CONGREGATIONAL UNION.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17452, 12 May 1922, Page 7

CONGREGATIONAL UNION.

ASSEMBLY IN SYDNEY.

PRESIDENT ON BEAUTIES OP CHRISTIAN MPE. (Bj- Cabla—Piww Attociation—Copyright.) (Australian. and N.Z., Cable Association.): SYDNEY, May 11. The triennial assembly of the Congregational Union of Australiai and New Zealand hag opened. The New Zealand delegates have not yet arrived. The Rev, Mr IVavies, i_a his presidential address, dealt with' the realities of the Christian lite. He declared that the world made no serious effort to follow Christ because' the Church did not teach His way or life. The w6rld would always and everywhere believe in the reality of self-sacrifice and brotherly love. It was utterly use-' less to speak of these things' and follow the pagan principles of self-asser-tion. Selfishness in private business, and. social self-seeking, as a common practice, shouted a loud denial of Ctr'ist. Mr Davies, • in an outspoken coudemnation of worldliness, declared that in the Kingdom of God man had no more right to spend most of his life in collecting wealth than a savage had to collect, scalps, if to-day the mask were, removed, Mammon in the world would be ' found obvious and ugly. "We have tried to- loVe God while we exploit or hate men, and as a result we do not love God, and God lias a small, if any place in.our human : affairs. We- do not challenge the world to live "in Christ's way. "We deny His role in our daily life. We talk brotherhood and practise selfinterest. We talk Jove and practise competition. Christ in the flesh is our one and only test of' reality. The acceptance of the four Gospels as the Christian way 'would demonstrate real Christianity. We all know it would produce a new Church and a new social order. It would save us from trying to serve both God and Mammon. 1 '