RELATIONS OF CHURCH AND STATE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 859, 4 July 1910, Page 6

RELATIONS OF CHURCH AND STATE.

AS THEY ARE, AND AS THEY OUGHT TO BE. . VIEWS OF REV. T. H. SPROTT. AND THE GAMBLING EVIL. Tho mutnal relations of Chinch and Jtato wore dealt with in a very able and striking manner by tho Bey. T. H. Sprott in his sermon at St. Paul's Anglican pro-Cathedral yesterday morning, Ms Expediency the Governor (Lord Islington) tieing one of, the congregation. Mr. Sprott said:—On tins-Sunday morning following tho opening of Parliament 1 wish to speak to jou about tho mutual relations of Church and State. Some persons in our • day would confidently affirm that they have, or at least ought to have, no mutual relations; that ■they move in entirely different planes and are concerned with entirely different interests; or that if they come-into contact at all. it. is only in so far ns tho Church 13 an owner of property, and as such, like all owners of propertv, must fi amenable to the control of tho State; but that, apart from this question of property, the loss that these powers have to do with each other tho better; let -them go their several ways: It is passing strange that those who hold this Simple theory of Church and State have not observed that, besides property, there is another and greater interest which ; thurch and State have in common, i ?' i""? claun to control human conduct to deal with questions of right and -wrong in the daily life of men.

Limits of State Action. All State action in the sphere of morality is limited. It deals only with certain forms of external action. iWhile claiming .to regulate the moral life I '-? 0^? 01 claim to reKulato the '?n, tv lt l_.T h J ?re arß sevCTal ""sons JOl this restricted action. The most ob.vious, and in itself an entirely adequate lieason ,s this: If the State were to undertake to regulate the whole life ™;™ ei ? Mn i t i . ,roul d be obliged to assign to every citizen a policeman to :Ce His constant companion at home and abroad, in his business, and in his picasWes. And even then, who would Tep an eye on the policeman'? It follows iromthis thai it is not necessarily the gravest forms of wrongdoing that the fctjta can take cognisance of, just as it «P? 0 rf n he most ""Portont duforen Tf ° n at lt C , an to enhZ'J ln " compel you (; ° fulfi l stipulated engagements which may after all •™,W i" lm P° but does not Mdertaketo make you unselfish and generous, which ,s of the greatest importance. It punishes perjury, but you can wjure your neighbour in character and frtare quite as effectually, sometimes more effectually, by falsehoods that do not come wUhm the legal definition of perjury further, as the State can deal only with external action, so it has only one"method and its appeal ls to the fear of retribul

Sphere of the' Church. If, then the State were the only power :dca hag with human conduct, there would ■be ■ arge provinces of human activity-of right'-and wrong thinking and doing.often of the utmost gravity for the wfllto»B of the State-Vholly left "rithout -guidance and control. ThS State, fo??te own. well-being, requires that the whole •life ot ib citueps ehatt be well-ordered and yet is unable to secure this /ave in aren err Tr4 d f an - d D °! al^ s important ■SlT'-pnl Sta i e - IS - aot efficient unto it•fcelf. But as things are, there is another .agency that claims to deal with the moral Jite of men, inward as well as outward "and throughout its whole extent. That "+l?Tft ' S ,* h0 Ch ? rdl - What > then, is -the Church's method? Brieflv, ve ma v 3J, that tho Church seeks to secure Zl rpliance with the moral law, and the whole moral law, by awakening and developing ■an inner reverence for that law, .to} awakening and developing a lovei of goodness and a hatred of inKimty. A'eed 1 say that by tho Church I do not mean the clergy, and that -this sermon is not a fantastic plea for tho establishment of a sacerdotaf regime' By ,ce- mCan S at *****<* agencm, and influences, Divi.no and human >'hich finds its embodiment in Christ's ithe intellect is enlightened, the conscience .-awakened,-the affections purified, the wffl •strengthened, so that men may strive .lonestl, to judge correctly in moral mat ■Ms and to give effect to their judgments >y 'ear of external co£ .pulsion.but by inner reverence for moral the State secondary m tho normal sphere, -li the Church were uniformly and universally successful in evoking an inner reference for moral law, there would be no seed or place tor the action of the State. ■t £ht S< ? \t Judlcial machinery •might forthwith bo abolished, or only •so much of it retained as might afford a ■means of impartial arbitration in'such -disputes as may from time to time arise ■even between good and honest men. The •judicial machinery of the State witnesses Vto tho partial failure of the Church. It 5L ed ', aS > fa T as ma - v be - to check rthe external development of evil which rthe Church has failed to prevent in its 'internal beginnings.

"Is this Done in New Zealand?" It follows from this that it is the interest oi the State sympathetically to further the work of the Church. Is this ■done m New Zealand? In trying to answer this question, I am aware that I ►.may tread on somewhat difficult and delijcate ground. May I preface my answer jh? saying that I am not seeking to fasten -responsibility for what I consider a not wholly satisfactory state of things upon 'any particular group of persons. Indeed, 'to do so would be absurd. The people who compose the Church' also lai4lv compose the State, and if the two agen.cios are not working in complete har--rroony we arc all tho blame. Well, I think .it must be said that the State is not rfurthe'-iug the work of the Church to the extent that in its own interests it ought to further it. If reverence for moral law lis to be awakened and sustained, plainly itne work cannot bo begun 100 early It ought to be an essential accompaniment oi the education of each rising feneration. But in New Zealand Me btale offers no genuine facilities to •the Church tor the prosecution of this twork. As you know, protest has from time to tune been made, chiefly by clergy, but hitherto it -has not been listened to. But perhaps tlsoje who wonld not listen to tho clergy will be disposed to listen to the doctors. I believe that it is correct to say that at the annual conferenco of tho Medical Association'of New Zealand there was a strong feeling as to tho necessity of religions teaching and influence in the schools of the Dominion. This conclusion was based on grave reasons derived from professional experience. I believe it is also correct to say ■that at tho annual conference of tho Teachers' Association of New Zealand tho ■chairman at least spoke strongly in the 'same direction. It is also worthy of ■note thivt one by one the States of Aus'iralia are abandoning tho policy of •secularism in education, Queensland being the latest convert. Upon this question I .-shall say nothing further, as I believe it >ie rather a matter for tho laity.

Gambling. But not only is the State not furthering the work of the Church in the moral sphere nf> it ought; there is reason to fear that in some directions it is even f.': varring that work. There is a principle, well known to students of ethics and observers of life, which does not «*oin always to have been borne in mind by our Uw-mnkers. It is that, that what ever I ho Stale sanctions by lav/ always .■and inevitably conies to bo regarded by the mass of citizens as being innocent and right. The law may not have been "in!ended to have this effect; it may have been intended to be purely restrictive. But such intention makes no difference. Jfei the end what is legal comes to be regarded as being also right. The case in point is the legalisation in this country of certain forms of gambling. Tho law was no doubt meant to be restrictive. Biit while ita restrictive effect is highly problematical—for a perusal of the gambling statistics in the New Zealand Year Book makes no-doubt whether gambling

could have developed more rapidly amongst us if there had been no such legislation—the other effect is beyond question, viz., that that large numbers of our people—men and women, boys and girls—have come to think that what tho law permits is also innocent and right. We have nil been, reading thu grave words ot ono of our judges on this subject—words whoso gravity is all the more impressive when wo remember how reticent on public questions-our New Zealand judiciary usually is. The judgo in question must have had much information .before, him of.serious import, thus to condemn tho law ho is set to administer. Here then it would seem that tho State, so far from furthering the work of the Church, is actually counteracting it. "Perhaps!" In this • sermon I have of course assumed that tho moral law with which both Church and State is concerned is ono and the same; that the Christian moral law which it is the work of tho Church to lead men to reverence is also the law which the State desires to have obeyed. Brit perhaps ■ one is no longer justified in making this assumption. Perhaps the notion, not unknown elsewhere, obtains also in New- Zealand, that as in these modern days we have outgrown the Christian creed, so also and much more have we outgrown the Christian morality. Of course, if this bo so, nothing mere need be said. Tho separation between Church and State is indeed complete, and for weal or woe each must go its own way. Por tho Christian Church is pledged beyond redemption to the Christian view of life and conduct. It can never forgot that in the sphere of morals beyond the authoritative voico of the State there is another voice more authoritative still. Whose "But I say unto you" is final and decisive. But I would fain believe that things are not yet so bad, and that there is still in New Zealand enough of Christian conviction to secure that our legislation shall be genuinely Christian. I commend the subject which we have so imperfectly treated to your most careful consideration. [Mr. Sprott state that in the pre- ; paration of the above sermon he has re- ' ceived much help from Dr. Martineau's I Essay on Church aud State.]