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THE CHRISTIAN WALK.
The expression used as the heading of this
article is a favorite one in Scripture ? "Walk
worthy of the vocation," says Paul to the
Ephesian Christians. Then the question arises,
"How is the Christian to walk?'' The idea
is a true one. "When we walk we have some
purpose in mind; we are seeking to arrive at
some desired place. It is slow, yet constant.
This is certainly appropriate to the Christian
life. It is not a series of spurts and stoppages.
It is a steady progress, and it has as its goal
the full-grown man in Christ Jesus.
Occasionally we mount up on wings as
eagles; more often we run, but the common
lot of the Christian is to walk. IIow appro
priate the promise that "tltey that wait upon
the Lord shall (occasionally) mount up on
wings as eagles; shall more often run and not
be weary, but they shall walk and not become
discouraged." Our progress walking senilis so
slow, t hat discouragement is almost sure to
follow.
But how shall the Christian walk? He is
to walk circumspectly. He is to be looking
out for the difficulties and temptations of life.
The Christian should keep his eyes open. There
is no guidance, nor help, promised to the care
less and sleeping Christian. Most temptations
are minute at first. Their significance is over
looked in our boasted confidence. It is the lit
tle foxes that spoil the vines. A great trial
we can stand, yet trip over a rolling stone we
did not notice in our path.
We are to walk wisely. Wisdom is the use
of the best means to accomplish the best ends.
Of course, this is "the spirit of wisdom"
promised to all who put their trust in God.
"He giveth wisdom to the simple." "If any
man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giv
eth to all men liberally and upbraideth not."
One of the best experiences of wisdom is in
redeeming our time. Literally, "buying it up"
in anticipation of a time of scarcity.
Dr. William Brown, the owner and editor of
the Central Presbyterian, told the writer that
he anticipated the time of old age when he
could not read, and stored his memory with
passages of Scripture and the classic poets;
so that when blindness came upon him, h<? spent
his time repeating the Hible which he knew
almost by heart. He was buying up the oppor
tunity. The Christian should be spiritually
forethoughted.
The Christian should walk joyously under
the exhilaration of the Spirit. It seems a long
way down to compare the effect of the Spirit
with the effect of wine. Yet the apostle does
60 boldly: "be not drunken with wine wherein
is riot, but be filled and controlled and exhil
arated by the sober Spirit." The element of
hilarious joy does enter into the Christian life
so that he is even to give hilariously. The
Spirit of God brings the most exciting and
uplifting joy. Would we had more of it and
more expression of it in our Churches.
We are to walk in happy fellowship with
one another. The Christian coidd not walk
alone if he wished. There is no tie so strong
and so blessed as the tie of Christian life. The
fellowship of kindred saints is stronger than
any other. And this fellowship is expressed
in speech. The reserve of the average Chris
tian towards his fellow-Christ ian is painful and
anti-Scriptural.
Then the Christian is to walk in a thankful
frame of mind toward God. And he is to say
so. He should give thankH for all things al
ways. Sorrow and distress and the pinch of
poverty, or the spurt of pain : all may redound
to the glory of God.
What a walk is this. Arc we walking with
(Jod? Then as was said of Enoch,
"He climbed Love's ladder so high
From the round at the top he stepped to the
sky."
A. A. L.
Contributed
ANNUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE ENGLISH
FREE CHURCH COUNCIL.
By Rev. J. Crich ton-Jack.
The twenty-seventh annual assembly of the
National Free Church Council was held during
the second week of March in Liverpool.
About 1,000 delegates from all parts of Great
Britain were attending the meetings. At their
first meeting, the Lord Mayor and Lady May
oress gave the members a very hearty welcome
to the city of Liverpool. The Rev. R. C. Gillies
(Presbyterian), who has had an active year
as president and become quite popular, handed
over the duties and position of the office to
Rev. S. Chadwiek, his chosen successor. Mr.
Chad wick is an ex-president of the Wesleyan
Conference, and is well known as a theologi
cal tutor, but better still, perhaps, as an ener
getic and successful missioner, particularly in
Yorkshire and the North of England, as a pas
tor noted for his strong insistence upon the
evangelical note in preaching and Church en
terprise. It is fitting that he should come to
the presidency at an assembly which will be
devoted largely to the subject of personal
evangelism, and as a result of the special ef
forts that were made a considerable revival of
Free Church life has been manifested.
I
The Aim of This Assembly.
According to a statement made by the Rev.
Thomas Nightingale, the General Secretary,
the great aim of this year's Assembly is to
rehabilitate the Church and bring it back to
its former glory. The Church buildings are
for the most part half empty, and in the cyni
cal world outside there is a scorning of moral
values. Therefore the whole strength of the
National Free Church Council is being di
rected towards the personal evangelism cam
paign. We can only suggest plans of action
and strengthen the weak places. The real
work must be done in the churches. Our first
duty as a Council, therefore, will be to instruct
and quicken in every way we can the eon
sciences of Free Church members.
The Bishop of Liverpool.
The most significant incident in Tuesday's
session was the exchange of greetings between
the venerable Bishop of Liverpool (Dr.
Chavasse) and the newly elected President.
The Lambeth appeal may not have brought
forth the response that some zealous members
of the Church of England had hoped for, but
there is no cause for disappointment. Those
who listened to the speeches of the Bishop and
the President, and were sensitive enough to
feel the spirit of the occasion, must have been
persuaded that the hearts of men in the church
es are more and more filled with the desire for
closer union, and cherish the hope of ultimate
unity. The difficulty, of course, is to frame
articles of incorporation to which all could as
sent. The time when this can be done has not
yet arrived, though the Bishop expressed the
belief that the younger men may see it. In
the meantime Anglicans anil Free Churchmen
are content to stand by their separate witness.
"Wo have a great heritage," said Mr. Chad
wick. "The Iloly Spirit did not allow us to
set up this separate witness and organization
without purpose and reason, and we are not
prepared to say that our fathers were mis
taken. But we are prepared to admit that
times change and conditions alter."
Many of the delegates felt at the close of
the session that the warning against hurry was
wise. The formulae of a visible union will be
worked out in the course of time. Meanwhile,
as several delegates expressed it afterwards,
something like the essential unity of heart and
aspirations has been achieved.
The President's address on "The Call of
the Kingdom and the Response of the Church
es" was listened to with eager attention by
the large Assembly. It has become the fashion,
he said, to disparage the Church and despise
evangelism. The Church itself is largely to
blame. It has given itself to self-criticism and
depreciation of its own vocation, and has
sought other methods than those of the .evan
gelist. The failure and foibles of the Church
have been advertised by its own people. It is
right that we should confess our sins, but it is
110 part of penitence and it is a poor kind of
allegiance to vilify our own cause. There is
more than one gentleman with a duster kick
ing up a dust, and there is generally more dus
ter than gentleman. No sensible person re
sents criticism, but a nagging spirit who can
bear.
Admitting that evangelism was not the
whole work of the Church, he asserted that it
was the beginning, without which the rest
availed nothing. There must be converts be
fore there can be saints, workers or witnesses.
The evangelistic motive must be dominant and
pervasive. Every part of church organization
must keep in view the supreme end of mak
ing the Church an efficient and effective instru
ment of evangelism. In his view the mentality
of the times was favorable to the evangelistic
appeal. We have passed through a mental
revolution of which many are still unaware.
The tyranny of half a century of materialism
and rationalism is broken. Personality is the
key to modern thinking. Spirit has been dis
covered to be the explanation of the universe,
and the consciousness of the soul to be as re
liable as the demonstration of reason.
The President, in warmly acknowledging the
Bishop's message of catholicity and Christian
brotherhood, offered in return an esteem, an
affection, a devotion equal to what he had
brought to them. "We have never," he said,
"been difficult to approach. We have always
been open to any access of kindliness and to
any invitation to co-operation. There may be
many difficulties in the present and in the
future, but we shall have the great hope that
oi<V Lord's prayer will be answered in such a
measure as to demonstrate to the world the
visible unity of all who love Him.
"We believe that God is drawing men's
hearts together and is opening the eyes of men
to the urgent needs of the times in which we
live, and compelling them from a sense of loy
alty to our Lord to stand together and strive
together for the faith and the coming of the
kingdom. We are thankful for the opportuni
ties of getting to know each other. We have
a common Master, a common hope of heaven,
a common object of discipleship, a common in
heritanee in Christ's kingdom, and a common
hope for our country. It is out of no* mere