THE REV. R. J. CAMPBELL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14382, 27 November 1908, Page 3

THE REV. R. J. CAMPBELL.

TO Tit?, EDITOR. Sir,—ln yours of the 21et inst., on page 4, you insert part of a letter written by Dr Warschas-ser to the London Christian World concerning the Rev. R. J, Campbell, and in it is a quotation from one of Mr Campbell's sermons, which quotation musthave given pain to many. . In that Mr Campbell appears to deny a personal God and to speak also with unpardonable irreverence. Now, whatovor Mr Campbell be, one felt sure be .was not so pitifully _ behind the times as to deny the personality of the Supreme Being",, for tho scientist will .hold the preacher to that great fact. And as to the irreverence! Woll, the City Temple people (and amongst tiieni are some of the most thoughtful and respected of London's citizens) would not long tolerate that. On the other hand, Dr Watsehasser has been, and is, held in hi»h repute. " iim 88 ' - we ' lavo *° s "y with Ihe doctor: the pity of it, Jago; the pity of it." Knt our pity is for the doctor, not Mr Campbell, for (ho former Has stooped down t fio low that .ho has cut out the damning sentence from Us setting, and made'Mr Campbell say tho very thing against which h'is whole sermon was a protest. He was picturing the conception of God as held in the sixfceenth century—a, God of. human passion, angAV, and hato—revengeful, cruel: and ho said : "There is no'need to think r n <-i^V* a 1,0 *» f beseeoh you think of God any more as a. personal being like yourself though jjreater, seated on a <la,,zlmg throne somewhere beyond human Ken, dealing out laws and judgments for yon to obey, he is infinitely morn than personal, although Ho minis up within Himself all you have over loved and reverenced in that word. Ha is (he ground of your own being. The reality of all realities, the soul of all good. He is the compassion that succours human agony and the heart that suffers for it. lie is in that which hurts m the sinner when he falls, and in the Saviour when he stoops to savo, for there is none else. If I ascend inlo heaven Ihou are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art i hero." , Can there be greater insistence upon the porsoh of (iod? Note the reiteration of that word "He"! Paul was humble enough Io say he felt the great "mystery of ryodlinoss, Rod seen in the flesh." Today we have too man}* who see no mystery: they know all the meaning of that sublime lifo and work. Perhaps it is vain to ask them io spare a little of their time to listen Io Moses: "Thou shalt not bear false witness." Bernard Shaw has just declared : 'Mr Campbell litis made me believe in Christ."—l am, etc., J. Hervet. Congregation;}! Manse, Gore. Novcnil>er 24.