CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11630, 11 May 1912, Page 3 (Supplement)

CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES.

DEVOTIONAL. IF 1 COULD KNOW. . If I could know that word, or deed Of mine had helped a soul iiwieed, Had given comfort, eased jtTie smart Of some poor, tortured, aching heart, With what rare joy my heart would glow, If 1 could know! If I could know! If one should whisper in my ear, "Your words have made me stronger, dear, To fight this evil thing within, That leads me often into sin" — Life's darkened ways would lighter grow, It I could know! If I could know!

Each day I ask the Lord to bless Some act of mine to truthfulness, And though I know not how, or where, He sends the answer to my prayer, When I into his presence go, Then I shall know! Then I shall know! —Marian. MEDITATION. The Cross which my Lord- bids me take up may assume different shapes. I may have to content myself with a lowly and narrow sphere, where 1 feel that 1 have capacities for much higher work. 1 may have to go on cultivating year after year a field which seems to yield me no harvest whatsoever. I may need to ask forgiveness of a brother whom 1 have wronged. I may be bidden cherish kind and loving "thoughts about a brother who has wronged me —be bidden speak to him tenderly, and take his part against nil who oppose him, and crown him with sympathy and succour. I may have to confess my Master amongst those who do not wish to be reminded, of Him and His claims. I may be called 1 to "move among my race and show a glorious morning face," (then my heart is breaking within me. There are many crosses, and every one of them is sore and heavy. None of them is likely to be sought out by-me of my own accord.

But never is Jesus so near mo ;is when I lift my cross, and lay it snbmissivelv on my shoulder, and give it the welcome of :i patient and unmurmuring spirit. He draws close, to ripen my wisdom, to deepen my peace, to increase my courage, to augment my power to be of use to others, through the very experience which is so grievous and * distressing. And then, as I read' on the seal of oi7e of those Scottish Covenanters whom Claverhouse imprisoned on the lonely Bass, with the sea. surging and sobbing round. Sub pondere cres'co (I grow under the load). PRAYER. Father, we thank Thee that in all the changing scenes of life Thou art the same, and Thy years cannot fail. Tn Thee is no variableness. "We may pass from Autumn to Winter, but it is ever Springtime with Thee—the Springtime of renewed life, and hope and frultfulnoss. Help us to trust Thy Fatberlv care. and seek in Thee the provision for our daily need. Enable ns bv Tliv grace to lift up to Thee the cheerful countenance and the clad heart of praise for all Thv goodness to us. through our Lord : Jesus Christ. Amen. QUIET THOUGHTS.

Lm'e is the poetry of human nature. He who asks timidly courts a denial. Be rigid to yourself and gentle to others. Conduct and courage lead to honor. They never fail who die in a great cause. Every tear of penitence becomes a pearl. Duty has pleasures which know no satiety. That which is dark below is light in .leaven. He who would speak well must speak little.

To have partners in" misfortune ;s some comfort.

I The sun of truth may be obscured, but is never eclipsed. Ink is the Mack sea on which thought rides to anchor. Real glory springs from the silent conquest of ourselves. There is a wide difference between 'admiration, and love. I Failures are with heroic minds the Itfepping-stones to success. I ITEMS. The Foreign Mission Committee of the Presbyterian Church has given instructions for the erection of a new church at Malo, New Hebrides, to replace the one destroyed by a hurricane in the month of January.

In spite of the burden of his S3 years, General Booth carries on his work with rigar and enthusiasm. According to the War Cry, during his recent visit to Holland he addressed meetings each day of the week; travelling from one town to another, spending a day in each place. At Amsterdam * waited and cheered the General—inside the station, outside the station, in. the square, in the streets."

The ; 'Men and the Religion Movement" is said to be sweeping over the United, States, and the result is the closer coming together of capital and abor, and the great emphasfs on the scial teachings of Christ. Speaking at Boston (U.S.A.). with regard to the campaign in that citv. the Rev. Herwrt A. Manchester, D.D., said:—"The Men and the Religion Forward Movement' has shown the greater possibility of service to men of the churches: it has outlined more effective organisation; it Ms pointed out definite duties; it has inspired men with greater readiness to act: it has filled ministers with now rope: best of all, it. betokens a nevr *al and activity in all lines of religious »ork."

Xot the, least of the qualities that led to Captain Amundsen's success was the -ogged persistency of the intrepid explorer. Treating hardships as luxuries a nd difficulties as delights, he allowed ■» obstacle to daunt him. Thus he [eachec! his strenuous goal, penetrating into regions unknown before, and uujocking a treasure-house of knowledge hitherto undiscovered. Only such a San could have accomplished such a resil'-- -So it is in the spiritual realm. "he sool that treats all else as relatively unimportant is the soul that gains acKss to the unconceived secrets of God. «> such, all things are possible: there s no limit to his spiritual achievements. ->lr Moody was pre-eminently a man of juis stamp, and who can estimate the Messing that he bestowed imon the *or!d I

flic Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, which is the oldest misijMiary organisation in connection with !C e Church, of England, is celebrating , ; j -lo f h birthday. The Society was

jimded on March Sth. 1695. when, in jtp words of its originators., thorp was a Risible decay of religion in this king•jni."' coupled with a "monstrous in■feasf' of Deism. Prophanenoss. and >ice.' : Among the objects were: (\) -w education of the poor: (2) hosni'al *ork. especially on tlie foreign mission '■fid: (3) the publication of Bibles and Prayer Books, theological works, and 'realises-on Church History: (-1) grants ''< bonks to sailors, soldiers, emigrants. "|c! others: (o) the promotion of foreign "iissiiMis. towards which largo grants arc Blade yearly, both in money and books. to the misisonary societies "t the Church of England have signed a "tenmrial, in which they petition the Sovprning bodies of the societies to do a -> tlie Moravians have already done, "id exact from all who wish to remain °r heroine missionaries of those societies * definite promise not to use or counthe use of living animals for '■he discovery or preparation of' remedies and preventatives of pain and r ase. The signatories reouest this in ord°r that they may be enabled to subscribe to missionary work without countenancing vivisection, '"'which we regard s s directly ooposed. not only to the selfjacrifieing example of our Lord and which bids us suffer for others. ' v cn the greater for the less, but also tr » His merciful precept which forbids !, s to make others suffer for us." An influential deputation waited upon "dip Archbishop of Canterbury recently, a nd presentedto his Grace a memorial, "signed by all the chief teachers of English literature, by poets, and by pearly all our public schoolmasters." [asking for the appointment of a Committee to correct the Authorised Version I °f, the New Testament, for the purpose l°£ rendering it more suitable for reacting

!in church. It was claimed that, whereas the Revised Version had not laid 1 hold on the popular mind, the Authorised Version, notwithstanding its manifest deficiencies, was still a favorite. In these circumstances, why should it not he corrected, in a manner at once respectful and scholarly? This, in a lewwords, was the case for the memorialists; though, by the way, some sweeping statements were made in disparagement of the Revised Version. In reply, the Archbishop- held out little hope of early acquiescence in the demand. A Christian educator, with vears of experience in Japan, Mr 0. H. "Knight, reports that there are four great foes which dispute the progress of Christianity in that country. First, there is an iindoubted revival of Buddhism and Shinto; the zeal and earnestness of Christian missionaries have caused the moribund religions to take on new life. The second foe to Christianity j s the belief in myths, superstitions, and legends. which are related as historical facts tci the children in the primary schools; the young arc taught to believe in imaginary gods and goddesses, though the majority of the teachers know the stories told to be notion. The third foe is the pseudo-scientific semi-rationalis-tic attitude towards all religions: this critical, sceptical position seems to the superficial observer to indicate higher intelligence and a knowledge of the whole truth. The fourth great foe of Christianity is materialism, gross ami unblushing, which is the combined result of the other three, and which prevails throughout, Japan. The Gospel of Christ, and the power of the Spirit of l.od, can alone, overcome those foes.— -Missionary Review of the World.