Welsh Journals

have been generally conceded by most, if not all of them e.g. The importance of a personal experience of Religion, which is at the root of the Baptists' insistence upon adult baptism the Calvinistic Methodists belief in the sovereignty of God the Wesleyans' Free Grace: the Congre- gationalists witness to the equal rights and privileges of all believers: the Pres- byterians need for order, and regard for the whole body: the Anglicans insistence upon the Church's historic continuity these are by now the common property of all denominations. (3.) Other portions of denominational credenda have receded from the position of essential importance, which they once occupied. Questions which formerly were the cause of bitter sectarian warfare, have silently passed into oblivion. The occas- ional and lonely survivors of bygone ages, who still linger on, sheltered in the caves of prejudice and ignorance, would find it impossible to kindle any denominational zeal on their behalf. Other matters have taken a place of secondary importance and are clearly on the way to become obsolete. The denominational requirements of many ancient trust deeds are allowed to slumber in dusty and undisturbed repose. And there they will remain, for their sleep is the long sleep of death. (4.) The immensity and complexity of foreign mission work has made a recon- sideration of home work obligatory. The Edinburgh World Missionary Conference of 1910 was an event of immeasurable significance and far reaching consequence. The ever recurring note there, was the need for unity e.g. Mr. Cheng Ching- Yi speaking for China said, The Chris- tian federation movement occupies a chief place in the hearts of our leading Chris- tian men in China. Speaking plainly we hope to see in the near future a United Christian Church without any denomina- tional distinctions. From the Chinese standpoint there is nothing impossible about such a union. Such difficulties as may be experienced will be due to our Western friends and not ourselves." This is but one expression from many of the desire for reunion which dominated the whole conference, and which absorbed every other interest. The prophecy attributed to Bishop Westcott that reunion-when it comes, will come from the circumference rather than from the centre-seems in a fair way to be justified. Joint action is inevitable if the forces of Christianity are to be efficiently used. The saving armies of Christendom will conquer only if directed by a common strategy. The field is the world," and isolated and piece- meal efforts will not serve to realise the world-will of Christ. Those engaged in Missionary work, have felt this, as witness the Kikuyu Conference, which we are told by Dr. Lancaster, the Lay Secretary of the Church Missionary Society, was only one of a great number of similar Conferences. There had been between 20 and 30 of of them in a year. This tendency is too wide-spread to be stayed, and is bound to react on home conditions in Wales as elsewhere. (5.) There is an ever increasing consciousness of our inefficiency in dealing with home work. The competitive methods of denominationalism are already a failure. They are wasteful in the extreme, and produce results that are far from commen- surate with the work and money spent. In the older towns and villages, where popu- lation has decreased or remained stationary, mistaken and pathetic denominational zeal struggles to sustain places of worship once thriving, now sparsely attended. Half a dozen churches minister to the religious needs of a number of people who could be