UNITY OF THE CHURCHES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 295, 11 December 1923, Page 9

UNITY OF THE CHURCHES.

YjISCITSSED BY THE COUNCIL.

MISSIONARIES AND THE FOLD.

it a meeting of the Auckland Council of Christian Congregations heid last ni"ht in St David's Hall. Canon James and Rev. D. D. Scott delivered addresses of considerable length on church reunion. Point im: out how Eastern nations viewed our differences, Canon James said that the Chinese Christians said of the missionaries who came to their country that one was an and another a Presbyterian, and 50 ou. because each had been born «,• but in China they had refused to become Anglicans and Presbyterianbecause their teachers, on account of their fathers' faith, were such; they as Chinese simply wanted to be known as ( hristians. In India a famous scholar had said that the Christian churches in India would soon become united but for the viarilance of the missionaries, for the shepherd saw that his sheep remained in the proper fold and that they did not report? in one common foil.

Canon Jamos said that we did not fee the worst forms of our divisions in the towns and cities, but in some of t\<<? backblocks settlements it was often deplorable to see two or three littte churches to keep their members together." when there were hardly enou<rh people to fill one decent elnitvh. ■\Vhen he was or lamed he was ordained, not an Anglican minister, but as a minister of the Church of Ood. It was the same with the Presbyterian minister, for he. too. was ordained a minister of the Church of Ck>d. Seeing that such was the ca-=e. how easy it seemed to be to come together and be ministers of one common church.

Referring '.o the democratic nature of the Presbyterian form of church government. Mr. Scott said that at their General Assembly meetings there were ministers and elders present, but there were no laymen. Both types of representatives were on an equality, and Loth had an equal vote. The Assembly ivas both a Parliament and a Supreme Court, but no minister had any more power than an elder. In any form of church reunion governed by an episcopacy there would also have to be room for the General Assembly for those who believed in that form of church government.

Mr. Scott also pointed out some characteristics of Scottish Presbyterianiem which were hard to understand by people of a different temperament to Oio Scottish people. His ovtn grandlather had belonged to the Established Church of Scotland, and his father had belonged to the Free Church of Scotland, and while the one never entered the other's church there was a complete understanding between them, and no friction about religious opinions was the result. A famous professor in Scotland whose father belonged to the Free Church went over to the Established Church when quite a young man, and although the father and son lived together and were attached to one another, the father never went to his son's church, and even after the son had become a foremost preacher in the land, the father never went to hear him preach. When famous men from other countries "visited the professor at his home; it was always the old father who conducted the family devotions, the son simply being a devout listener.

After the addresses Canon Youug said he would like to ask the Rev. D. D. Scott a question or two. The Rev. C. J. Tocker was immediately on his feet and said he would like to ask Canon James a question or two, but it had been decided to have no open discussion at that meeting, because the ■whole subject would be discussed at some future meeting, after the executive of the Council of Christian Congregations had decided what form that discussion should take. It was pointed out that the meeting had only heard the Anglican and Presbyterian points of view with regard to church reunion, and it would be a wise thing to hear the Methodist, Congregational and Baptist rie\\s on the great question.