The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-05-15 00:00:00

CARDINAL MANNING ON "FAITH."

In London, on Sunday evening, Cardinal Manning
preached a sermon at St. John's Church, Duncan-
terrace, Islington, on "Faith." The church was
densely crowded. His Eminence took for his text
the words, "Faith conwth by hearing, and hear-
ing by the word of Christ," from the 10th chapter
of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans 17th
verse. After adverting to a sermon which he had
preached on the preceding Sunday on the same
subject, the Cardinal said that they came that night
to the point, What was the object upon which
faith rested? St. Paul told them that faith cometh
by hearing; but the great majority of the people
of England told them that faith came by
reading the Bible. The Word of God was not all
written; the whole and perfect revelation of Chris-
tianity was never put into writing, and Christianity
whole and perfect was revealed before a letter of the
New Testament had been written. The whole world
believed in Christianity before the New Testament
existed. The Gospel of St. Matthew was written i
about the year 40 n the Hebrew, the Gospel of St.
Mark about 43, &c., and before the Gospels existed 70
years more than two generations had believed in.
Christianity. After cursorily alluding to the Free-
thinkers of Germany, his Eminence spoke in high
terms of the strong Christian spirit which was spread
throughout the length and breadth of England. Bi
the Reformation the New Testament had been muti-
lated, but the Roman Catholics still held by the Scrip-
tures in their fullness and integrity. Faith cometh by
hearing the word of Christ, therefore it had for its ob-
ject the truth of Christ.

CONGREGATIONAL TOTAL ABSTI-
NENCE ASSOCIA.TION._ _

On Monday evening, a public meeting of the Con-
gregational Total Abstinence AssOciation was held in
the City Temple, Holborn-viaduct, London, Mr.
Edward Baines in the chair. There was a large at-
tendance.
The chairman, in opening the proceedings, remarked
that the object of the Association was to allow the
congregational body to take their part with their fellow
-
countrymen and fellow-Christians against the most
terrible enemy which the country had ever known,
namely, intemperance. They. wished to call in the aid
of the most powerful of all principles—that of religion
—to enable them to conquer that treacherous and ter-
rible foe to everything which was good. He thought
that severer measures were necessary, and that there
were two sets of men, viz., ministers and medical men,
who could render material aid in the effort to promote
total abstinence.
The Rev. Mr. Bevan presented a brief report with
regard to the position of the society, after , which Mr.
Morley, M. P., was invited by the chairman to address
the meeting. In the course of his remarks he said he
had very great pleasure in offering in a few words his
testimony on the subject which had called them to-
gether. Now, their primary idea was to promote the.
self-action, the consecration, of individual effort in this
enterprise. He was increasingly convinced that they
would do more by example than by legislative action.
They might depend upon it that the day was very far
distant when they might hope to obtain from the
Legislature any very decided action on that subject.
They were generations away from the Permissive Bill,
and it was utter delusion to suppose that they had a
ghost of a chance of getting it. Members of Parlia-
ment greatly admired the devotion of Sir Wilfrid
Lawson, and honoured him excessively, for the fidelity
with which he maintained his ground. But he (the
speaker) ventured to say to him a few weeks ago,
"Your motion will come on a few weeks hence, and
you will make the usual excellent speech; you will be
beaten, and the whole thing will be at an end." He
was perfectly clear, however, that there was a feeling
of great dissatisfaction in the minds of members of
Parliament, and he hoped that some measure would be
put before the country to repress the greatest curse of
the present day.
The subsequeot speakersincluded the Revs. Newman
'I and H. S. Paterson.
CQi TROUBLISOWNIATInkittIeATIONaIvTI6/11044:
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