RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 211, 30 May 1908, Page 11

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

CHURCH UNION. j A PRESBYTERIAN VIEW. The following extracts are taken from'the . recent address, of the Rev. James Weir, 8.A., Moderator of tho Presbyterian Assembly of Victoria, a brief summary of which appeared in our cable columns:— There is a divine plan and purpose for bringing togother the shattered fragments of Christ's Church. God's plans were in ordinary cases worked out by simple and natural agencies, and if His people's thoughts had been turned to tho advantages of union, if fervent prayers had been offered for its accomplishment, and if in Providenco the way for carrying it out seemed clearer; surely it could be seen that there was an unseen hand guiding and directing all theso movements. Still much remained to be done before a true and lasting union could be offectj ed. The associations of centuries could not be lightly sacrificed. Old prejudices would not be easily surrendered, and the cherished plans of so many minds for carrying out the object could not without great difficulty bo. combined. >f ■ ; Hindrances to Union. : The Moderator referred to the hindrances to union, tho first-mentioned being the existence of two divergent typos in the Protestant Churches, which, for want of more fitting terms, might be called the emotional and contemplative typos. Mr. Weir continued: " Those of the emotional typo are well known. They are demonstrative in their forms of worship; they are given to speaking freely of their spiritual experience, and make it part of thoir religious exercises to do so; they are disposed-to ■ insist upon' all who profess to'be-Christians fixing upon some definite point of time when they were converted; and they have adopted a kind of supplemental moral code, in which ■ certain practices are condemned as wrong in. themselves, which are only hold, to he wrong when abused by those of the other type. Tho contemplative ? typo of Christians refrain I from demonstrativenoss in worship, are roticont regarding their inner' experiences, and aro chary about fixing upon--any exact time when their conversion took' place; though they admit that sudden conversions are possible, and that Christian • people have had crises in their life's history:which have left permanent effeets. Now, if-people of these types wore evenly distributed: among the different churches, their existence would in no way interfere with union, but as the emotional type prevails in and dominates the Methodist' Church, and as the contemplative type is a characteristic of our .own, tboy can only bo' fused together under; considerable pressure. In the other denominations there is a blending of'the two types. ..But; until it is frankly 1 acknowledged that; these two. types of Christian life are not. the outcomo of two kinds of religion, but manifestations of tho one religion acting on people of different temperaments and dispositions, and influencing their nature's imperfectly; there can be •no hearty union. But circumstances are gradually blending the two forms of religious development, and Christian--charity,-that-looks on the best side of. everything, growing. But a .-united Chinch must find room for people of both types, because both have always been found in God's Church, and will be found as long as different, temperaments exist among men." „

Sacerdotalism. Touching upon a difficulty concerning tho Church of England, the, Moderator : said: "There is in-that Church a"sacerdotal party embracing a largo scotion of the clergy, and probably a smaller proportionate section, of the laity, who hold that the minister at his ordination receives a kind 'of ' supernatural, spiritual power,, by which he is enabled to confer grace upon those on whom he exercises his ministry.. While, notwithstanding such pretensions, wa may believe ui honesty, sincerity, and high sense of duty to be found in these, ministers,' wo cannot believe, that they would be as teachers by those who'hold true Protestant principles. Let us assume that a via media between Presbyteriauism and prelacy may bo devised —-and .it is a large assumption we cannot believe that there can'be any compromise upon baptismal regeneration or transubstantiation. It is, perhaps, idle to speculate on the outcome of tho growth of sacerdotalism in the. Church of . England, .but _if it bo not checked, it would seem that it will go on increasing in strength, and in spiritual pretensions, until it will leaven tho whole 'of the ministry. As things are now, we can see no immediate prospect of a_umon with that branch of tho Church as a Church. Wo can scarcolv expect that tho clergy who believe they" liavo priestly power would join with those who put their cherished'tenets on a par with tho belief-' in witchcraft or alchemy. Should sacerdotalism go on increasing, in strength and spiritual assumption, there is a hope that many good men and ■women in the Church of England; who hold the evangelical faith in its simplicity, might join as individuals with a united, Protestant Church. For, if we got a united Church, it will bo Protestant, not of tho militant typo, let us hope, but of the kind that repudiates priestly pretensions."

Agreement upon Essentials. j Union must come at fust, the Moderator contended, among those who agreed upon,essential . points,' and then a strong,, energetic' Church, purged of, sectarian excrescences, would bo a power in itself to attract what was best. in the Protestant community. If union came it would not bo by one Church, absorbing the others, or by any of the otners surrendering at discretion. Notwithstanding tho . pious wish of a certain clerical joker of Melbourne, there was not theslightest prospect of the Presbyterian Church being swallowed up by tho Church of England, or any other. . Any attempt to gain a diplomatic victory in negotiations for union.would .be as vain as tho attempt of the joker to poso as. a humourist. Union must coroo, by tho. surv render of denominational peculiarities and a reconstruction on New Testament linesEven a limited and partial unioiv would still be a stop towards tho realisation of tho Master's prayer—" That they all may bo one." \To obtain such a union, no sacrifice,, except that of conscientious principle, would be too great. The, waste of energy and' means, and the friction caused by maintaining several Pr-vi-nskuit churches in "small, towns where somo of the people were, indifferent and some hostile, wero evils which the Church should strive and pray, to have remedied. ,\ . "In the meantime l we must go on doing. <rar own work in our way, making such necessary changes in our machinery and methods as experience shows to be needful. But let us do our work with all our might, cultivating charity towards, and - sympathy with, those of other denominations; and while we attend to our own concerns;'let us Watch and pray for an opportunity of'-entering into closer relations vrath any : %ho a:ro' of tho household of faith." -

HOLY WEEK IN ROME. SYMBOLICAL SERVICES. • It•' is rather the fashion - (writes the Rome correspondent of ;; " The Standard") to talk as _ though, " since 1870, the church functions and • ceremonies of Holy 'Week and Easter are nonexistent; but, though they have been shorn ;

—T—j of a great deal of their ancient pomp and J splendour, enough still remains to be profoundly impressive to ' any one gifted with. *j imagination or a souse of reverence,. and j to make the first Holy Week spent in the , 'vj Eternal City a thing to be remembered for. '.-. a . tho rest of-life. On the Sunday before ! Easter the palms and olives aro blest and i tho branches distributed to tho congrega- • tion, .who carry them home and place them above tho heads of their beds. The Roman ;■ Catholic churches, usually so cheerful and bright with their pictures and hangings and '< lights, are utterly changed in appearance. . ' On tho eve of Passion Sunda.y all tho pictures are covered up with dark purple stuff, ■; and, as tho sacred functions of the week , - ; proceed,\: the altars are stripped of their \ decorations; the fire is removed from the lamps and altars; the holy water and tho ' Sacrament are taken away; and \by Good ■ ■ , Friday nothing but the. crucifix remains in tlie bare and empty church. ( No bells; are sounded in' Rome from tha time of the Mass on Holy Thursday until that ' of Saturday; and on Good Friday, instead of the answering bells from all over the city, which greet the usual mid-day cannon , from tho Castle of St. Angelo, no sound ■ J is heard in reply. In the churches, whenever a bell would usually be rung, tho • "strepitacula" is sounded, which consists of 'a board and iron beaters, called "crotalum." One of the most impressive services of the week is the office of "Teno« brae," which takes place on Holy Thursday, about ' two hours before the Ave Maria. Near to the .altar there are fifteen lighted candles, in a triangular frame,-sa|d to sym-'- ; bolise the Apostles and the Mamies, and, as each of the Psalms is ended, one of the. candles is extinguished, leaving oidy tha , , ..tallest and centre one —the symbol of Christ. This is eventually removed and hidden be- - ■ hind tho altar, figuring ■ His death . and burial; and, while tho antiphon of "Tho Betrayer" is recited in the semi-darkness tho "strepitacula" . is sounded, which is supposed to represent the disturbance of . the ' forces of naturo at tho hour of 1 Christ's death.- ' . ■" v ■ On Thursday thcro is a solemn function for the blessing of the oil used for extreme unction and for the Chrism; and on Saturday, in tho early morning, at the Church of St. John Latcran, there is a great, ceremony for the blessing of tho fire.. •of the Paschal candle, and of the font. OnThuraday afternoon all good Roman Catholics aro supposed to visit'seven of tho churches, . in which, in the sepulchre, surrounded .with . flowers and lights, the chalice containing the' Sacrament-is kept from the morning Mass on Thursday until Friday. Tlieso .\ . are only a few "of the types and symbols by which tho Roman Catholic Church leads : her children from one event to another in the. last days of our Lord,, and prepares them for tho great Easter feast, in which' 1 tho Romans celebrate tho return of life and spring and sunshine, and which appeals to. ! them as does no other .feast ,in the* Church's : year. . / - -

GENERAL BOOTH'S BIRTHDAY. AN ENTHUSIASTIC CELEBRATION. : ■■ i Tlio . sbverity-ninth birthday of General Booth was celebrated at the Queen's Hall, London, amidst scenes of the greatest enthusiasm. The members of the Army liad . • >omo from'all parts of England and from settlements of the Army overseas. Puno- ■ tual to the appointed time, tho general ap- y pearcd; and the whole meetins rose to its feet, ahd'.cheored again and again, waving , handkerchiefs in the air, while the drums on the platform swelled ,the volume of the ap- v.- ■ , plause. ■ Speeches of welcome were delivered, • prayers were said, while the general knelt ' - jut in froiit upoa tho platform, a conspicuous Ggure, with his long white hair, in the sight of the meeting.' Thero was' a liymu, and . between the first two verses an appeal was , made for a collection, during the course of which the general struck the first'note of' humour, interrupting the speaker to ask liim if ho could not ""bring in about their ' : , birthday offering." With theopening of his speech the general proved himself full of his oldfire and vigour. "Many people', say," he said, "th'at a dead .' dog is better than a live lion* and I am still in the land of the living,'- and, what', is more, thanks to your kindly welcome, I feel like a vory livo lion." -Then,'feeling that something personal was looked for, lie' * r dealt with some of the'leading, events in his . career, his birth, and his parentage; his . father, he-said,' had been a man_ notorious for his grasping acijuisitiveness.: his mother, conspicuous for her humility and meek spirit-' edness. So it was that ho was avaricious and grasping in a good cause, and also very, humble in spirit, for if his critics never ■ mentioned tins trait'in his -character, ho must. montibn it himself. From a humorous boginning, the general had passed to statements of facts. "Don't worry," he said, "about the future of the Army. The same telegram which announces 'Tho-general is dead' will announce 'Long live the' general.' We have never believed in running ■ into debt, and wo shall not have to drop our work for want of .funds. My salvation work has always been done on business lines, but funds.are wanted." OVEII-W.ORKED BISHOPS. Father Paul Bull, of Mirfield, advocates tho inoroaso of the Episcopate of tho Angli-< can Church. He says m the "Church Times" Hoy can the Bishop of Man-' Chester (though ho is_' one of the hardest working men in the kingdom) even pretend. to have .a sympathetic knowledge of his 1018 clergy and nearly 3,000,000 people?' There . are,.after'all, only ,365 days in the year, and oven bishoos need a holiday, and ought to have a little time at>home N . In London,,. with a population of 3,245,533, there aro 1625 clercv; in Winchester dioccse 1,038,683, with 1919 clergy ; in St. Albans 1,336,267, with 930. clergy; and in Manchester, 2,948,671, with 1018 clergy. How can one bishop even pretend to know sympathetically 1000 clergy ■, or to be* in any real relationship with • 3 000,000 people P In tho Diocese of Manchester there are 375,971 church sittings for : 3,000,000 people!" ' . . MISSIONS IN CHINA. Much' interest has been aroused in mis-. sionary circles in London by a report mentioned in the "Noith China Herald." to the effect that Yuan-Shi-Kai is urging on.the. Tyrone .the formation of a Government department to deal with missionary affairs. Speaking to a lieu tor's representative on the subject, the secretary of the China Inland Mission said that, at any rate, Protestants, both-British and American, would welcome ' the creation ; of such a body. The main 'difficulty it would liavo to : deal with would be' • . the disputes Between Chinese converts and their unconverted countrymen, which, had been occurring of late with increasing frequency. The converts, he said, were ratlior given'to using their connection with foreigners to obtaiu unfair advantages in the law' courts. "Tho missionaries would," he'continuedy" areatly liko to nut an end to this state of affairs, as they are anxious, es- •• pecially in these days of awakening national 1 'i: -feeling in China, to interfere as little as possible with civil or political matters Anothor ; difficulty which might bo dealt with by tho proposed board is tho question of the sals ■ of land to missionary societies."