THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18465, 28 January 1922, Page 5

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME AN EVENING PRAYER N Give mo a quiet heart that I May know the joy of silent things; A spirit well attuned to feeL The peace that evening brings. When in tho west the white clouds molt And lose themselves in fiery, seas; And no sound stirs tho deepening hush Among the windless trees. When no bird breaks the gleepy spell That settles dose o’er hill and vale; No trout-ring frets the woodland pool. Nor stab of starlight pale. Dear God, whose Voice is still and small. Who lovest not the fret of days, Make me a spirit tuned to feel The overling’s silent praise 1 —The Quiver. PRAYER. Our loving Father, to whom all Thy children are dear, look .down in mercy upon all those who are out of the way ; we rejoice that they can never wander beyond Thy lov© and care. May Thy good spirit follow them, find them, and bring them home. Bless we beseech Thee, those amon" us who are in doubt and perplexity, ana who have not learned to bo sure of Thee. Send out Thy light- and Thy truth and bring us to Thy holy hill, and there, whore stands tho cross, bring peace to every troubled eouL We are weary and heavy laden and so wo come to Thee with hearts that long for rest. \Ve would learn of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, and take His yoke upon us. May the peace which passeth understanding enter into us, and so take possession of us that no pain or trouble snail ever touch our soul again. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. AN OVERDUE REVIVAL. DR JOWETT ON THIN SUBSTITUTES FOR THE GOSPEL Dr Jowett preached tho annual sermon of the Manchester Wesleyan Methodist Central Mission. His subject was the need of a new revival. Another evangelical "revival was more than overdue, and everyone was longing and praying for it. Ho was not a pessimist, nut he thought even an optimist might face facts. Ho thought that the spiritual life of the churches was rather tepid and somewhat lukewarm, and ho ventured to believe that some of the old aggressive fires wore turning rather low. They needed to recover a gospel which they believed was all-sufficient and all-efficient for the most exacting: demands of man’s fundamental needs. “Compared with, this gospel.’’ Dr Jowett continued, •' the modern substitutes are as the thinnest and most miserable ekilly compared with the rich, wholesome, nutritions bread. Christian Science! It first begins by denying my deepest necessity, and then it presents its specific. It first of all resolves sin into an illusion, and my Saviour vanishes like a dream. New Thought! I have read scores of volumes of it, and when yon come to its dynamics they consist of lifting yourself by your own coat collar. And as for Spiritualism, of which I speak with _ reverence—well, we are told that mystio highways have been discovered across the unknown waters and the communication is frequent and regular. All that I have got to say, after much reading, is this: that I am waiting for a vessel coming across these mystic waves that is not freighted with triviality and frivolity. I am looking for a vessel coming across those waters which shall be to mo an argosy of light and truth.” CHURCH UNION IN SOUTH AFRICA. .■BREAKDOWN oFnEGOTTATTONS. The Assembly of the Congregational Union of South Africa, held at Durban, October 6-12, will bo memorable as that at which, with absolute unanimity, the ministers and' delegates decided by standing vote, in sorrow and without discussion, to discontinue all negotiations with the Presbyterian Church for the proposed union 1 of the two bodies. The Clerk of the Presbyterian Assembly had forwarded the following resolution to the Congregational Union: — “That tho Assembly expresses sincere regret that certain members of tho Congregational" Union should have revived charges against this Church which have been carefully considered and decisively refuted on former occasions, but recognises that the existence of such feelings on the part of a section of the Congrogationalists renders it impracticable to proceed any further in the meanwhile with the project of union between tho churches.” In reply to this resolution the Rev. George Walker moved, and the Rev. J. H. Glover seconded, the following: “That the Congregational Assembly at Durban receives with profound regret tho decision of the General Assembly of tho Presbyterian Church in which it withdraws from tho negotiations on union. It is regrettable that such a decision should be based .upon information given to the convenor of tho Presbyterian section of the joint committee on union by certain members of the Congregational Union, such information being given at the request of the Presbyterian convener, and without tho authority of the Assembly. This Assembly concurs in the decision of _ tho Presbyterian Assembly in silence and with sorrow.” This is tho second time that the Presbyterian Church has made overtures for union, and also tho second time that if has withdrawn from tho negotiations. The Congregational Assembly felt that in the interests of progress the time had come to retire from the embarrassments of an unsatisfactory situation. THE NEW JERUSALEM. UNIVERSITY SCHEMES. Jerusalem, ns it will appear to tho next generation, tho Holy City as it is to-day, and as it was in tho days of Jewry’s greatness, formed the fascinating theme of a lecture given at King’s College, London, by Professor Patrick Geddes. Employing a contour model of the city and its environs to illustrate his observations, Professor Geddes explained tho conditions which governed tho creation, development, and future expansion of Jerusalem, his interesting comments upon its past liistory acting as a preface to the description of that ambitious scheme which aims at making it a great university centre. In the achievement of this ideal ho suggested that tho result of the yearly colonisation promoted by Sir Moses Montefiore would play an important part. Universities in other countries represented tho selection from tho community of a few hundred learned men, but at Jerusalem to-day one was faced by tho extraordinary social phenomenon that, f rart from the did Jews in the town, there wore Jewish groups representing r . 7 cities, from Bokhara to Moscow, London, and New Yo.rlc who had selected pious and learned men W read tho Hebrew classics in Jerusalem. _ Those old scholars represented a combination which promised freatly for tho future of what was filing to eoomo a university city. As to the planning of the now Jerusalem, the great ravine around the city would become a national park. To tho south, the city would even- • tually unite with Bethlehem, half a dozen miles away, and the heights to tho east and north would ho developed as garden villages. But the most interesting project would he the building of the new university, which would be twice the length of St. Paul’s Cathedral—a low building, rising to a single central dome, worked out on a hexagonal plan, which would represent the star of David. Instead of a black dome' of load or a green one of copper, it, was hoped that an aluminium aloy would bo obtained, which would give the university a dome of pearl. Looking still farther into tho future, Professor Geddes said ho believed it to be highly probable that this Jewish university would not remain alone, Tho Moslem and Christian worlds were reawakening to thciiA possibilities, and in time wo should see at Jerusalem one of tho most complex centres of higher learning among all the faiths that the world had ever seen. London and Oxford would then have to look to their laurels, NEWS ITEMS. The American Church in Berlin, long closed on account of tho war, has been reopened under roost favourable circumstances. Every seat was occupied at tho first service A considerable number of officials were present, and much interest was shown on the occasion. Did ever a President of tho United States lead in public prayer before the day wjion President Harding, beside tho bier of tho unknown soldier at Arlington, ended his funeral oration by reciting with deepest reverence “tho prayer our Lord taught u«” ? The Continent remembers no other such instance. And certainly in'years to coma this President's prayer on bo solemn an occasion will not be outside tho memory of Americans. It, gave a touch of sublime attestation to /his pledge, spoken just before, that this nation of ours shall evermore bo consecrated to such a brotherhood of manv—snch a universal reign of good will —as is inseparably connected in thought and ideal with the petition that the President repeated bo reverently—- “ Thy kingdom come.”-

Dear Sir,