The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-10-31
CONVENTION HAS
COME TO CLOSE
Most Successful Ever Held by
Congregational Churches
in Utah.
SUNDAY-SCH00L REPORTS
ARE VERY ENCOURAGING
Before Adjournment, Officers
Are Elected for the En-
suing Year.

The twenty.sixth annual convention
of the Congregational association OF
Utah, the opening sessions OF which
were held Thursday at the First Congre-
gational church, was resumed a.
o clock Friday morning, and came to
a close with a well-attended devotional
service in the evening. From all stand
points 1t was the most successful and
helpful convention of the Congrcga-
tional churches in Utah, and the fu~
turc prospects of tho work of the church
as indicated by the various reports
which were read and adopted arc very
| promising.
The morning session opened with
brief devotional service, after which
the Rev n S. Elderkin and the Rev.
?. A, Simpkin gave some reports from
the International Council of me Con
gregational church, which was recent
| ly held at Edinburgh, Scotland. The
principal feature of the morning ses-
sion, however, was an address by the
Rev; W, j, Larkin on 'The Wn.k and
Mr.. Iarkin said that call to the MIN"
istry rust necessarily com, from God,
| aa3 that the minister's IS mission was TO
present to the world the SAVIOR; He
ctHt'nded that ministers s Qualiflca-
tion should consist in his having re.
|
Sunday Schools Report.
The reports from the Sunday schools
! of the state were read and adopted,
and the Rev. Samuel II. Goodwin made
an address on the condition Of the
| schools His remarks were Of much
interest and showed the Sabbath school
| work to be progressing at the present
| time as it has never before done in
the history of the state. After dis
II 49,,
of benevolences. the meeting adjourned
for luncheon, which was served BY the
ladies of the First Congregational
church.
The afternoon session opened with q
paper by the Rev, j. Challon Smith,
after which the business was attended
to. The Rev. Mr.. Smith s paper was
Criticism He said that modern criti-
cism is not modern thing, but is as
old as the men who made the present
cannon of the scriptures. It even went
back as far as the early Christians, he
declared. The speaker said that criti-
cism seeks to find what is the pure
word Of God in the scriptures.
Election Of Officers.
The principal business to come before
the convention was the election of Of
ficors FOR the ensuing year. Those
elected were as follows: Rev. W. e.
Vcazie moderator; Rev. P. A. Simpkin,
registrar; programme committee, Rev.
w. c. Veazie, Rev. P. A. Simpkin. Rev.
S. Fl. Goodwin and Rev. Elmer I. Co
sshegg; committee on resolutions. Rev;
\. s. Elderkin, Rev P. A. Simpkin and
G. II. Norton; educational committee.
Rev. S. II. Goodwin. Edward Merrill
and Professor Goodale. o. A. Parma
lee Of Ogden was elected representa-
tive to the home mission convention
for three years. and the Rev. Elmer
I. Goshen. pastor of the First Congre-
gational church, was elected represen-
tatiye to the A. B. c. F. NJ. for five
years. 1t was decided to hold the next
annual conference at the Phillips Con-
gregational church.
Rev. MIR. Simpkin's s Address.
The closing session of the conference
was the most largely attended. It
opened with song service, after which
the Rev. P. "A. Simpkin presented a
timely and practical address on "Faith
Simpkin said:
Despite the fact that faith and doc
trine have been assailed. and In some
quarters discredited, the fact remains that
faith was never so widespread as to-
day.
It is not the purpose of this address to
touch upon the wider phase of faith
though the temptation to do so is great,
repressed here and there persists TO
flower in even grotcsque and fantastic cx-
pressions. Man was made for faith, as
lie was made for God.
The voices one hears today, making In
sistcnce on the value and place of faith
in all rational human life. those OF
earth's greatest lives, Its most cultured |
souls. The marvel is that these leaders
of thought call for no limiting of the |
faith faculty to the bounds of that which
the brain may comprehend. 1t is a call
n he hn
comes. to see how life Is crowded to the
doors with the miracles of that God who
expressed himself in perfectness OF meth
cd and degree by Jesus Christ Of Naza-
reth.
He. whose faith links us together, is a
miracle Infinitely greater than any Of
seems to be to many as was his person.
ality to the Jews OF old. stumbling
block. and to tho followers OF the mod
those OF the Hellenic days-foolishnoss
For the hour however, the phase OF
the faith that is presented Is the one that
emphasized as the vital agency. on mans |
side. OF his regeneration.
Message Of Religion
All other phases OF the faith problem
are relative. The absolute lies here.
Whatever message the Christian religion
influence is to move in society to bring |
down out of heaven the new city of God
In the reshaping or social Impulse and |
ideal. beyond all manifestation OF better
mcnt-here is the prime purpose OF God |
to savo man. to make him new crea-
ture in Christ. by his renewed life to re- |
alize the kingdom. |
The speaker then went on to discuss i
the forces of evil and good that are |
ut work in the universe, and showed |
the purpose and plan Of God as the |
spending Of himself in a saving, uplift-
ing and redeeming forco that makes
possible mans salvation.
Faith he defined as that which not !
simply accepts historic fact, doctrine or
creed, but that which moves in the |
will Of man sweeping life into sur.
render to the saving power of God in
his Christ.
Doctrine, as thnt which is tho human
effort to explain tho great experience
Of regeneration, can be at best only
secondary and illuminating.
It's purpose is ono Of appeal and help
, TO men. who. in the bonds of evil, feel