THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20484, 11 August 1928, Page 5

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME. THE GOLDEN CORD. In Christ there is no east or west, In Him no south or north. But one great fellowship of love Throughout the whole wide earth. In Him shall true hearts everywhere Their high communion find; His service is the golden cord. Close-binding all mankind. Join hands, thep, brothers of the faith, Whate’er your race may be; Who serves my Father as a son Is surely kin to me. In Christ now meet both east and west, In Him meet south and north; All Christly souls are one in Him Throughout the whole wide earth. —John Oxenham. [This hymn was sung at the International Missionary Conference at Jerusalem.] PRAYER. Most gracious Lord, Who hast so loved the world that Thou gavest Thyself to redeem it, and humbly tookest upon Thee our nature, that Thou mightest suffer as man for the sins of men, and in it familiarly teach us the truth of Thy salvation; and mightest invincibly also fortify us against all persecutions, and efficaciously draw us after Thee into Thine own kingdom, by Thy holy life and precious death, and glorious resurrection; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may so meditate on these Thy infinite mercies, and do Thou so fill our souls with the memory of this wonderful love, as we may live in Thy obedience, die in Thy favour, and rise again to rejoice with Thee for ever in Thy glory, Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost hvest and reigneet, God and King, world without end. Amen. A CONGREGATIONAL PILGRIMAGE. Liverpool landing stage was crowded on June 2 to witness the departure of over 1200 Congregationahsts who were setting out on board the White Star liner Celtic to visit the homes and haunts of the Pilgrim Fathers in America. The Celtic, a stately vessel of 21,000 tons, specially chartered and renamed (for the occasion) “ The Twentieth Century Mayflower,” suggested a striking contrast to the original Mayflower—a cockle shell of a ship of 180 tons—in which the Pilgrim Fathers crossed the Atlantic 308 years ago in search of religious freedom. As the great liner, gaily festooned with bunting, moved out into the river the strains o r“ God Be With You Till We Meet Again” rose from the assembled throng on the landing stage, followed by rousing cheers, waving of flags, and a choius ot hearty “Good-byes.’ But the Pilgums, although quite a festive and exuberant company, are bent on something more than a mere summer excursion. Tncir pilgrimage to the spots hallowed by the memories and associations oftbcMayflower pioneers of religious liberty will itself have inspirational value, but in the main it represents what has been described as « a great adventure in friendship," and will be, as Dr Sidney Berry has" said, “not to places filled with memories of the past, but to living hearts and hands who in co-operation with is and with other people will help to build a brighter and lairer future. The 5 idea, when first conceived by the Rev. A. G. Sleep and Dr Berry, was to promote im»r-Congrcgatloual friendship; but the project was so eagerly taken up that it has developed into a great gestuie of friendship between the two countries Generous preparations have been made toi ihe hospitable' entertainment of the visitors on the other ride of the Atlantic, ana r-mong the resolutions passed with unanimity and enthusiasm at a meeting ot ministers and laymen in New Tork was cite declaring: “That we share with ou British brethren then expressed hope tha this pilgrimage will not only aer/c to develop larger acquaintance and intimacy between the followers of our common faith and order in cur two countries, but wi 1 also be instrumental in cementing friendship oetween our peoples and deepening their affection. This hope commands our rrofoundest sympathy and to its realisation we pledge our whole-hearted co-oncra-tL°Shortly before the vessel sailed a telegram was received from the King, acknowledging a message of loyal greetings ou his birthday and expressing the hope that they would have a happy.voyage and a successful visit to the United Mates. Sir vYilliam Joynson-Hicks, the Home beevotary,. telegraphed:—“ I cannot tell you how important I think your great nlgrimage of Congregationahsts to America is at the present time. The idea ot international peace is more than ia the air , it looks like becoming an accomplished tact. But to bo permanent it must be tounden on a union of the churches as well as ot the politicians. Your members are in a position to assure the Congregational Churches in America how fully we look forward to closer union and hapny friendship with America in years to come. WOMAN'S SPHERE IN THE CHURCH IN CANADA. The United Church of Canada has boon brought face to face with many questions of doctrine and polity and other adjustments, which Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationahsts have formerly faced alone and have settled differently. Among the truly big questions is the religious sphere for woman. In those three churches, the Presbyterian has been the most conservative. Her attitude toward woman’s public works has been kindly. but she does not believe in their holding the office of minister, elder, or deacon She bases this belief on proof-texts in thcBible. So the United Church has decided to postpone any step toward the ordination of women to “ the ministry of the Word and Sacraments.” It is recoin mended, however that the ordei of deacon be open to women and that this order b>* held as the first induction into the ministiy, which would permit women to teach, preach, and, when necessary, to baptise. What, perhaps, is more perplexing to the United States is the place to be taken by women in the local church. Only a very small nu. -her of women feel called to offer themselves for public teaching aal preaching, but many are so gifted and spiritual as to be regarded by their locu. churches as eminently fitted for loca. offices. “THE SON OF MAN.” Herr Ludwig, the German writer, has just given us a new “ life ” of Christ. It appeared serially in a London daily paper and attracted much attention. As a piece of journalism it is, of course, brilliant, but as a serious study of our Lord it is hopeless. It is another of the " naturalistic ” interpretations which have followed each other frequently of late, and it is as misleading and unbalanced as the rest of them. Letters approving of this new attempt to interpret Jesus on natural lines were inserted in the journal. Herr Ludwig ends his story by a complete misrepresentation of fact when he says that our Lord’s last word on the Cross was one of despair. Why did he suppress the witness of the Gospels which put into our Lord’s mouth as His last word a cry of triumph? It looks very much as if this Jewish writer had an axe of his own to grind. Dr Reaveley Glover, in reviewing Herr Ludwig’s book, gives it a severe handling. The PublicOrator of Cambridge University, who is a professor of history, gives a long list of Ludwig’s historical errors, and he ends by describing the book ns “Kincma Stuff.” It is a just but damming piece of criticism to come from one of the most disdinguished historians in the world. A SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF JONAH AND THE WHALE. The story of Jona.li as recorded in (he book which bears his name, and is confirmed by the Teacher of all teachers, has been a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence and the cause of much mirth also in many brilliant circles. Now a scientist comes forward in the person of Dr Ambrose John Wilson, ot Queen’s College. Oxford, who, in the Princeton Theological Review, declares that the physiological problems do not necessarily place the story in the region of myth. Speaking of the dimensions of great son monsters, the writer says; “It will not therefore be considered exorbitant if we postulate for Jonah a whale 00ft long, with a mouth 20ft in lcngth, also 13ft in height and Oft in width.” Then he quotes from the manager of a whaling station in the north of Britain, that the largest thing that they had found in a whale was the skele-

ton of a shark IGft long.' Dr Wilson asserts that there have been two clear records of men swallowed by great sea monsters who have been vomited up and survived. He adds the testimony of Sir Francis Fox. who in 1891 tells of a man swallowed by a whale, and not rescued till the whaling crew cut up the great fish and released the captive, who was violently insane from his tortuous experience. but later recovered his normal mental poise. The Bible docs not assume that donah's experience was miraculous, hut that it was unusual and was under the special providential hand of God.