RELIGOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2132, 25 April 1914, Page 9

RELIGOUS ACTIVITY.

FEB E CHURCH CONGRESS.

CHURCH UNITY, THE? EFFECTIVENESS OP THE MINISTRY St, Jfi iidrcw's Hall, once tho iiaro of a nobio <i hurch of the Preaching Friars, was i% j scene of tho opening event of tile Fft >o Church Congress in Norwich City oif, March [), It }s an exquisite G'otlsig -1 maiding, hung with gravo portraits <51 tho City Fathers, wi'4 tho Lord Jlj ivor, in his scarlet robes, with tho ,23isi op jo his ceremonial suit of purple, ' wero in perfect keeping with their au rroundings.' By tho time tho Lord 11/ ivor had shaken hands with tho visitors* the hall was packed in Over? corner, i rod tlvero was bafcly standi r<so.m t'ot many who wished to hear tho tpco^iot/ Acvdret ;£ang t'no delegates as "linn-oii-rtd welcom© guests, 1 ' fcho Lord Mayor | spoks with enthusiasm of tho city's an tiquarian treasures, which must, ho poini ed out, he of special interest to tneinbora of tho becau'so of Norwich] s comieotioti with tho early stir. of Free Churehism in this wrontr.y. 4; part from the. eivfo welcome, tho even't of tho evening was a thoii"htful add* e& by the Bishop of the Dio< eeSo (Dr. . Pollock), which wag listened to with ) intaso interest, and so heartH.V applt ltided ■at tho. oloso that' Ilis Lordshiu bad to riso and bow his thanks.

,1 'lis President's Addross. Thatsi. were very few vacant seats when, tit ten o'clock, the chair' was takon by the Eev. "jr. Liiko Wiseman, 8.A., fl -ho was vory Warmly, received. In his i presidential addrcsSj Mr. Wiseman s'| a ted that after 190 . years of great prosperity tho I'rotcstaiit Uhutcla >s, with tiio passing of the Victorian o ra, seemed to have been brought to aha tt. Had tho spirit of - tho Protestaat Reformation and of tho cvaiigelical i revival spent its force in im* ■pregnati; tig tho two .e'entarios? What i : h -& Free Churohes do to icrnovo t)ij> \n oflg impressions which woro enrrenfc concerning their faith, unity and co ncern for social .well-being? When Vi o coino io the detailed application of our fundamental truths, said -M r, Wii 3enia.n, it ■is quite coocnivablo that wa .jnay have over-developed certain rs' poets to the dotriiiKsut of tho symmet l-y of tho whole. But fiegMgatioft is not tho samo as schism; and it is 3i o more necessarily opposed to troity f feeling, purpose, and action than is division of labour in a factory. 'J'hoso i vho find a soaudal in tho number of '' warring sects" we invito to look upon tlx is assembly. The Free Churches l.«vn iiq qiiarrel_ with each other. In spirit aj id aim. in faith and Christian eXpcricß co, tlioy are ono. .It is idle to Spent fe, of ooiflpotftion if tliers aro onl.vf' fo nr panel doctors and 15,000 insured persons. Not com]>e.to but complonnmC is tho wori}._ Episcopaey is no bar io 1 our fellowship. I'resbyteriau and . Ini lepondent Churches aro quite ready 11 5 acknowledjo that Episcopacy may js comoto tho well-being "of a Church. But when told that it is of' the beij ii; and ossenco,' they havo to reply, Wo cannot find it in tlie Book," His coii# .'cm was to recover Puritan zeal in tho : pplication of its views of Chhstiruiity ( 1® the circumstances of iho tiiXKj,' and to establish tho Kingdom of God hero tig low. .

• ?-"Utist.aljt6. Equilibrium.'' = The B; ev. J. H. ioftge.rjy. awaited;• pa'pdr'o'li ''UiiityV iromoci'.atcly. followed; the pr©si'deiJ.fciai address. Hfs' attack i> pon tho.present Freo Church s,Tate.nrf"'iyas fotiiidod upon. tlio assuranco , that its renditions are "partiaiiy in-, offfecttytj and perilous"; tlist they ''constitute ii st ateof unstable equilibrium".; • that "oj, ur separation rests upon certain obsolete ideas." .It .was wily .Jieccssary to stattf tbo facts' to convict, the bysteni of alraoj st criminal Waste, having in it the. ivaj st ctomojits of commercial compe.titiotf Hero are some oxampl«K. group \ if five villages -ivith lufo people and-IS chapols, another group of live villages with 1300 people and 19 ohapols, a count rj town with sis Freo two nvj scions, and the Salvation Army, ■ avid ti, total ivtU-adanco at worship of fiC® p« iple. Kven more urgent aiid serious,' Mr. S'hakespisar.e dfielaredj is the positiajS .in the towH-8; _ - Havii .lg, with characteristic thoroughness, Hi.iade out his case for reform, lift put • forward tho following practical sU'g.ges'it; j&iiSs-"* • ' . .... Tl tat- each ■denomination should »p----poin I its own commission. to tsike part in a gowriol conferencc upon t-ho.question. . That '. -a beginning might' bo rnado by tlie r«i cognition of a common ffi'imstty of the- 'Frets Churches. , • Thai ; iis a first step towards ono Bug-* iish X' 'Ceo Church a, federation of tho Freo C Ih.llrdhes should be formed. So e Teat is lit. Shakespeare's faith in' his id &i~ that )w .is hopeful •ot seeing ; within his own lifetime England divided; up iivt <3 Free .dJliiirch dioceses with Fres Chun) h bishops, or, if thb term is judged/ to hg t abieetioiiable, general superintend-: e»ts.Bb arrSngefteiEt, iiaS 1 bfleii ftiaito for pn eseuting a resolution on tlio iuat-. tor t< » tho congress, bat •' Shv Robert *Whyti i crystallised the feeling of tho dciera Aes .by rising to nrejioso:-*-"11; sat the secretary lie. instructed to appro.' tc!i the secretaries of all tho English I Clrarclicis with'a view '! to securing' their agreement .to confej;. amongst themselves and to iustruc: i their delegates te the cOmittissioii .< qn faith and order." Tilt > suggestion ■ embodied in tho seeSnd ! halt of tho motion camo from Mr Shals espeare, who felt that the machinery * t!;ai lias been brought into .exist-' enco by tW A.merka.B de.putiiticsn. af fordi an eScellent opportunity fof im■mcdi Jito a.cttai,, Tim resolution wtti carrj unanimously with great, onthu- . stiisf a.

; Tho Minislry as a Sacrament, Pi fiiKipial Forsyth read a brilliant papijr'on "Tiro Effectiveness of tho Miji jsfcry." is j»uch more tiian a brothe: ho said. "Ho is neiilicr tho moi tt'hpieeo of the (lurch nor its chairma) v nor its sieofctary, Ho is Sot the seji .aat of the Church. Tho ministry is s • sacramental office. It is not ft secrote iriat. It is not merely jiresiiicntinl. Sue h, a ministry lias a s.pcciarcffectiv.ciiosi s .in connection with tho unity of ihq Church. For the question of Cfr inch unity is tho question, of tho mii listry of an effective ministry, of ot mil tistry praeticali.v valid.' And what doe s olfeetive or valid mean P It means sac .amontal." .11 tho Mowing very remarkable saf jo Pr, Forsyth explained tho inner so? Iso of his whole adaj'-ess: "A Church cm mot Hvo wifchmit sacraments wiiiih, an * fis-sefltial means, but still less can it' live without sacramental souls which s eiuSs in tltomsetws. There lies iho pin 'mo '.ffectiveHess of the ministry.* Ill's ; its sacfamcntal power, not to change e!« merits lint to cfcmgo souls, in reseller: jte them. Lot us "rise above iho idea tlj-at tho preached Word of God is a ,to« .'ro, massage warmly told. I'tig a Mont nrcteirt by the. medium of consecrated jiff i oinlit\ It is more, than goad hows, te'i 'venllj spokon. It is a soul's life iUI fl poi (r l 7m God. And its bearer is m(' ro than a herald.. Ho is, a liierophant frd m the holiest place. Ho is more. than, n. 1 terald, Uod-aent; Hois a. living or* iiel- i C/l God.;"' ' 1 !;<> paper formed tho most imporr i'iK et exposition tsars tho "Daily News")'' of 4 diat may bo called tho Hign Church viei \\ of Nonconformist ordera thai hat yet |>eeU published, and created .ft profoui m| impression. That it. met with "Pints uimous npproval is- mor* than doubtful, gjpd'tkete watfltf jfceJpMjj foxtail

■a- vigorous Jistn-iMnn had i.ino allowed, Sir Joseph (Jompto.li Pickett.. M.l\ } , ■ was chosen as -inex.t. year's preslileiiiL v ■ THE LATE CARDINAL KOPP. HIS SERVICE TO CHURCH AND . 'STATE. CVrdinjl Kofp, Prim o-Bishop of Hie* slan, died early on. .March 4 at Troppau, in Silesia.. " Tho late Pr.e'kto was h'ai'ii at Dudcr.-. stadt, an what is now tins Province e'f Hanover, in tho year 1837 (writes j.hu' ■ Herlin correspondent. of th:o .''Morniirg Boat"). 110 was viio second Son. of Ipna» Itopp, a working weaver, and, instil his eleventh year attended au. elementary school, His parents noted tho fervour with which ho devoted liteelf to his .school tasks, and determined that, • it possible, he should hnconio a priest, ilea ns were found, to send him to I'm' progymttasmm id his nativo town. and later to the Oyisiinsiuin at I'ildeshoim.' Ho.ro, to.o, his Studious beat and. obvious 'talents a'ttr'iicte<l tho attention of h(&- tcacboi's ■ and profossorrs, but when? ho had passed tho leaving examination,' which gave bin; tho right to study at' any German ttaivers.itfy, Ms family could do Mis more for feint, Tho young' man fosilt'd employment; as a teV'grapli ele.rlr, and worked as SUc-li in the flailovfcfiait service for twii years. His sayiffiga enabled.'him to become a theo!oj;icaT student in tho seminary at liildesheini, -and three years kief, in 1802, ho was ordained priest. As a teacher in. an orphanage and as chaplain at Delfurth he attracted the attention of his superiors., and a't tho ago 'of thirty-four had become Vicar-General. Ten "years later I'ojio Leo XIII. appointed him Bishop of Fnlda,. aud in. iK?7 ho was oti tho .proposal -of tho Prussian Goveriinieut inado Prmco Bisliop ot lire's--iau.' Tho late. Princc- Bishop's cap.abllif.io3 may bo judged by tho Tact that bo .Was. not only regarded as 4 friend but e&teomett as a coiirisellnf by the Popo aiid . bj tho German Emperor. It v.as by : Ulieer poisonal ability that ho al tahied his high, position in thececles.i.ast'\aland politijjitf worlds, and his early lite ami stniitglcs undoubtedly helped" io oriahlo him to understand the w'Snis of tho people. Tho semi-ofiiciai ''Norddeutafliio. Allfccmcinn /Jc'timj;" s,i><iof him ' One of his salient chanvctorisiics \fas .his .g«.utto ir.anner, which rendered intd.reotirso with him gtt.i'aet.ivo to aii. ordinary decree, not. only for his follow Roman. 'Catholics, but for persons of a,'"; different faith. 11 is extensive knowledge, liis keen undnista.ndii!K of iho prolilews wliioh. presented themselves, and liis quick p.ercoptioii: ot. thl:- iil which it was his lot 'to .work, fiUed h'ini' to sitt is a mediator between this various forces of public life and between Kcmati Oatholics aiidPrfitesiaufs.." Cardinal !voj)p, it is admitted on all iiauds, was a great theologian and a.ii ■■mftfniig:. priest, a warm-hearted social jwliticiair who thoroughly undcrsiood the needs of tho lower classes, a iaiiant lichlr-r J& the Church Militant, and vol, full of "conciliatory -tolerance, -an unrivalled master of iaiipuaj-e in iho pulpit, in Par- . liamont,.and. in. Oouneil H shrewd politician wiiliin and without tho Church, and a, real $iplo,ma:ti,st. • l![is Successflil mediation in tho "Klillurkauipf" soenred him the friciidshii> aivd esteem of liisinarck, and the present Emjiero.r has acknowlefkod liis .abaMtics and. his .services to tho Ciiureh and State by bos'fowing on him tlje highest, orders and distinctions. Li 1886 "lio iii.ade v a' luo, member of the. Upper Honso of iho .; rrusstari' Ijiet," and" jii 1000 tiio Order of tho Black Eagles was' conferred on him. ITo was dominaied by a desire "sk> maintain authoriiy in Church 'aiid State, on Hs S"eve.ri;t;yr.fi ; ft!i. birt.bdii'y fkclairod, in. a_ spoech of thanks for tho ovations of his admirers, ilr.it ho liad ' always defended the principle, that the welfare of tho nation, depended ou the of Church' and S{ato,

FAITH AHO ORDER. , BR. NEWMAN SM\TIT ON KXG« LAND'S 11 KSFONSL. l?r. Newman Smyth has supplied to . an American journal tlio following suiii.maT.v of Ilia impressions of thu recent, mission of his two i'oiloagucs— Dr. W« li. lUiberts and Dr.. Peter and himself '<> England as the of {ho American comuiission on a World C-ohferenco on Paith and Order. "\Yo have jtist returned," he says, 'Troin what seems tio us a providentially suc- ■ ccssful mission abroad. Our conference with the Arohbishop's Coiimiittuo of the Ghur'ch of Jingland was n:ost interesting and significant.. For the first' ■ t-iiiio, so far as "I, can. learn, sinrc "tho 'Act of Conformity (which produced . Nonconformity), .^as'a dc]Htt,iiion officially represeiitingnon-Episcopal cleiixj'nien has been invited to meet an ■ official Committee of tho Church ef.Eiigr land. Ono result of it, in itsoff Arfell worth our visitation, if nothing, else had lißeii accomplished, is that wo liavo dins opened the Way far further eonfe.reiices between leading representatives pf tho Xonuon.formist Clmrelies of Knglaiiil and the Church of- England. As a result .oP our meeting, the latter bar- already mado tho first advance, and wo'liavo- had' assurances from the ether Christian, bodies that they will apjmio.t.(ho needed ceiimiitiees a;id do their i'till jiart iit this as in other ways., iii iiropaf.-' ■ ing for tho ultimato World Conference. "Besides this, I spent a,.night at iho • Palace of tho Hisliop of Oxtord, and H'ciit ofei- tho wifolo matter with tho BSsh.sp J«mw« |u a.'.ma:iin;er;;ivliieh t'tf wo was liio.re hopeiully signifieai't of future, ptissihlo j'esivlte fiaiii I .'had .jaiiwtidpated;. then I spent' another nighti at Liimbeth Palace.,- v hero 'after first having a full atul freo r.onversatt.oli wit.ii t.ho Archbishop 'of Canterbury, I hail tho further a})j3o'r.tu;rti't'.y of meeting .a'fc dinner the Archbishop of York and tho Bishop of Winchester, , and talking over t'vn w'hoio i>Stav lion _ as from _;ny own poii-.t, of view I urged it us a Wprisi.problem requiring from a'll Cbureh leaders the bioadest and highest Christian rtateiiiaiisltip to .nieet ' ti® e'vis'ting. hopefuily p.rit'i.eal coiiijitioit of i;ho®li.u:vcli at. tho present time. TlieV listened andtalked freelv with, tlio most e'a.rl'i.cjSt; in- '■ tej'est l -Did 'sympathy, aiid I cainiot bu| feel that tho sumo providencc which !'as so signaliy opened the way aiwi limed our movements thus iar, bfouglit mo tlici'o at tbo Closing hours of our mission. ' '•What to isomer lyigiri li.tve seeiaed an iuopportune nioment for us to come, lust when tho eoniiovers.y over Kikuyu was at its height, seemed io us the. opportuno hour; as we held ourselves oil-" ■tkely aloof from their emit roversy, and kept our public utterances trim to our• own note, Wo were listened to., and onr ir.essaao received, as otherwise it might, riot have been heard, "Tlio fact that wo heM conierences with seme thirty eommitiecs r.nd ropro-.' tentative gror.ps i3f tho several elm; dies' of Gie.it liritun, ,\ud cultsteu them all iii the service for which we vvero sent, indicates how B.vslematically our work was planned and strenuously carried through—not to sp'exik Of nianj". moro personal interviews With leading' men. Something of the same kind, of effort must ho organised hero at- home, and men found to pro tho ftmds* necessary, for its thorough acciiniplishinent. '"The F/iM Af:.cm affair has preeipi. tatcd the issues,, and may servo .to mr.ko . the World Conference come to pass earlier than we had anticipated, or may ho fully prepared for :t. As novcr ro clearly before, sinoo all those conferences with roprcscii.tativoa of all shade*of thought Jittd s.ecniuigly. incomi)atiblo ! ecclesias'ieal positions, iho jiossibility of reeoiiciliatioM and romuon on a prac« ■ tie.al working basis _of mutuallv accepted regularity, without violation of tho- scruples of any, seoms to mo to ■open before me, and to accomplish ..this-'. .acema to- bo tfe -ifnost , -ufßgtffi"^ , b , ns(riePS- , :;i and supreme oppertunity. of all Chris- ' tfaii in Ibis our ilaj and genpr--' otlou.' 8 " ' ' "