C.E.M.S.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17248, 12 September 1921, Page 11

C.E.M.S.

ANNUAL BENEWAL SEBVIOEAbout ICO members of the Chnroh. of England-Men's Society attended at the Cathedral yesterday, when, a seme* for renewal of membership was helu. The Rev. Canon Wilford conducted the seance, and the preacher was the Rev. W. Bullock, Dominion organising secretary, who preached from the text Acta i., 8. "Ye shall be witnesses: and let. your witness be free and unconfined. l ne subjoct of the sermon was loyalty in State and Church. , The preacher said that through Wipalimpsest of time they could read tne message of the souls of nations. tf&P 1 gave a sense of tho mystery of things, Greece a love of beauty, a lust tor liberty, and a quest for truth; in Rome there was found law, order, and restraint, obedience, and discipline; tuc Jew was a lover of righteousness, anil he imparted morality with commerce. If such were some of the lasting contributions to our thought aa a civilised people, the question which was obvious still remained: "What is the special contribution of the British race? n * t have we done for human kind?" Without hesitation, said tho Re''. . f lr Bullock, it could be &aid the British race ihad given a new meaning to the term "loyalty." It was not mere obedience to authority which kept human society together. They sometimes heard of disloyal elements, but he was not sure that they were not the signs of health, for loyalty must be based on liberty, and jnust breathe the air of freedom. Lovalty was our race's supreme contriSution. It was fa' above patriotism, as that was commonly understood; it was a noble impulse which had its roots in liberty. But signs were not wanting that in'theso days such aj quality was being endangered. They had almost forgotten that it was Christ who gave to the human race its ideils of liberty. They were being taught that men could be made good and women kind by a system of State petty laws and regulations. The danger was that they would accept the standards of conduct which satisfied tho State as being sufficient. The standard of the State was not enough; they mutt also •strive for the ideals of Christianity. Aftor the sermon a number of members of the Church of England Men's Society renewed their membership, and | obtained the new badges.