KESWICK CONVENTION. ITS ORIGIN AND PURPOSE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 41, 18 February 1908, Page 4

KESWICK CONVENTION. ITS ORIGIN AND PURPOSE.

JADDRESS BY REV. C. INWOOD. The Rev. C. Invrood met tho members of the Wellington Ministers' Association at Godber's Cafe yesterday afternoon, and outlined to them the origin objects and purposes of the Keswick Convention, of which he is the deputation to New Zealand. The rev. gentleman, who spone with considerable fluency, said h^ was formerly in charge of a Methodist Church in Ireland, but tha± his health was such that prolonged _ residence in that country was "impossible, - and he was thus able to 'place 'himself 'at the disposal of the Keswick Convention to be Sent a? a' deputation to places beyond tho seas, with the object of contributing, in some sort, with the co-operation of Ghrifitian Ministers, in the deepening of the" spiritual' life. He'b^ad visited in this way Canada, South An*e rica > South,* and ;Nortn \fnca, Indja and Ch'inaf." -'— ' " ,1 ' , ' The movement;, Mr. Inwood said. ta<| "beenl severely, handled, ' but so far as 'he could., ascertain those who had adversely criticised. -it tad " not ' themselves been to Keswick. No man could xi"htly understand tht> movement unless he had been to Keswick itself, and had attended Ihe .conference. Tho moveTnenf w£s" noT~afl old "one, ahd" yet its influences were world w,ide. la./Ld7\ two great convention's for deepening" the spiritual life were held— one, at Brighton the^olnVt m Oxford.., "Tliese gatherings %7efe > "attenii2d by ministers of religion, and largely by those of the Church of England,- These cpnvenjtjons. were arsons. *of quiet, deep, sacred- pp.wer ip_^d|e-ina«y_who gat/hered .there, and aa»».'-ih©m» -^aa-iael. Eev '., Battersby, pjTKeswqck, whp was so much impresslil the 'spirit of' the gatherings, feat '■ he thought "similar conferences »ightn|e fceld--<tf>- quiet filtle to,W3nH*e L^a "O^ty, much .^ . ' . ■«ick in;4875/''aaa "probably about one Sundre*^ 1 peopfe" -gaihpr^! together x idx £ week\"3sf'.praye,T a.iid. devotion. In B?89 tha'at^nd j ance -had grbvitri tq eight hundred, aiidnow^ foi''%h& past 'two or ihree years'; fhe gatherings •!|ia'd grown upwards of ten -thousand people— all available ' halls and" huge' tents being Irowded! "'This annual' gathering had 3bw become tlfe.iargest of- its kind e^ec -United Kingdom in point <h naaibei's- alone. S'Th© platform .of' tho convfint.ion. was f pressed in its motto: "All 'one_ in irist JesusV \'Upon that basis minisrs and members'" of. all Protestant ctypJ i-^^bl& v V!e to meet. Theofegically, fciie convemjou. nujb.t' be. described asi"GanseWative; v ' {.aiding the old &d the ije% testaments as.'Mie inspired feord oi '(gqd, all • d^pea}^ IJein^' made fo the WcnTbi Gp''d-itti}ia'fc'!h%s. I'he , atoning work, of ittec.'LjJ^ ; 'feus Qhrijt, was accepted 'as, tse> oßntf^olFgiavAtiy oh ihe whole Christi^i re^ohitfei ':That the K'eswick platfornit, cud not believe in the eradication o| fch© root principle of 'sia'bul l o.f,the,.h^man ' Beart, "but held ths^ .lae^^^'lif going- dity by day to God for forgrwerwss for sin", £nd imploring the Holy Oiogt tfit perfect Sic work already begun inMhe,.'individual who surrendered, himself Bp to gie free operation, of the- fiflrlV-tp the of his light. "., : v j", -', f;' PUBLIC ADBRESIS. ' '' " > la the 'evening Mr. Inwoocl addressed 1} meeting in the Vivian-street Baptist Church/ The Rev. J. W. * Williams Conducted the devotional - part -of -th& taeeting ,Mt. Inwood's subject, was ih- ' pray«r. ' "After referring to jhe J manifest decay of faith in the efficacy " of prayer, he 'showed*- 'that' the b^glvtiißStH po^flE that. cou,ld "ibe wielded in ihe 'world was "the" power tb prevail wKl^oißrf Vrayei^- -Pray^-^he ;ii4ld; covdd remove n^onntains of worl'dliness; p!eis'u?|e-s^feHng;' carnality, division,' or anything' "else that obstructed the** free exercise of the ' Holy Spiiiifc in the" «fan?eh,' and every otstaqfe i;hat loomed iarg'e in. the world of work beyo^ruT t]i£ church " coul d be ' removed by ' 'tb^e*' "same^ nigahs. God Almighty' moved mountains of difficulties In the way of " would feo - down/ into 'the dust Defore hfm..^"* In orde;r to 'get 'a sure grip of God all other things in 'the hands would have, 'to "go before' "the real secret o,fs "prevailipg prayer ' could b© learned. The address mad© an impression upon the 'present, Mr. Inwood will speak again at ¥iviau-street Baptist Church this evening, and until •Thursday.' Bible readings willj beheld in Courtenay-place Congregational Church te : morrow and Thursday alternoons.