THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13811, 26 January 1907, Page 4

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

DEVOTIONAL. OTO GUIDES. If Joy we follow, Joy flies on before us, Her white, lout glancing—glancing, too, her smile; With light step measured to a merry chorus Our weariness of travel to beguile; Joy seems tho limmway of Reason, faring Appointed road qf morUil life, uncaring For aught but dance and melody tho wliTle. If Hope, wo follow, Hope leads to the morning. For ever pointing to bright eastern sky, .Beneath u rainbow's arch tho clouds adorning With colours palpitating to tho eye; Hopo seems, from height celestial descended That all our lonely way wo bo attended By one. sweet comrade nut ordained to die. ]f Truth wo follow, Truth goes just before us With steady puce, a torch held in her hand, That, whether bright or dark tho heaviness o'er us, Wo clearly sou tho ground on which wo stand; Of lioason Jnfmito herself (he daughter, Truth leiwls, if need he, through a lied Until the Soul come. In her destined land, is.ui: lUssw CuoATK, in Great Thoughts. Meditation.

THE Sl'lltlT. I conceive a man as always spoken to from behind, ami unalilo to turn his heart and see the speaker. J n nil the millions who have heard the voice, none, over saw ili« face. Aβ children in'their play turn behind each other and seize one by tho ears and make him walk before them ko is iho Spirit our miieoii pilot. That wellknown voice speaks in all languages, governs all men. and none, over caught a, glimpse of its form. Jf the man will I'-xuctly obey it it- will adopt; him, fo that bo shall not any longer separate, it from himself 111 his thought; he shall seem to bo it; he shall be. it. If ho listen with insatiable oars, wider and greater wisdom is ta-ught him, the sound swells to a ravishing music; ho is borne away as with a flood; he becomes careless of'his food and of his house; ho is the fool of ideas, and leads a heavenly life—Emcieon.

EXIIOBTATION. THE IJIPKT.UB OF UEMGION , . I honestly think that the process of making A)heists, trained as such, into philanthropists will be but rarely achieved. Ami I venture io propound the 'question io those who point to admirable living examples of atheistic or comptist philanthropy; hmv many of llieso have passed through the earlier stage- of morality jis believers iu God, and with all the' ail which prayer, faith, and hope could "jvo thorn. That they remain actively benevolent, having advanced so fry. is readily to bo anticipated. But will iheir children stand where they stand now? We aro yet obeying the groat impetus of religion, and running along the rails laid down by our forefathers. Shall we continue in the'same course when that impetus has slopped, and we have left the vails altogether? I fear me not.-Fra.nces Power Cobbe. "RKMKMBKK NOW THY CRKATOR," (By Gcorgo Annandalo, in tho British Weekly.) In the summer of 1898 I was slayiii" it one of the fashionable Scottish hydros. It was evening, and visitors were seated in tho drawing room, reading, converain", and playing (l uict games of skill or chance. Seated next to me was an eldcv'v gentleman from the West of England, whose face, as I recall it, reminds iii« of ]?. B. Meyer. Ho was a man endowed with a wiso and gracious Christlikc spirit, the lrmt of many years' experience in hiu Master 5 service.

Presently two lwiies walked up to the piano, one to sing, tho other to play her accompaniment. As the air was jilaycd over, conversation still continued. But' as soon as the words were reached, a hv.ph ■ fell unon Iho audience. The piece was Topliffs selling of "Remember now thy Creator in the days of ihy youth." The drawing room was a very large one, capable of seating somo lmiidriuls of people, and furnished in a way calculated to" deaden sound. Yi>t every word was heard ilistineily. l\y neighbour listened with rapt attention. As (he singer proceeded, every nolo vibrated with intonsost passion. It Boomed as I hough tho Creator wore calling us to account. In a hushed voice my neighbour whispered in my ear. "I can tell bv the way that girl sings that she is a Christian." The rich, full voice, now rising, now falling, Imt always wit.h tho same heartthrob in every note, continued Ihs warning'message, ilow solemnly tfio words came !-"Tlien shall tho dust return to the earth as it was, and tJio spirit shall return unto God who gave it." The voice ceased. Thwo was a stillness that could be felt. The singer trembled liko a leaf as she sat

Afterwards I learned a little about her. She had been engaged to bo married to a medical man—a very fine Christian. One day, when ho was staying at a place far distant [ram his sweetheart's home, be was suddenly stricken clown with typhoid fever, and died almost immediately. Tho lady was not (old about it till the funeral was over. The shock was ep great that she was prostrated for some days. When sho was ablo to gel. about again her lovely voice, her greatest gift, was gone. Something like paralysis of the throat prevented her speaking above ;i whisper. Many months after, tho voice gradually came back again. When sho was abln once more to sing with her old power, sho made a solemn vow that sho would dovoto her voice very specially lo God's service. Thenceforth her most treasured possession was her sweetheart's Bible. I saw it. It was crowded with notes from cover 1o cover, for the hook was woven into its owner's life.

ABOUT PEOPLE. Rev. Thomas Spurgoon has resumed, hie duties at, tho Metropolitan Tabernacle, london, but, until his health is fully restored ho is taking ono Sunday a- month to rest, Moreover he is refusing all outside engagements. Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, of Omaha (the author of "In Ilia Steps"), is visiting England in March on a. three months' mission on behalf of temperance reform.

Mr AV. J. Bryan, the former candidate for iho United States Presidency, was one of the delegates to the first convention of tho ■newly-formed Presbyterian Brotherhood. In his address ho stated that he became, a member oE the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at the age of 14. Ho is at present an elder in tho Presbyterian Church at Lincoln, Nebraska.

At a directors' meeting of the London Missionary Society, K.-.V. G. Gladstone of Glasgow presiding, farewell was taken of Rev. W. J. Smith, of Wellington, New Zealand, and a student from the Theological Hall, Melbourne, who is going to join the Ciuldapah Mission, South India, iu tho room of Rev. S. J. Cowdy (resigned).

A well-known figure in tho ecclesiastical world of the north of Scotland ha 6 retired into private lifq i|i the person of Dr Norman Macln'od, parish minister of Inverness. Dr MacLeod took an affectionate farewoll of his people in the presence of a huge congregation, which completely filled every part of tho large edifice known as the High Church. Tho Provost and magistrates of Iho town were present, and also a, number of Cameron Highlanders from the barracks.

Overwhelming cpngregations welcomed Hey. ,1. 11. .Tcwett back to Wailelield'e on a recent Sunday. In the evening tho doors had to bo closed thrcc-qunrtcre of an hour before the service began, and hundreds wcro turned away. Mr Jowett \irg«l that. Christians should ho the most joyful of all people. If a Christian must nol joke, and laugh, who rami'! ' r llavo my younjr people at Carr's lano evor heard inn laugh?" lie asked. "If not, why not?" Mr Jowott confessed thai; there would bo no power in bis message that night except so far as he enjoyed it. " WhitUs the use of telling you about tlio bread of life unless I have tho taslo of it in my own mouth? I believe in my very saul that joy born oE iho_ confession, of God is the mighlie.st ministry for llie evangelisation of ihe race."

Sir Panl Roo-,, ihe captain of the South African football team, spent ihe evening before tho international match, against Kng , - land in addressing tho "Boys' Own" at Paddingtoa Chapel, a club formed for boys of 13 years of age and over. The Springbok captain spoke to the 60 boys present on '■Tiio Child is Father to the Jlan," and pointed out the urgent necessity of carefully watching any tendency to stray from tho rjatha of truth, uprightness, and

(ELSHOUS BEADING FOE THE HOME.

nobility of character, owing \<j the. difficulty afterwards of eradicating habits formed in youth. Tho strong, manly form of tho .South African captain ami tho earnestness of Jiis address greatly impressed tho boys.

Dr Fairbairn may soon iiavo an opportunity of repeating an epistolary triumph of ins early yea 11s in tho prineinakhip of .Mansfield College. A lady. \vhu died lately has left £3000 to be spent on putting .stained glass windows into tho college chapel. There are- already some, stained glass windows in tho chapel, tho work" of an artist who at first flatly refused on principle to execute tho wii.dows because J)r Fairbairn stipulated that there should bo no halo around tho head of Jesus. Thereupon the versatile principal wrote the artist ,1 long letter dealing exhaustively with early Christian art, pointing- out that the halo was first placed mind tho head of tho devil, and then around- the head of any person supposed to have supernatural powers. This letter completely overcame tho scruples of the artist, who undertook the windows which now adorn tho chapel.

Rev. 1 , . A. Russell's swies of sermons on the main Christian doctrines has large mm-,,in s congregations at the. Kings Weigh House Chapel, and given -Mr Kussell a hold on West London. Mr Hussell combines advanced theological views with (in evangelical passion for souls. A f<.w •lays ago somoono «iid. in Mr Rifsi'li's presence, that, ih» Weigh House- is tho most beautiful. liu> mo,t draughty, and iho most heterodox Nonconformist; Chiircli in London. "Yes," replied ilr Russell, "and tho most Evangelical. I am an Kvangelieal of tho KvangelicuU." The institutional side of tho Weigh House Chapel is developingrapidly. The Hinney Institute—which is now an integral part of Iho Church's workban 345 members, and is in a flourishing condition. This year Mr Russell announces a series of sermons on CJirial's messages to men and women.

THE LOVE OP 001). ''Our Lord sot on very badly with iho aristocracy," eaid Rev. Charles Brown on a recent Sunday night, "and Ho gats on rather badly wilJi thorn sill): His demands aro too great and sweeping fnr tlioni. What chance to Clivist got with the peoplo who spend their whole lives in sport and theatregoing and all-night, dances?" Mr Brown wont: on to say that even, learning seemed liomoiiincs to oomo .between a nmn and Christ. An Oxford don had told him only the other day that Oxford was tiro most irreligious place Lit England. The learned, and powerful Nicodenuis found it. hard to Follow the Galliloan peasant., and ]ic was but an ineffective dieeiple. Ho would havo lieen surprised ;uid shocked T>y the messago of .John iii. 16, " God so Jovod (ho world that Ho gave His only Iwgotlen Son, that whosoever hclioveiU in Him should not porish, lmt liavc everlasting life." Dealing with what ho called "this threadbare text," Mr Brown declared that God loved all men. bad and good, tho greatest wretch who lived, tho man who lias betrayed others,' iho man who seems hopelessly lost. "I havo heard people say io a child," ho continued "''if you're naughty (iod won't lovi! you'—or, 'if yon are naughty mother won't love yon.' It is a libel on God and on motherhood. There was never a. mother who did not love a naughty child—she often loves the naughty child more than the Rood one. But I have been taken to task myself for preaching tho universal lovo of God, and iu an after meeting my statement was revised by the minister of tho chnre.li. Christ did not merely come to roveal tho lovo of Uod, Ho canio 1o pluck us from the peril of .sin, to save men who were perishing. Ho revealed the lovo of. (iort by dying for ne. The self : oqntr«l man, tho sclf-in.dulgen.fc man is perishing, and only by submitting to the claims of Jesus Christ and acknowledging Him as Lord eim 'ho find eternal life."

FROM ALL SOURCES. Gipsy Smith's mission in Boston (U.S.A.) has been remarkably successful. Over 3000 poisons havo professed conversion. Gipsy Smith is holding missions in Portland, Maine, and Manchester, K.H. Mr Rockefeller has presented the American Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions with a cheque for £20,000 for educational purposes in the Soudan and Egypt. Most of the sum will go' to Assiut College. Overtures have been mado liy Wesloyait missionaries iu China proposing tho adoption of a common naino for ail lletiiou'iM, missions in China. Slops will probably Ixs taken at the Shanghai Centenary Conference to carry this proposal into effect. A Lxbour Church has been formed at Norwich, and services will begin" early in the new year. At a meeting held for this purpose .a large number of intending members wore enrolled. Several" speakers expressed their dissatisfaction at the attitude of most of tho cluvrolies towards Bocial problems, and hoped that -the Lakmr Church would givo men an opportunity to preach tho lugbest ideals of social reform without fcar ; of tho wealthy layman. It was decided that tho Lord's' Prayer should be need in the services

Dealing with the "Conduct of Public Worship" before Liverpool ministers' meeting. Rev. W. Scott Pago urged greater attention to Iho use of the voice, a. careful selection of the hymns, bearing in mind the neceFsitics of worship, and not only tho subject of the sermon; due caro that; the elements of prayer—adoration, confession, petition and tihanlcsgiving—he included in publio petitions; ai'.cquitfo, anil intelligent Teoding- of the Scriptures; a frank and dignified, manner in preaching.

Stories wero told about some of the poverty-stricken clergy 'being unable to afford all their children a. dinner on iho same day, e,aid tho Archdeacon of Blackburn in Acerington at a Queen Victoria Olorgy Fund meeting. Numbers were actually thankful to receive tho cast-off clothes of moro prosperous brother ministers. Kach £100 worth of tithes at, the piLssing of the Act was worth now about £69, though 29 years ago it was worth £112, nearly double tho present value.

An Earned Degree.—"lan Madaren" tells an amusing story with regard to bogus degrees. A sweep prosecuted a resident, in the suburbs of Edinburgh for debt. The ■presiding judge called the sweep' to give evidence, and the first question he asked him was: "What is your name?" "Jamie Gregory, LL.D., sir." " What! Doctor of Laws? And whero on earth did you set that distinction':" "'Twas a fellow fra' an American university, ami I swept his chimney three times. 'I eanna' pay yo cash, Jamie Gregory,' ho says, 'but, I'll mako you an LL.D.," an' we'll' ea' it quits.' And Jio did."

It lias been resolved to issue an appeal to the London Missionary Society's constituents and to the general public for funds to replace money lost to tlio South India iinil lVaruucoro Missions and missionaries through the Failure of Messrs Arbitthnot and Co., of Madras. The total losses aro placed at £14,000. Sir Albert Spicor, Bart. M.P., wished to anticipate the asking throughout the country of thn question why tho missionaries liail entrusted so largo a sum of tni.-sion and personal money io tlio firm in <iucs(ion. Hi«ht up to (lie last the credit of tho firm hail been good in Sou)li India, Hie. senior partner being one of thn most highly respected men in tho couniry and chairman of tho Hank of Madras, which had the enre of all fiovernment funds. The Eocietj's local I l'Civsurors in South India in succession had for many years sold drafts to Messrs Arbuthnnt ar.d Co.. payable Uγ Ihe society in London, these funds boinir credited to the vnvioHs missionaries.

Lla-neUy. a. tinplate town of Carmarthenshire, is about- to erect a new Y.M.C.A. building, estimated to cost £5000, and rather an extraordinary feature of tho project is that all tho I ratio and labour societies of tho town have decided to give financial aid. Committees aro being 'formed by the members for the purpose of wailing upon each working man in the town, and by this means about £1000 is likely to be raised towaixls the cost of the building. The population of the U'i\\n is 20.000, composed chiefly of iinplatere and sfnel-workcrs, and at present there is no provision for the social needs of the inhabitants.

Rev. J. P. Hoggarih. M.A.. of Fairfield Church. Liverpool, hp.s. as tho result of a. challenge, been spending a week in the, Liverpool slums, us the euest of tho Food and Bet torment. Association, in order to investigate personally tho causes of poverty and squalor. Sir nogjirih remained incoinito throughout his visit, and discarded all ministerial garb. On a recent Sunday night, before a crowded congregation, he related his experiences, ami bid au im-

prossivc story o[ iiio struggle for life in ih» shims of tho cily. Sir Hogarth docared hie belief that misfortune rather than misconduct, was 1.110 chief canso of poverty. "You may." |, fi said, " t .] Q3O ovm public-house, not only in the slums, but i'u ovory district of our ciiy, but when that had been dono we would still Ixs face to lace Willi the problem of poverty; wo would huvo inassoe of men so held down by our economic system that in the host time-; th.-y ran only sccuro a tare existence, whi'st for (he day of adversity and old ago they cannot possibly provide. Yet in the midst ot it all there arc iho-:e who are more heroic in the %hl they are sustaining than Ino greatest soldior on iho best-fought field of battle."

On dosing his ministry at Swintlon Tabernacle, Rev. W. Llewelyn Williams, who has accepted iho editorship of the Sunday Strand, has been given, convincing- ovidence of tho regard of his people and the respect of the townsmen. The Social Union, which under Mr Williams'* leadership has grown immensely and enlarged its possibilities of service, presented him with mi olaborato'.v. fitted dressing-raso at the fareweU meeting held in tho Tabernacle. A large number were present. Testimony was paid to the immense success of Mr WiPJams's ministry, and the fact was oointod out Hint tho church had almost doubled its membership and js now anions the largest churches in tho country. A, debt of £2500 011 Iho taliornacle .had boon extinguished., A new church at Gorse Hi!l had boon orehted at a cost of nearly £4000, and on which tho eum of only £1500 debt'remained. No less than 400 had boon baptised during the eight years of his ministry, and over 600 have been actually received into the church. Mr W. Stock-, speaking on behalf of lh« Vvoa Church Council, said ]io man during his residence in the town had done anything liko tho work Mr Williams had done, on behalf of the Free t'lum-h IVdoraJiou. not only in Swindon. but in the whole Western Counties. H was mentioned that during Mr Williams'* ministry seven of tlui members of tho church had eonsecratod themselves oithor to the mission Held or to Ihe ministry. A purso of gold was presented to ilr Williams on behiilf of the members of tho church and congregation. TiC replying, Mr Williams said that ho did not think that ho had taken a ston down, though_ ho did not. eay .he hail gono up. Ho believed he was going to 60 wort for .Trans Christ. lie. believed ho. could servo Uod just as well. He hoped his pen would bo as clean. He hoped it would b'e as fearless and as indoiioudent, that .his pen would never bo bought and novo-r bo withhold from staling what ho believed to bo f rut?.

DR DB.IVKR ON JEREMIAH. Dr Driver has written, and Messrs Hodder and Stoughton have published, a new translation with notes of iho Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. Concerning this book tho Daily Mail remarks:—

"Dγ Driver's aim is to make Jeremiah .intclligiblo to tho ordinary educated reader by tho simple means of a now translation, a minimum of notes, and an outline of tho history. Tho difficulty hevo lies not fo much in explaining the" language' as in threading a way through (lie bewildering mazo of the prophecies. ''Of all the prohpets Jeremiah is the ono who tolls us most about himself; Jie was passionately concerned with the chief tragedy of Jewish history; hiei prophecies are full of allusions to current event*, but with no regard to order, and ihe book passed through several stages before it reached its present shape.' Tlmohhli tliia intricate collection Dr Driver guides us with unhesitating skill, and indicates the proper setting for each prophecy. He has given us a specimen of what a Bible trans l liiliotl ought to ho, free, from pedantries, dignified, faithful to the Hebrew without doing violence to English idiom. Tho only thing wo have to complain of is the use of ' appalment' for ono of Jeremiah's favourite words; 16 times docs this monstrosity occur till it gets upon one's nerves. Tho brief footnotes' aro very much to the purpose; now and again, as in all commentaries, the obscuro seems to bo neglected for' the obvious; thus on page 52 wo would gladly exchange tho note on 'sleek , for one oil ' the priests bear rule at their hamk' "At tho end of the book Dr Driver allows himself rather more ecopo; nothing could 1«3 better than hie characteristic handling of ' winnqwing-fork,' 'adder,' 'plead,' 'sprout'; ho cannot, resist (he temptation to expound Ihe archaisms of the Revised Version; his whole method enforces the obligation of taking trouble and looking out references and eschewing loose and inaccurate, habile of thought. It h fiH thoroughly stimulating. '' The text of Jeremiah, as is well known, raises somo serious problems of criticism; the Greek version differs considerably from tho existing Hebrew text, and frequently enables us to improve it. In comparison with iho (ireek, Dr Driver acts upon the principle of giving the Hebrew text the general preference, but ho-is quite- ready to correct and emend where Ihe grounds" iaro cogent, and a clear advantage is to bu gained.

"Another problem wliich is coming much to the front, just now has to <!o -with tlm form of Iho prophoeies: did Jeremiah write- in prose or in poslry* Dr Driver is cautious; ho has not yet boon ronverted. Ho recognises a certain amount of metrical composition—that is to say, the elegiac measure; but ho believe.; that for the most part t-ho prophet contented himself with a rhythmical prose; at anyrate tho time is not yet. ripe, he thinks, [or the more considerable alterations of file text which miuiy scholars o-ro advocating in accordance with their metrical theories; and most sensible people- will agree with him. On the fulfilment of Jeremiah's prophecies Dr Driver remarks that many of them have, not been and can never be fulfilled; but they incorporate ideak which will neither change nor wear out."

-hoes making honey for the national hivctrying to penetrate into tlie minuliie o( their business." Milton- B. Makxs. ■