SUNDAY READING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2574, 7 August 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

MEDITATION. How strange and unnatural it seems to stand by a Marconi wireless receiver and see it draw messages out of space; and then by means of the transmitter to send messages for many miles, and receive a reply at once, though you know that there are houses and hills and forests and a broad expanse- of water intervening between you and tho one with whom you are in communication. iSuch a thing would be most incredulous to one unacquainted with the discovery, or to one not previously prepared by his faith in the possibilities of science to accomplish mysterious and almost unthinkable results.

This is like the incredulity of those who have not a spiritually enlightened eye to see God, and a quickened ear to hear Him. That Jesus was in communion with One whom He called the Father, and from that unseen source Ho actually drew energy to meet the needs of life, was beyond the comprehension of tlie people who thronged Him. He seemed to be a man like themselves. How then could He draw on hidden powers more than they? To them there was but one known way of access to .God, and that by the temple sacrifice, the visible and tangible spiritual wire connecting earth and heaven. But here was one who persisted in claiming that He was in communion with God without any such intervening agencies.

It was no less an astonishing thing that a woman could so touch the hem of Christ’s garment, that her diseased and crippled body should .be made to thrill with life and health, because of the virtue received from Hip. By her faith she was brought spiritually into, tune with Christ, so that His energy became hers, supplying all her need. Such is the law of spiritual life in every age, There were many widows in the days of Elijah, but to only one -Yd the pnfailing -supply of need come, because elm was the only ono whose faith brought U er 60 into harmony with God that. His adpndanco could find response in her neecf.

gone mad with pleasure. It seems to me that prevalent defect of England’s life ig per forgetfulness of God.”- said the Rev. Chas. Ili-own, a leading preacher and ex-pre-sident of the Free- Church Council in England, at tho last great meetings of the Evangelical Alliance in London. “There are various indications in our national life that seem to show that we aro in danger of falling in the wake of the old civilisations, that wo are giving way to pleasure, luxury, and neglect of religion. It does not matter how depressed our commerce is, there is the same crowd at the publ'c-liouse, the same queue lined up outside theatres and music-halls. Tho people have money enough for these things. There is snort everywhere. The things that prosper to-day are drinking-shops, golf chibs, football clubs, theatres, n usichalls, dances, bridge, and billiards. The nation seems to have gone fairly mad on pleasure. There is an enormous lack of moral earnestness and a neglect to take things .seriously. Notice also our departure from the simplicity of l;v----imr. Self-indulgence and extravagance reign everywhere.”

THE BIBLE THROWN OVERBOARD

“Then, I suppose” (continued Mr Brown) “that not more than one-third of the population of this city has anything like a connection with organised religion. Everywhere there is Sunday pleasure—Sunday concerts, Sunday golf. Sunday football. 1 Ir.nk of tlie Church. We are not an army marching to victory. We are not keeping pace with the population in our groat centres. We are Ritualistic on the one hand, and Rationalistic on the other; and the extremes meet in this —that the authority of the Bible is absolutely thrown overboard. We have in many cases a church membership ignorant of tlie Bible. Do you wonder that- the sense .of sin has almost gone out of men’s hearts? Before we can do anything, we must begin with ourselves. Are we not losing the power of moral indignation? The Church ought to he able"'to denounce those appalling evils of gambling, drink, lust, and to denounce- them in every class of society without fear. Wo are in danger, too. of becoming a prayerless people. ‘I cannot get my members to a prayermeeting,’ said a- minister of onq of our largest churches. That is the trouble in many, many instances. Every minister ought to summon his people to prayer and conference on the presentcritical state of our nation and the Church of Christ.”

'FICTION TO BE DEPLORED

A recent number of the British Weekly contains 1 a review of one of the latest books of Air H. G. Wells. Commenting on the review the Auckland Christian 'Worker says:—“Although wo have seen a multitude of references to the work of Mr. Wells, we have not-read any of liis volumes. The vein he especially effects has no ! attraction for us. We were amazed to find that in the book under criticism he grossly .caricatures evangelical i religion and mockingly quotes from one jof its .best known hymns. The hero of I the story is a liar and debauchee of the ! vilest type. When the lecherous animal is lying a-dving, ho is visited by odious creature supposed to be a Chris- ! tian minister who unctuously tells him that he must 'Only believe!’ I Throughout the volume this gentleman j of swinish- proclivities gives nttorance ! to sentiments to which, it is to he hoped : Mr. 'Webs will uot stand godfather • The effect of the book is deplorable, yet I who is to say that a book by H. G. Wells shall not be stocked by any bookseller?” j In the correspondence ensuing upon , the appearance of the criticism, a writer, evidently well informed, sounds a grave note of warning. He says the .primary fact in much of tho fiction of tho day is hatred of the Christian religion, and that hatred is properly des- ’ eribed as a hatred of chastity. Tho big | fight in the near future for the Christian Church will not be over new theologies, but over social purity and the sanctity,of marriage. There arc groups of persons who arrogate to themselves the" title of ‘‘The Intellectuals,” whose j morals are those of the 'beasts of the field. Their intention is to shatter the Christian law of marriage, and their practices agree with their professed principles. Last year’s “Transactions” of a company of these ..Intellectuals were placed in the hands of an elderly medij cal man for' criticism. He said that, necessarilyin the course of a long life, he had become acquainted with much and deep depravity, but he had never before' heard of such loathsome doings , as thesfe documents revealed.