"THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES."

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13466, 5 July 1909, Page 8

"THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES."

fiEKttON BY ARCHDEACON AVER ILL.

Preaching at St. Mifchael's Church yesterday morning, Archdeacon Averill (who took as his text '-The Signs of the Times," St. Matthew xvi., 3) stated that iiuder the heading of "Voces Populi" in "The Press" last Tuesday had appeared what was supposed to be the lament of a church officer on the subject of .religion losing its grip upon men, as shown by the attendances at public worship. The criticism, said the preacher, was a fair and sensible one, and one which seemed to have a very vital bearing on- the welfare of our nation at the -present time. The subject had been discussed time and time again, and the general opinion seemed to be that the religious instinct was- even more developed than previously, but thfe outward expression of that instinct in public worship was less in evidence. Sir Oliver Lodge, in dealing with the .question in his book, *'Man and. th© Universe," says:—"l believe that over-pressure is one answer—a general sense of the shortness of life and the immense amount there is to be done in it." If going to church acted as a stimulus and a help in life, surely people in general would not be so foolish as to be indifferent to it. There was a good deal of common-sense in Sir Oliver Lodges suggestion that our services might be improved, and if the Church _ was a living body, animated- by a living spirit, it could hardly be expected that the formulas and rubrics and general setting of services drawn up in the 16th century would be quite sufficient to express the religious feelings and aspirations of today. What was the cause of the overpressure mentioned by Sir Oliver Lodge? We wanted to crowd too much into our lives, with the inevitable result that religion was too crowded out and there was no room for the worship of Christ. What was tho result? The religion of many people became nothing but a sentiment and ceased to influence life and conduct. r One thing was quite certain, that if the public worship of Almighty God should cease altogether, religion as a power would soon cease as well. The result of this overpressure was naturally the decline of inclination, and men thought iv these days that they wero justified in following their inclinations in place of the example and precepts of Christ. There could be no doubt "that we were yielding more and more to self-complacency and it was _ one of the unfortunate traits of our national character to think that we were superior to every race on the earth, and should always continue to be so. We heard and read about the progress of Germany, but we talked in a childish and foolish way as if no other country ought to presume to rival our own, and sink back into our self-complacency. Could it be possible that only some catastrophe would show us what this self-complacency was doing for us? We required a good deal more of duty if we were going to maintain our position in the world. Were we not as a nation lacking just those qualities which religion sought to give us? If we had more sense of duty to God, we would be more alive to our duties to our country. The signs of the times, were giving to us a yery clear warning; We must rouse ourselves out of the grip of our self-complacency. .God had been very good to us, and what were w© going to give Him in return? If we cldswl Tip the churches and the few faithful soiils ceased to maintain the outward worship of God, we dared hardly imagine what would be left of a spirit of religion.*- Therefore even' if it meant self-eacrifi66, we must not neglect the "signs of the times."