CHURCH UNITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13831, 19 February 1907, Page 3

CHURCH UNITY.

A meeting of flip Council of the Churches was held last evening in First Church Hall, when there was a somewhat small attendance. The President of tho council (Ihu llev. G. Hcigluviiy) occupied the chair. The regular quarterly business was postponed out of courtesy to the l?ov. \V. ]). M'Lai'on, of London, who was present by request Io give an address on "Church Unity and the Church's Work."

Tlio Rev. Mr M'Lorcn addressed himself to flic question of why we. were obligee] to consider the question of tlio meaning of the Church at. this time. Ho traced the formulation of the doctrine through the centuries by Athanasius, by Augustine, by Aiisclin. by Luther, and by the great evangelical revival which attempted, and Was still attempting, to formulate the work of the Divine spirit. Of this work the formation of the Church was a part, and (ho lecturer trea-ted the thought of the Church from the two aspects of spirituality and unity. In application, (he lecturer affirmed that tlio unity had not to bo created, but only lo bo recognised, and lie defined -.schism not as 'the refusal of the member to recognise the body, but as the refusal of any one member to recognise as part of the body any other member differing from it in form or function. Christian union he defined as common work for a common end from a common conviction. In conclusion, the lecturer gave a short account of the progress of church councils in England and their reticulated organisations, and mentioned that the usual mode of representation was by direct delegation from the individual churches and not from tlio denominations as such. He emphasised not only the spiritual results, but the increase of fraternity which had resulted in almost every locality from the movement towards union. This, he considered, could be consummated only through the path of federation, quoting, in support, the words spoken by the Bishop of Ripon a few years' ago:—"The outward union of the churches would never como by absorption, which was presumptuous; would never como by compromise, which, was unworthy ; but would come by one, and only one, road, and that was federation."

At the conclusion of tlio address, which was very attentively listened to, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the Rev. Jlr M'Lareiv on tlio motion of Mr A. S. Adams, seconded by Mr Roy.