RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 146, 14 March 1908, Page 10

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

VICTORIAN PREACHER FOR ST. JOHN'S. ' ■ REV. J. F. MACRAE. Tho Rev. J. F. Macßao, M.A., of Toorak, Melbourne, has arrived in Wellington,'. and will occupy the pulpit of St.; John's for the next four.Sundays. Mr. MacPJib is a graduate of 'Edinburgh Uriiversity; from , which; after a. very distinguished career; ho proboeded to the .New. College,-. Edinburgh, the University Hall of the Free (now tlie United Free) Church .of Scotland; , His- first,charge was one. ot'the Free Churches in St. Andrew's. , Aftbr the doitlr of 'tlto. Rev. J. F. Ewing, the Toorak congregation appointed a commission of notable' Scottish divines and laymen_to .select: a mjriijter ior. them,- and the ...choice of,.the .Cbmniitte'e iiriaiiiriiorisly fell on Mr. Macßac. He accepted.the call, and for nearly twenty, years' has ministered with great acceptance, iii Toorak;. ; qrie'.of.the. foremost congregations of'..this Presbyterian Church .'in .Victoria. . . . • Mr; 'Macßaeai regarded, as .one of. tho best' preachers in Victoria. has,;not Shown much liking for; ecclesiastical work in the Church Courts, but he has always been ready' to suggest modes of strengthening the Church'slife, and to' work for schemes of mariife'lt service. Ho is a man of .wide reading,' and intelligent; sympathy fritK all modes ,6f, honest 'thought. _ Mr. Macßafe", while distinctly . evangelical in his attitude to doctrinal . ia known, iii'i Victoria as a": strenuous supjjorter.. of tho bibyeniiSrit to beautify aiid.enricli' the. service of .tlio Presbyterian Church, and will find, a' sympathetic ...ohvifonment 'in .St. John's, •ivliero Dr. Gibb lias hebri working steadily.- ! iri. tlid sariio direction; The congregation ari to be congratulated' bn Securing >tho. services of Mr. Macßab fdi\ a month .of .their rninistdr's furlough. f'._ '' , . . . > METHODIST BROTHERHOOD.-. ;: COMMITTEE TO PREPARE SCHEME . Last summer Mr, R.- W; Perks, M.P;; on leaving England for/-, an American tour, , startled Methodists by launching his'scheme of a "World-wide Methbdist Brotherhood.'' Tlio' i scheme ■ wag" fourfold—the'V'.' welding - of Mdtho'dists in-i'a; 'brbtherhoo'd '• iriiitu'Slly . : holp .-world; over; 5 provision l of-. work for Methodist' ilrieiriployc'd, 1 ; emigration? and a ;loiiri - sp'cibtjr -j for ■■assisting' emigrant 'arid other Metlio'dists-'bri daSy terms;Since. then tlio soliomo has been much - discussed - (stated tho -'"Christiari ' World:'!) and/v' oii the' wliold; ■ it ' has ; conimeriaed' itself to-tlie Methodist inind,v;%itli' the'exbeptiori of -th 6: loari4 department; : . 'Therb' -aro . still, however;. jrarious" mtorpretatidns of - the meaning and.probable effdets. of the'brbther-' hood' and- emigration. parts ■ of- the S-Echenib. jMr; Perks invited leading 'Weslbyan miriistbrs: and laymen, including the heads of tlid. Ccritral 'Mis3ons:-in..London and" the provincial cities ( tb : -. luncheon' with him recently, .t.6' explain tho details of tho scheme, ,to' invito' ejiifistibhS arid .opinions,•-•arid 'to .get -'a*. cbm^ : niittdo 'appointed; if; thought desirable, to .prepare 1 a sclienie for submission- to tlio 'forth-.' coming Conference. - \ Sdreral '.letters were read generally approving- the scheriie! ' : Mr: Perks' explained thiit-his proposal was 'nbver iritbrided to be a vast: emigration scheme, but maliy of this people did emigrato; and .the: intention ,waS -to help .them. iri-- cvdry» • way:.possible in'- tho countries■ or. colonies itolvhichjthoy -we'ntj! by. the. assistance: oft irieiribei;s\ ofi their, own _ Church;; iri s obtaining - employment,' and in. 1 other ways; : Another inis-, .conception- was .that .they .were, animated ' byl. strictly sectarian', motives.Ho hoped ?to seo . all 'thb Met-liodi'st bodies enfliraccd iri" the scheme, for. -in .Canada,' for:, instarico, all r the branchesfpf .'Methodism had -united; Later; ;ho intimated, the scheme might be broaderied - tb\include other - .only.jpr'oMsijig Cnurch, for,;' ArriiytiVasi'dbing, for : emigrants making a' profit out -, of cbriimiasidns fr'diri steamship.coriipariibs.aud thb:/'Canadian.'' Goverriirieritr.; As. f-to.;' the brotherhood idea;_ he; told 'of w various.leagues;' guilds, etc.,- that had > been": start'bd.; iri the United States to foster Methodist Brotherhood, and he' had thb,, assurance: that 'United; States, and;; Canadian Metiiodists, would •heartily po-bperate;iri'riiaking siicH a brother-' hood a reality;, . -,f. •'".ln., tho''. discrissidn Dr. Topd, Dr. Sir Alfred; Gilder; Dr: Stepherisori,.arid.others approved thV gbrieral ide'a of assisting MothoV; disfc' eniigrarits, .while somb of' theni hoped assistance- '.would, .b'e- giyetil also : to' .'inaJjlS" Methodists at' hoirie to .settle, on' siriall .lioldirigsSrather.,than: emigrate; ' .A. coiriiriitted ,df twelve' riiiriisters iarid twelve laymen was appointed to' consider arid prepare' a scheme for Conferericd. ' '• , ' ;, STUDENT MISSIONARY CONFERENCE; The Vdlunteer . Mjssid'riar'y. G_dri-; ferfe'rice. at Livdrp'ool bp'bried \nth'. ari 'address dn tlio subject with Go'd" t b| . of, D6rkmg;_ V Bishdp has offered ? hiirisblf • for foreign work; and isf iii much : request. \for. .missibriary gatherings.- ; .On this bccasidri nisf addresi' wa'j purely, devotional, as ho.. insisted ; that tho' sslv'atibn; of man in all its ' Essentialpa'rt}culars .; of. • 'atonbriient; sarictific afcion / . otqrnal, life,' arid resufrectiori '■. was' fellowship with : God mChrist. ;THp mßst iiitbrcstiiig event'.'of tlio. morning' was'-'the" rc'ceptio'ri .of the. lop : foreign, delegates.'. 'J-Considerable, eiithusia'sifi.was 'ar'oiise'd as. ,"fh'e' chairman , called o'rit tho ri'am'fcs.df the fdr'eiCT delegates, who rose, arid faced flib audiorice; Thb greatest donionstratidn was rMerve'd : fdr.'a pretty little' JSpaneSb;livdyj Miss'.';Talii/'Hindi;,,without' hfia.dgcar, ,dild'; wiili hair,, 'dre'ssbd. iri : riativo fashion: who- smiliigly'to ifiak'e her. aelcrio'wiedgmbhts':'.;." Moris.- ~ Gliai'Ms Graiiss, of ParisV University; speak'ing.'fdf.'thd Fr'eiidli ddlogatiori, c'rcate'd' 'inucli ontliusiasrii' when ho said that it was.d ndw.-''ententb cordiald 1 ' vvhich they ; w6{b:-establishing,■ an "cntento tordjalb'-, df, .thc'ir souls: ' ißrslibp- Gaulj., df : Masiionalaiid,' also madd.'d; remarkable spcechV in : which ho details; of a, boriversation lie' had had stafesiriari b'ri; tlie riativo" qiie'stio'ii: 1 : Tlio black, fades; tho -bishop <irgub'd, .-must tako' their' lawful. plied iri ;' tlib life of their ; nativo-' land: -Tho Coriferencb ;(Says-the ''Tribund'') has' prdyod, a remark;;ab ly cqsmopoli £a ri religious gathering. .High iChurbK;,bishops;; wearirig their.; pectoral' Icross'Mjjhave sati next' to wdricbrifofiriist pii---Kafo jroMlKffiiea'.ifitlf Ritualists,. while representatives., of w'h'it« v and yblldw .races,/ arid Fr'brich and; Germans, Hindoos and Bohemians have all cdriibiiidd to v extend missio'iiar'y, effdr't; .AriJohgst tlio loadb'rs riffcserit have' Bbori. tlie! Bishop of Liverpdol; Bishop Montgomery, Bishop Gaul (forriierly. .of Mashona]and), Kr'd, Kiririaird, Dr 1 .; \Vafdlaw' THdriip'sSri,- Dr. Barber,- arid : 'Dr'! Moultdii; as'well ai 'a largo iiuriiber of Liverpool- clergy and niirijstdj-S. ' Thrbughoiit, tho ; qlwndahcS his riiaihtairied its', full, average whilb tlio interest has not deeliried..; ' TWO BISHOP'S. ' •' It is 'iritbrestirig td iioticti, (says a, Loridori. paper) the contrast , between.. t\vo.iiieiiTtrits. which havo, recently ogbfirfed:', In tlib first casd, the Bislibp. of. MariShester the cdrdpe'ratibii . of ,th' 6' lo'car..Frd6 CKurcheg: iri a scheinb for holding op'en-air. mee'tirigs on Sunday afternoons aritTevenings in tlio parks tlio. oity; Dr. Kn'o'x . suggests that the Church Of England arid tlio Freo Churches Should in turn tako tlio parks, whicli would lib divided irito grdupS to --facilitate'interoliango of. work; for a iriblith cach: Undfer this arrangement: for brio ilioiitli tlio Noncoiifo'rriiists woiikl serve' dnb half thb parks' arid tlio Ariglibaris-tho other half; \vliilo for; tho next 'month, tho two.would.chaiigb over, aiid this alternating arrarigoriicrit would go'on throughout, tho summer'., : ;.,. : o>' tho other hand, tlio Bishop of Glou;ceste'r has just, witlrdrnwri. tho,license of tho. Rdv;■ W: Lobkettj.df Slicpscbnibe, as a result. of tlio hitter's refusal to . discontinue his practico of occasionally officiating in-a . Non- '?, o ,'\fbrin'ist , From thb corrbspbiidericri which has'passed botweori thdiri, it appears, that Mr. Lockott, who is oighiy. years old; and was ortlaiuod .iifty-tlifeo roars, ago, .declined to. attend, Slippscoinbo CHurclij as Ko differed, from tho .ricar pn points, of xitual.. As ho was. too 01d..t0 travol to a distant church, lib attended the cliapcl. and soine l timds tdok part .'in'thtf. service's.. ; ' In his fiiial lotfcor tlio bishop says i "It is .obfiously,., iri-. with . thb riiainteiiaiicd of any Cliuf-ch , 6'rder that ..foil'.should lie .allowed to identify yourself with Nonconformist worship iii yoiir dwn parish;, and.'do what vou'can tb; weaken .tlio vicar's influence, and at tho sairib.tiirio hold a commission.from the bishop to ofliciatb auywherb iri tHd diocese."