BAPTIST CONGRESS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 330, 17 October 1908, Page 12

BAPTIST CONGRESS.

IMPORTANT ADDRESSES. _ The recent Baptist Congress held in Berlin, under tho presidency of Dr. John Clifford, was attended by 1500 delegates representing all countries in Europe. Thero were 500 ■ British delegates, 450 Germans, 79 Russians, 61 Swedes, 57 Hungarians, and 25 Danes.

Dr. Clifford, in his presidential address on Baptist principles and ideals, said that the Baptists were one, strong, constructive and dominant, in proof of which he referred to Baptist progress and unity in the United States, Canada, England, Hungary, whero their brethren were reconstructing their organised life on true Baptist principles, and Germany, where, led by OncKon, Lehmann and Kobner, they of the most fruitful missionary unions of recent times. The intrinsic catholicity of their fundamental ideas and principles impelled them to unity and universality _ wherever they had frco play; they eliminated the_ causes of eccksiastical strife and division, and lifted to a place of power the forces that made for freedom, for service, for unity ami brotherhood. This was a new factor in their history. Their thorough-going individualism had long been known, it had been and still was their peril; but they were escaping from it. Too long in these later years they had behaved as though the Baptist shield liad only ono side, that towards the freedom of tho individual man and the independerico of the local church; now they realised that they must act together as a unit, move iii the same direction, engage in the same work, and become a world factor. Their aim was to bring back the vitality, the fire, the sincerity, the reality, the spirituality, tho splendid abandon, tho fino daring, the uncomplaining patience, the elan, the faith and love of tho first generation of believers of their Lord. It was a high aim, but they held it. It was Luther's; it was theirs. It was the moaning of the Reformation. It was tho purposo of that Congress and of their Alliance.

The Rev. J. H. Shakespeare, speaking on "The Development and Present Condition of the Baptist Church in Great Britain and Ireland," said that for the moment they wbro in the trough of tlm sea, sharing the general set-back, the arrest of spiritual things, but their progress since 18' JO had boon very striking. In tile eight years from 1890 to 1897 their chapels increased in number by 61, but in tho eight years from 1900 by 151. From 1890 their churches increased in number by 145; from 1900 tho increase was 278. From 1890 the increase of members was 34,000; from 1900 it was 64,000. So that tho progress of tho last eight years was at almost double tho rate of the progress of tho earlier eight years. Unquestionably, ■ apart from that momentary arrest to which ho had referred, their denomination in Great Britain was never so full of life and energy. They numbered 430,000 members, 3000 churches, 55,000 Sundayschool teachers, and 590,000 Sunday-school scholars. The income of their missionary -society for the oust year was higher than

evor. Their ministers were' never bo highly educated; their public influence was never so great. They were united, and ho thought they were far more disposed than thoy had been to allow for diversity of practice and opinions in many directions. The Baptist denomination at the present time was evangelical to the core, aud the Gospel was preached by their ministers with the utmost certainty, clearness, aud fulness.