News Items.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume VII, Issue 7, 1 April 1917, Page 80

News Items.

j Q-eneral Sir Wm.. Robertson (Lord Kitchener's successor), lately unveiled a Village Cross at Daldersby m Lincolnshire, presented by the Lincoln Inc. Chamber of Commerce to the Lincolnshire Tillage which sent to the front the largest percentage of its " eligibles."

An appeal has been issued by the Director of the Dominion Museum, Wellington, for "papers, portraits or other documents," worthy of preservation m the National collection of early New Zealand records. State papers, old diaries, letters, sketches, minute books —m fact almost any documents or historic memorials dating prior to 1870 will be gladly received, also letters written from the Front during this present War.

■» * ... # The Treasury gives several good stories of children, we cull two:— • A Bishop was questioning a class on the meaning of the Te JDeum. " Now what do we mean by the noble army of Martyrs? What are Martyrs ? " said he, to which a small child replied — " Those pinky -red things we have fried with bacon for breakfast." A Diocesan Inspector asked the children what they knew of Absolom. As they seemed rather stupid and slow he said, "Now children what was it that Absolom had so much of, more than other people?" No answer. Inspector (touching the scanty locks surrounding the bald patch on his head) — " Think ! he had a, great deal of something, of which I have very little." Children, promptly - " Brains, Sir!" # * #

One of the most prominent of Nonconformist University Professors, Dr. H. T. Andrews, Professor of New Testament Exegesis m New College and Hackney College, writing m the Expositor for November says, that St. Paul's doctrine on the Sacraments is what we call "Sacramental," and is very different from the Nonconformist view that they are mere symbols. "The evidence seems to me to be so clear on this point as to amount almost to demonstrative •proof . Now, if this be the case, what is to be our .attitude towards the situation winch

has been created for us by the new; and more scientific study of Paulinism " ? Dr. Andrews confesses that the Catholic doctrine is that of St. Paul and he casts it aside m favour of modern Nonconformity ! There ia,'however, a constant stream of ministers who have come to the same conclusion with regard to St. Paul, as Dr. Andrews, but preferring St. Paul and the Catholic Churc*h seek ordination at the hands of English bishops. Five such ministers were ordained at Advent last m two dioceses m England.

"Outlook."— The Church of England will never cease, to "protest" against the Koman supremacy and the errors of the Church of Borne as, well as the. errors of Presbyterianisiri, Methodism, and every other departure from the purity of the Faith and the unity of the Body. But the word "Protestant" is obviously as made: quate as the word ." Q-entile. " Each only emphasises what some one or something is riot, e.g., a G-entile is " not a Jew," but he may be a Turk or a Prussian, for all the positive information conveyed by the word. The Prayer Book emphasises frequently that the Church of England is Catholic. In the " Preface" at the commencement of the book you will read how the revisers refused to accept many proposed alterations "as secretly striking at some established doctrine of the Church of England, or indeed of the whole Catholic Church of Christ," implying the standard of doctrine by which they were guided. Those who attend matins and evensong, state during the Apostles' Creed, " I believe .... m the Holy Catholic Church"; also on certain days m the Athanasian Creed : " Whosoever will be saved : before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith. . . . And the Catholic faith is this. . . . This is the Catholic faith." Again, m praying for all conditions of men^ they say : V More especially . we pray for the good estate of the Catholic Church." And those, who attend the Holy Communion recite the Nicene Creed which says : "I believe m one Catholic and Apostolic Church." It is better to emphasise what we are rather than what we are not.— • Church Standard. '' ■ -•' # .:■# ■■ ; . ■#•:.■..■•■•',. ■ ■.■■•■

The Church must adapt itself to its new environlnent, if it is to exercise any real influence. 'in "the life of the

world to come" after the war. A new world is opening before us. What are we, as churchmen, going to make of it ? Big things are going to happen. Will we have the requisite wisdom and courage to use greatly the great opportunities which will present themselves when the work of destruction is over and the work of reconstruction begins? The Divine declaration, ''Behold, I make all things new," should put hope and courage into the hearts of timid churchmen, who are afraid of change, and cling with pathetic tenacity to the old things. Christ never intended that His Church should stand still. His will is that it should go on from strength to strength. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to enrich our vision. He has a new message for each new age. All things might be made new — new m the Divine sense — m a single generation if the nation would only follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and put the same amount of energy, determination and thought— the same driving power — into the work of building up the Kingdom of God as is being put into the task of winning the war. The Christian Church has the almighty power of God behind it, but it is afraid to use it. It is this faint-heartedness that has given a certain amount of plausibility to the charge that Christianity has failed. But Christianity has not failed. It has never been given anything like a fair trial. Every substitute has failed, and now is the time to give the law of Christ a chance to show what it can do for the world. Christianity is the most revolutionary and explosive force imaginable. If it were given free play it would soon make the world a better — marvellously better — place to live m. City slums would be swept away, wars would cease, class hatred would vanish, every man, woman and child would be given a good "chance of living a life really worth living. — Auckland Church Gazette