RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 199, 16 May 1908, Page 11

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

CHURCH LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. REV. A. R, OSBORN'S IMPRESSIONS. "What do I think of Church life in New Zealand?" replied tho Rev. A. R. Osborn, of Warrnambool, Victoria, to a Dominion representative, after his four weeks' ministry at St. John's. Well, my opportunities for investigation havo been limited. Tho South Island is the.stronghold of Presbyterianiem, and I havo not visited that. "As far as tho congregation of St. John's is conoerncd, it is one of which Presbyterians may bo proud. I. think I may say that Wellington can bo proud of it'. We have no congregation in Victoria quite the same, unless it may possibly bo St. Andrew's, Ballarat. It has, been-interesting and refreshing to moot so many men of good position in the city, who are so whole-hearted in their devotion to their church. I havo met many, too, who have a very-intelligent appreciation of tho advance of,.modern thought. This is as it should bo. The Prosbyterian has always taken his religion seriously, and ho has endoavoured to study the problems that arise. Unfortunately, t-hero is a tendency in tho colonics to nogleot tho study of modern movements of thought. Cur laymen do notread as, their forefathers did,, It has been pleasing to meet; hero, a number of men who both read and tliink.

"I have been asked whether 1 think New Zcalanders better church-gcers thau Australians: 1 think thoy are, though I understand that Wellington compares unfavourably with tho Southern citics .in this matter. St. John's seems to bo full and even packed every Sunday evening. I hope that other churches are in the same condition.

"Ono of the most interesting ,features iri our New Zealand church life'is,.the Young People's movement. I had heard much in Victoria of tho Bible class movement, and was anxious to study it on tho spot. It has certain drawbacks, among, these being a possible tendency to superficial discussion rather than to real -study. But, en- tho wholo, I think it meets a present day need, and I nope it will bo adopted more .widely in Victoria. "Tliero is also a movoment.in the Sunday school world. This is good, for tho Sunday school is not all it might be. The movement here seems to bo in tho direction of fostering better teaching. methods. This is undoubtedly right, but I doubt if tho movement is sufficiently radical to do much good. 'With our present lesson systems, the attempt to adopt, modern methods of teacliing is very like tho endeavour to put new wine' into-<wl wineskins. Perhaps those, who aro doing it aro hoping that tho old winfcskins will burst, so that now on-es may be' procured. Tho whole question -is exceedingly difficult, and requires the attention of the best intellects wo can command. -Up to tho present wo havo done practically nothing iii Australia. Tho same remark applies to tho religious education of, tho young during the week. The endeavour to secure Biblo instruction in State schools has boon unsuccessful up to the present timo. Personally, I do not, think that it would solve, the problem if we' did get it'. I should like to'soo our church tako full advantage of'tho Nelson" system. That would probably mean;the preparing of text books on modern lines, which would deal with tho history of Israel and the riso of Christianity: Australia and Now Zealand . could work togcthor in this matter. "I might note'finally that there seems to bo tho same tendency hero as we observo in Australia, to lower the educational standard* of tho ministry.' ' Our Homo Mission problem forces this on us, because of the difficulty, of securing men, but it is a matter much to bo regretted. An educated ministry is needed to-day more than it ever was. The uso of Greek and Hebrew may not be apparent from tho backblocks standpoint, but tho backblocks aro not everything. It is to bo hoped that tho Now Zealand church will reject any clamour to tako away either of theso subjects from the' curriculum of training for her ministers. • Greek is - certainly needful, and tho difficulty of acquiring a competent knowledge of Hebrow, has been .much magnified. Hebrew, if properly taught, is not a difficult language, and - , as for tho evolution of religion in Israel, wo aro only beginning to wake-up to the grandeur and wonder, of it. I havo no doubt that tho.New Zealand ministers will keep truo to. tho ancient traditions of our church, and • instruct as well as inspire the people."

THE POPE AMD CARDINAL NEWMAN. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Limerick has received a letter from the Pope, of which the following is a translation: —. "Wo would have.you know that your pamphlet, in which you show that the writings of Cardinal-Newman, so far from differing from our Encyclical letter Pasccudi, arc in closest harmony with it, has our strongest approval. You could not, indeedj liavo done hotter service alike .to the cause of truth and to the eminent merit of the man. - There appears to have been established amongst those whose errors we have condemned by that letter, .as it were, a fixed rule that for the very things which they themselves have invented they seek the sanction'of the name of a most illustrious man. Accordingly they freely claim that thev havo drawn certain fundamental oositions from that, spring and source, and that, for that reason,\ wo could not condemn the doctrines which are their very own without' at, the same timo, nay, in priority of order, condemning ,'tho teaching of so eminent and so groat a man. 1 "If one did not know,what a power the ferment of a puffed-up spirit has of overwhelming the mind, it. would seem incredible that persons should.bo found who think and proclaim themselves Catholics, while in a matter lying at the very foundation of religious discipline, thoy set tho authority of a private teacher, even though an eminent one, above the.magisterium of the Apostolic See. You expose not only their contumacy; but their artificers well. , For if in what lie wrote before lie professed the, Catholic faith there may perchance be . found something which bears a certain resemblance to some of the formulas of the Modernists, you justly deny that they are in any way supported thereby; both because-the mcaninsunderlying the, words is very different, as' is also tho purpose of tho writer, and the author himself, on entering the Catholic Church, submitted all his writings to the • authority of tho Catholic Church herself, .assuredly to be corrected-if it we'rq necessary. "As for the -numerous and important books which ho wrote as a Catholic, it is hardly necessary to defond them against the suggestion, of kindred with-heresy. For amongst' the English public, as everybody, knows, Henry Newman, in riis writings, uncoasingly championed the causo of tho Catholic faith in such a way that his work was most salutary to his. countrymen, and at the same time most highly esteemed by our predecessors. Accordingly he was found worthy to be made a Cardinal by Leo XIII., undoubtedly an acute judge of men and things; and to him thenceforward throughout all his life ho was deservedly most dear. No doubt in so great an abundance .of his works something may be found which, may seem tp .be foreign to the traditional method of the theologians, but nothing which could arouso a suspicion of his faith. And you rightly

state that it is not to ba ■ wondered at if, at the time when no signs of the now heresy had shown themselves, : his mode of expression in some places did not display-a special caution; but that the Modernists act wrongly and deceitfully in twisting those words to their own meaning in opposition to the entire context.

"We, therefore, congratulate you on vindicating with eminent success, through your knowledge of all his writings, tho memory of a most 20<>d and wise man; and at the same time on having; secured, as far as in you lay, that amongst your people, especially tho English, those who have boon accustomed to misuse that name already cease to deceive the unlearned. And would, that .they truly followed Newman as a teacher, not in the fashion of those who, given up to proconceived opinions, search his volumes, and with deliberate dishonesty extract from them 1 something from _ which they contend' that their views receive support; but that they might gather his principles pure and unimpaired, and his example, and his spirit. From so crcat a master they may learn many noble things—in tho first place, to hold tho of the Church sacred, to preserve inviolate the doctrine handed down by.tho Fathers, and, what is the chief thing for the preservation of Catholic truth, to honour and obov with the utmost fidelity, tho Successor of the Blessedfeter.

"Moreover, venerable brother, we give.; thanks frOrii our 'heart to you, c.nd to your clergy and people, for your dutiful zeal in. t coming to the aid of our poverty by sending, tho usual donation; and in order to-win foryou, and first of all for yourself in. particular, the gift's of the' Divine bounty, and also to testify our goodwill, wo most lovingly, impart the Apostolic benediction. . "Given at Home, at St. Peter's;-the'lOtli day of March, in the year 1903, the fifth of our Pontificate. " PIUS PP. X." BISHOP OF POLYNESIA'. At a rrcent meot-ing of the Society for tha. Propagation of -the Gospel, Bishop Mont- . gomery said : "Wo rejoice to know that at * length a Bishop for Polynesia has been appointed. Wo shall give tho heartiest v/elcomo to the Rev. T. C. Twitehcll, and give him: all tho backing: possible. Ho goes to, shop-' herd all our Church-people throughout 'Polynesia;-' except that he does not propose to enter Tonga' during the lifetime of Willis. Indeed, those who, know these; regions bost assert that it must bo some years before he can venture beyond the FijiV groups, so much has to bo done for our ■ Church-folk scattered through many a plan-, tation and island. Besides these members of' our Church, there is a great field of work • among the 20,000 coolies from India, and. among South Sea Islanders, who are not, Fjjians. It is well-known that, thai Fijians are Wesleyans, and the new Bishop will respect tho work of those who havo evangelised these islands, just as we respect the' work of tboso who do not worship with us i at home. The now Bishop must be supplied, we are told, with si motor-boat. Ho is an. onthusiastic salt-water sailor, and the future is bright for a region where wo havo too long neglected our own Church-people." -

JOTTINGS. The annual Thankoffering Sunday at the\ Brooklyn Baptist Church was held last Sunday, wheii "the collections for the 3ay constituted a record, the sum of over .'£s3 being received. 1 | "I wish that lesson were not read in church," said the liev. A.. M. Johnston, in his sormon at St. Mark's last' Sunday, referring to the story of' Balaam's, ass, which spoke. "I wish; somehow or other, we could get out of that." Ho did not find fault with the story, he explained, became of any obstacles which it presented to belief, but because by many-people it was the only thing romcmbered about Balaam. For tho intelligent reader of the Bible the interest of Balaam's character did not lie in that scene with tho ass, but in the contrast between what Balaam might have been and what he was.'i ■■ '• The Rev. T. Spurgeon,' at the invitation of tho Baptist Union of Now Zealand, lias consented, should his . health allow, to' spend next' year in an evangelistic campaign through tho Baptist churches'of the Dominion. • ' v Preparations are being made ,by the 'Australian Churches of. Christ to "celebrate in .Sydney, in April nest, the centennial of tho publication of the . "Declaration and Address," by Tlios. Campbell, out of which has grown the world-movement set for "tho re- j storation of New Testament Christianity." ; Tho celebrations in Amorica will be held in' Pittsburg, Perm., in October of nost year. Over £35 has been subscribed towards the erection of a room for tho Petone Young Men's Methodist Bible Class, and the trustees have promised to augment this sum. Another. £25 has also been promised by the Ladies' Guild to furnish better accommodation for the young women. Both theso projects, states the "Outlook," will be re--alised at an early date. The Salvation Army is to., undertake tho entire control of a now Canadian prison, all financial requirements being fulfilled by the Canadian Government.. General Booth has stated that a certain city' in the UnitedStates, with a population 'of 70,000, had agreed to hand over to the Army the dispensation of all tho charities of the city. Tho General added that it was probablo that he might go to South _ Africa, but in the meantime ho was 'devoting his attention to the Indian famine, . regarding which ho was _ trying _ to . raise n £5000 to buy grain in Amcrica and sell it to.the.people at,reasonable rates. lie had also arranged to send a message ijo every Salvation Array corps throughout the world every Sunday. That meant that the message had to bo . translated into something like 30 languages. This scheme commenced Quito recently, and had already proved most successful. ; Tho Baptist Year Book for Ontario and Quebec • and Western Canada, 1907, reports in Canada 117,842 Baptists, and in America 5,425,701, and in the world, 6,195,817. It is estimated, that tho Baptist constituency : is over 20,000,000. ■ ... "I wish—oh, how earnestly' I wish—all members of all churches and of no church could come to think of human society a S Christians once, thought of tho Church universal and undivided," said thoßov. R. J. Campbell, preaching last month in the City Temple, London, and reported in the "Christian Commonwealth." "I never go;into a Catholic church without catching something of tho spirit of that older day. • In. tho silonce of tho kneeling worshippers; in tho sacred lamps that burn beforo the high altar; in' tho pictures that adorn • tho walls, showing the stages of tho ; Cross on which the life of Christ .was sacrificed that He might draw all men unto Himself ; I see . a symbol of the vaster unity that is yet to be achieved. There'is a solemn stillness, a suggestion of heaven and of unseen helpers , in that earthly temple made with hands. It is impossible for any man with reverence in his soul to stand in that silence without feeling that it is the speech of God. Cannot we come to feel the same, about tho common life of humanity? Cannot we worship God. there, knowing what we are doing, ana rejoicing to do it?"