SUNDAY CIRCLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14377, 21 November 1908, Page 4

SUNDAY CIRCLE.

DEVOTIONAL. Thf, Cuius? of the Cross, I sought Thee, weeping, high and low, ' 1 found Thee not; I did not know I was a sinner-even so, I missed Thee for my Saviour, I saw Thee sweetly condescend Of humble men to be the friend; - I cheso Thoe for my way, my end, But found .Thee not my Saviour. Until upon the cross' I saw - My God Who died to meet the law | That man had broken,—then 1 saw My sin, and then my Saviour. What seek I longer? Let mo be A sinner all my days to Thee, Yet more and more, and Thee to me Yet more awl moro my Saviour. Be Thou to mo my Lord, my Guide, My friend, yea, everything beside; But first, last, best, whate'er betide, Be Thou to mo my Saviour. [These lines were quoted by the Rev. P. B. Eraser from Dora GreanweH's "Everlasting Love" during the recent debate in tho Presbyterian General Assembly on " Tho Christ of the Gross."] Supplication. ' 0 Lord our God, who hast given peace to men, and hast, e-cnt down Thy Hosly Spirit on Thy apostles and disciplcc, bestowing oti them in Thy power fiery tongues -wherewith to speak Thy praise, open, also our lips, sinnero though wo be, I and toaoh us to ask Thee aright for the right blessings. Steer Thou tho vessel of our life toward Thyself, Thou' tranquil haven of all stormtossed souls. Show u? the course wherein wo should go. Renew a willing spirit within us. Let Thy Spirit- curb our wayward senses, and guido and ennoble us unto that which is true good, to keep Thy laws, and in all our works evermore to rejoice in Thy glorious and gladdening presence. Let us not be deluded by tho fleeting pleasures of this wOrld, but strengthen ua that wo may aspire to the onjoj'mcnt of that which is to come. For Thine is the glory and praise v from all Thy saints for ever and ever. Amen.—Baron Bunsen, Meditation. THF, TREACIIER OF PRAYER. Wo w must go back to tho older and simpler ideas of prayer if it is .to become tho common practice that it once' was. Wo must teach that thero is that element in it which actually moves the heart and hand of God; and we must teach also that thero is no sphere of human life that is excluded from its scope. "Ask, and it shall bo given you," says Christ, without any limitation, or restriction whatsoever. If wfi have a real need in t,he material sphero of things, \vhy should God not meet-that need as well as any need in the spiritual sphere? Are the cattle on. a thousand hills not His? Is tho gold and silver not Hi 6? If we v have commercial needs, domestio needs, needs in connection with our daily work, why should wo not tell them out in the car of God, and expect an answer in acoordanco with His _ mind and will"? When we encourage the people to go to God in every need and in every perplexity, and spread out their cai-re before Him simply and directly, we shall do a vast deal to brinff hack the old praying spirit. Them the prayer .meeting—that pulse of the Church—that Church-heating apparatus as Spurgocm called it—shall bound back into its old place of importance; then shall there bo no more lack of peoplo to take part in public prayer; and tho great Church of God shall pu'sate from end to end with new life and new power.—The Scottish Review. v , Eshortatiok. \ . AN .WEAL TO I'AEEXTS. Parents, you, aro tho first and truest representatives of Christ to your families, lie true to your Divine commission. Train them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Imbuo them with His ideals. Let thorn' catch from Him through you tho conviction, kindled ,in the dawn of .- life, broadening and brightening with ils day, that their Divine Redeomer is real, that the unseen is fact, that duty is greater and sweeter than selfish pleasure, purity than indulgence, obedience than potulance, and ~godliness than gain; that -their cnll is to love and to serve; that they aro created: for a life which shall leave a sad and sinful world the better for their existence. Tell them something early of the struggle and sufferings round them, and also ot that jYast world further off. where pagan and Moslem know not tho Blessed Name. So you shall not only be your Lord's evange--' lists for the children and tho home; you shall train in your measure a generation which shall mako Church and nation glad as they pass your influence on.—Bishop 'Moule. _ ■ r NEW THEOLOGY AT THE CROSS- , ROADS. 1 Under,the above title Dr J. Warschasser writes a strong letter to the Christian AVorld dissociating himself from the Itov. R. J. Campbell. In the course of that letter D.r Warschasser says:—"Tho doctrinal development of Mr Campbell himself has proceeded by leaps and bounds along lines which have only too fully justified those hostile predictions and criticisms against, which no ono defended Mr Campbell more staunchly during the days of the controversy than the present writer. These predictions and criticisms were, briefly, to the effect that Mr Campbell's teaching was tending in the direction of Pantheism; that in his view of sin he was going perilously near to Determinism; that, as ho was in, danger of parting with the personal conception of God, so ho was uncertain and unsatisfactory on the subject of personal immortality. With a regret far deeper than would ordinarily accompany a confession of having been mistaken, I have to admit today that it is the critics who wero right. 'The pity of it, lago, the pity of it!'" After quoting in proof of his position from two quite reccnt utterances of Mr Campbell's, one on "Tho Super-Personal God," and the other on "The Now Theology and Pantheism," Dr Warschasser concludes:—"But tho climax is reached in a passage which one can, hardly bring oneself to transcribe, but which yet must- bo quoted in order to mako it quite clear what the New Theology is being made to stand for nowadays: — For one thing there can be no escaping the conclusion that .Ho (i.e., God) is ultimately responsible for all tho % evil and suffering in the world. It is Ill's world, remember 1 Ho made it, and Ho is omnipotent. ... If creation does not please the Creator, why did Ho not make it better? If it has proved wayward and intractable, it can be no moro than Ho expected, or ought to have expected. Wherein consists His right to punish us for our transgressions? Suppose we challenge it, what will He say in defence? . . . How dare God punish sin if He Himself cannot sin? How dara Ho oven censure the p ; nner? And the escape from these supposed dilemmas is to be found by declaring our Hearenly Father to be ' but a name for the grand self-conscious totality of being'! Comment, on tliis terrible passage would bo to painful; it is sufficient to say that the nearest parallels to it .may be found in thp writings of Mr Robert Blatehford. But Mr Blatchford docs not say theic- things from a Christian pulpit.' This, then, i 6 the latest phase of what Mr Campbell calls "the New Theology as interpreted by myself," and what is at present regarded as tho official and authoritative version of the New Theology—a pithless Pantheism. Let those Now Theologians, if any, who may endorse those teachings come forward and say so; for my own part I utterly til udiate them as subversive of all th.-»understand by Christianity—l might go further and say, of all that X understand by religion. T-lio truth is that so far from Campbellism having any right, to tho ..name of Now Theology, the latter can survive only bypurging itself of the former: for the movement as such there is no other hope, ABOUT PEOPLE. Gipsy Smith has inaugurated his American evangelistic campaign with what promises to be the biggest religiout? movement Baltimore litis ever seen, The men's meeting at tho Lyric in the afternoon was attended by 5500 professional men, clerks, mechanics, factory hands, and labourers. At night the audience again thronged tho place, and every scat was taken. Ginsy and Mrs Smith arc both well. "J. B." (Rev. J. Brierley), whose new book "Sidelights on Religion," is just announced, appears to be popular in Sweden. Tho Stockholm publishers, Messrs Wahlstrom and Widstran-d, have just issued a translation pi i'Jhe Eternal Religion,"

miGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME;

This is the fourth of his works of which tliey have published translations; the others being " Studies of t.he Soul," "Ourselves and tho Universe," an<l "The' Common Life." Ho appears to be the only .Knglishman on their list, which Contains the name.; of Harnaek, Naumann, iloitsfi'l", and Delitzsch, , Commissioner Howard, (he foreign secretary of the Salvation Army, Jias just suffered the loss of bis youngest son, Captain Harry Howard, from cholera in Madras. Tho young man was <i particular favourite with iiis comrades, and was well known at the Army'e London headquarters, which ,ho left about two years ago for mission Work in India. Commissioner and Mr Howard have been.for many years in tho highest positions offered by the Anny, and their other three sous are all officers in its ranks. Now that J)r Fairtairii is on tho point of retiring, one of the most responsible, positions in Nonconformity will to vacant. It was in 1889 that Mansfield opened its deal's to receive' Free Church (students at Oxford, and since then its influence lias been continually growing. And the reputation which the college enjoys in Oxford and in the country is largely dus to the learning and industry of Dr Fairbairn. In some quarters there is a been desire that Dr Horfon 1;o naked lo become t.ho new principal. Should this come about Di Morten may be again as great, a power amongst the undergraduates of the university as he was amongst, the members of his own college in tho days when he was a follow and a lecturer of'the'foundation .which owes its being to William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. It is interesting to recall in this connection that the promoters of the movement lor tho establishment of a Congregational College at Oxford were much encouraged by a pamphlet, of Mi- It. IT. Ilorton, fellow of New College, on "Nonconformity in tho University of Oxford." Mr Horton held that the presence of a body of Freo Churchmen within the university would greatly benefit Oxford, and would tend to set'on fqot "a much-needed Irenieon." 'FROM ALL SOUBOES. Preaching on a recent Sunday night at Forres, Professor Cooper eaid -that six years agb ho had pleaded there for a United Reformed Church for- tho British Umpire. He was there once more with tho'' same hope and with new encouragements. Tho desire for unity had 1 grown in tljoso six years, and the past six .months had witnessed remarkable developments. ' A great 6top bad been taken towards Presbyterian reunion in Scotland by the reception accorded in the United Froa Church Assembly to the mojsage of peace from tho Church of Scotland. But the wider union was coming too. _ Ever since its inaguration under tho lateIvbv. Hugh Price Hughes, the authorities of the Wcslcyan West London Mission Have ma<k> & bold effort for &|ftjrcssivo organisation. With the demolition of St Jamcs_s Hall, which proved so formidablo a. platform, for the mission, it was thought by many that tho work would for a timo bo comparatively shadowed. • But soon after the removal of the mission to the licw headquarters ,in Great Queen street, die work showed signs of increased activity under ho Rev. ,T. K Rattenbury, and tho' latest .development is tho acquisition of tho Lvceum for the Sunday evening services. As .tho Lyceum is one of tho .largest auditoriums in Ixmdon, and the seating aecommodation about. 5000, Mr .Rattenbury's scheme is a huge one, and be'has t,ho prospcet of having what perhaps will be tho in T tba w °rld, ; should t- e tkatro bo filled. It is well supported, for although tho expense of music, p»nt Zn a £?™ 16mg ' ffill " 0t b ° lAot than £2000 a yea,t, .guarantees for considerbSt MCUrcd haV< ? . Changes modify oven the most dncient institutions, and this rule may soonZ exemplified in conneoticn with that time-r-T„". r r . custo, l n ,.'' ,CCOl ' tlin ? to which tho General Assemblies of tie Presbyterian bodies m Gotland have so long theld their meetings in the month of May. An alteration of the date is at last, after low rumour to that, effect, being seriously contemplated. A joint mooting of the Committees 011 Order of Arrangements of both the Established and Churches has considered tho wholo question, with the result tliixt a letter has been addressed to Presbyteries with the object of ascertaining whether in the general opinion it is desirable' that the Assemblies should meet at a later date 'than "at present, and whether, in that case, the first Tuesday or tho first Thursday in June would be preferable. CHURCH CONGRESS AT MANCHESTER. . Tho Church Congress held in Manchester ■, in IcBB left its impress upon Church life and work in general, and "in the Northern Liuceso in particular, which has not been effaced; it was in every way a- remarkable gathering, and Bishop Moorhouse, the admiral president, was known to characterise it as one of the greatest at which he had bsen present;, his lordship had cause 'to remember it, for half-way through its sittings his energy bad lost him iiis voice. But 20 yehrs have passed, and the Chureh Congress /of lEOti in Manchester in tfoptember last-,'- under the presidency of Dr Jlnox, who, during his short episcopacy of the Lancashire Sec, lias obtained a hold on -the affections of the people, for 'his active lead of Church peoplo in educational and 6ocial work and for the summercelebrated Blaokpool. mission. Bishop ICnox is an example of an Oxford don becoming a succcssfiil parish clergyman, first in rural parts and afterwards at Aston-juxta-Bir-mingham. It was in the latter place that ho showed his great powers in Church and other public work, and he afterwards became second (and last, so far) Suffragan Bishop of Coventry, serving 'successively under Dr Prcowno and Dr Gore. Manchester was his reward. Dr Knox has been twice married, his first wife having been a ! daughter of the late Dr Yalpy French, Bishop of Lahore, and his present wife a daughter of Canon Newton, vicar of Redditch. The Bishop of Manchester, as president of the Congress, delivered his opening address to a crowded audience in- the Free Trade Hall. He said they met in,times of national despondency! At such a timo and amidst a vast industrial population Christian consideration of every department of public life was especially important. Tho visit was opportune, for the diocese had jed the way in experiments for uniting tho interests of capital with those of labour. The Bishop spoko of the overwhelming anxiety caused bj* commercial depression. Ho had had many letters tolling of suicides, the result, it was said, of unemployment, Even our rulers were affected by the note of despondency. Did not that account for, tholack. of certainly or finality in our legislation? Which of our modern statesmen handled great economic problems witii the enthusiasm, the detiniteness of a. Bright or a Cobden? Which of .(hem had tho courage of a Robert IVI or a Gladstone, or the imagination ot a Beaconsfiold? Which of our novelists had the humanitarian ardour of Charles Dickens? The bnrdon of Empire crushed us, and wo shrank from its responsibilities. 1 The Cm'iicii's Dim. Having deserved the optimistic philanthropy of the last century ho said that tho unemployed were demanding, not philanthropy, but justice. He spoko of the hope entertained >by some when every one alike would have his daily measure of toil and adequate pay, and that the spirit of service would replace that of competition. But was this hope well founded, pathetic as it was? Natural equality was as impossible to -human beings as to animals, and human nature after all was the basis on which society was built. What was the Church's duty? She taught that the evils are symptoms ami the remedies suggested aro remedies for symptoms, but the disease itself is the point on which tlio strength of .the Christian attack must be primarily concentrated. The Church should feel moro its responsibilities as to civic life and try to mako it in well as in name' a Christian society and to inspire, it with hope, the only motive for self-sacrifice. The Bishop reviewed (ho religious revivals of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and spoke of the need of a mission to the wealthy and prosperous, for it was, he said, the curse of riches that they blur and altogether conceal tho heavenly vision. Dr Knox concluded by a striking peroration in which lie urged the younger . among his audience to do moro than their elders had done in leading God's people, if not into the land of promise, some etftg.es. Pfl the .wan " "'