Simpson, who is a real acquisition to the London religions platform. The singing was led by the band of tho 2nd Lifeguards.

Mr Ramsay Macdonald, M.P., recently addressed a meeting: for men, held under the a-u-spices of the United Free Church Assembly. He captivated his hearers by a lofty and mystical eloquence. He insisted on the need' of spirituality. He came to them to say: "'Regard the Ohtirc'h. as the soul of the nation, regard the Church as the conscience of the nation, regard the Church as that power which illuminated the minds of men so that when justice became diffi-euit poodness and mercy and the pursuit of justice became not only easy, but--abso-lutely necessary." All movements that counted for anything in history were spiritual movements in their essence. He would not suffer ministers to deliver sermons like speeches spoken in the House of Commons or on the political platform. lie would leave a church that did that because he 'believed he could do that better than the minister. But lie wanted the Church to purify his mind and to make his soul chaste. He wanted a coiwictdon, a belief, a faith that -wraps the greyest day in some glory."

September twelve months ago Wesley's Chapel was altered, repaired, and reopened. In referring to thU. •work a Wesleyan minister of Rochdale, Lancashire, mentioned that the building seats between 900 and 1,000, but the attendance had Tjeen only about 250, To alter such an unsatisfactory state of affairs, ho pledged liimselff that, assisted "by his ■wife and daughter, tbey would fill four of the empty- pews, and he g-ot others to do the same. Fifty-five promises were got during the week, and on the first Sunday night 44 people were in the special seats. On the second Sunday evening tihe gallery congregation was swelled to 150, and on the third Sunday there were 300 people there, •whilst on the fourth the chapel was packed. On Saturday evening about 30 of the workers had processioned the town, singing and speaking in the open air. But the most effective method had been morning canvassing. He and his wife and daughter had got <up at ftvi o'clock each morning , ,. and, aimed with inyitation cards, had sallied forth to meet tht; mill operatives on their Way to -work. That -was how they, had got the congregation. One man saSd he had pot been in a place of -worship for 30 rears, another for 30 years, and numbers liad not been -for 20 years or more. Dt A W. Sunday, a former baseball player, is one of the best known evangelists in the United States. The degree of D.D. has just been conferred upon him by the Pennsylvania College. In fin article on "The Value of the World to Christian Missions," Sir Harry Johnston, K.C.M.G., expresses the opinion that from every consideration, even the more material ones of commerce, (ho acquisition of knowledge, the openill" up of unknown countries, and the extension of the best kind of British Umpire, he wished they spent not three millions a year, but six, knowing that such a small percentage even of six millions would yield a rich return in every direction, and most of all in the cause of the best, and simplest kind, or icligion find of that gradual building-up of a confederation of man which mry some day realise the dream ,pf a millennium.

The difficulty in running the "Bloom 3 -: bury," or Belfast Central Mission, in SliiiltcstJnry Avenne, is thus summarised by the Rev. Thomas Phillips: "If you gel the tramps, the'church as a preac-h----ing station goes to pieces. If you get the foreign element the tendency is for the English to keep away, and' if you get tlic derelicts it is difficult to retain the eniplojees in bu«inc:-B houses. . Nevertheless, our aim is to make 'Bloomsbury' ;i human catholic church, to maintain a live Christian society in Central London in which spiritual helpfulness and evanvrrlical fervour are combined with modern methods" cf religious Work."

A ramble to the Wesley shrines in and around Bristol was enjoyed by a party of .Methodists at the clone of the Synod recently held. They were led by the Rev. Ceo. Hiiyrs, F.R., Hist. S., who has made a study of the subject. Among the places visited were the house No. 1. Charles Slrppt, Stokes Croft, where Charles Wesley lived for twenty-two years, and wrote many of his imperishable hymns; then to (i, Wighton Street, where John Wesley conducted the first ordination service of Methodist preachers; next to that which, in parts, is the oldest Methodist building in the —Wesley's "New Room,", the "Welsh Chapel, Broadmead. Mtb Wesley, was tWe on several occasions, and this fact led to a short and humorous conversation on Weslev's °v T^ iBX difficulties. The room'in which the second conference of Methodism was held: Wesley's old 1,1 I Kingßwood, the oldest complete Method' ! Ist building in the world, and dated l?3ftand Hanham Mount, Wesley , , openair preaching place in Kingewood, were ■also visited, and many objects of intereat were pointed out. - •