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I ARVON MONTHLY MEETING.

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I ARVON MONTHLY MEETING. SUNDAY OBSERVANCE AND THE DESECRATION OF THE SANCTUARY. OUTSPOKEN DISCUSSION. The Monthly Meeting of the Arvcu -.Calviuietlo Methodists wp-s held on Monday, at Bryumena:, Portdinorwie, under the pre- j sidency of the Rev R. W. Hughes, Park t Hill, Bangor. THE NEXT MEETING. It was decided that the next meeting ( should be held at Baladeulyn on May 17 and 18. GOD'S WORD. Mr Robert Thorn a; Brynaerau, opened an interesting discussion on the "Things of Goo-His Word, Day, and Sanctuary." In the course of his remarks, the speaker asked whether the Word of God received the place and attention which it should in Wales to- day. He was afraid that it did not. He, therefore, appealed that the Word of God should receive much more attention on the hearth. The best Sunday School teachers were the godly fathers and mothers of our land. But there was a great tendency anion get the parents of the age to place the responsibility of teaching the children on the shoulders of the teachers of the elementary schools, and he feared that many of the parents would be held responsible for the neglect of their spiritual education. With regard to the "Day of God," he said that man needed the Sabboth Day physically, mentally, and spiritually, and there was never such a great call for observing the Sabbath Day as to-day, when there was so much anxiety and bustling rising from com- petition in business. It was necessary to observe the Sunday as the first day of the week, and not as to many people look upon it, as the last day, and look upon it as a. day for pleasure and leisure. One of the things that should cause the greatest trouble; and anxiety to Great Britain to-day was its increasing tendency to ignore the Sunday. If things continued in this respect for a number of years, it was difficult to predict the fate of the 'kingdom. What had been the history of France? Britain was certainly much more in danger from its. shameless desecration of the Sabboth than from the threats of the German Dreadnoughts (laugh- ter and hear, hear). The disrespect shown in England towards the observance of the Sabboth showed a moral weakness, and this was seen to a too large extent in Wales to- day. What was to be done in the face of this? Their children should be educated, and influenced in this direction. But this should not be done so as to cause the child to detest the Sabboth by expecting him to do everything that were against his ten- dencies. Speaking as to the Sanctuary of God, he dwelt upon the various forms of worship, and remarked that whatever might be said about the unreasonableness of their present chapel debts, much was to be said about making the House of God a beautiful, house in every district. They as a con- nexion were in the habit of erecting chapels z, for a generation or two as though they claimed that they should not exist longer than that. But he contended that the Non- conformists of Wales should raise its head and erect buildings that would bear com parison with any cathedral in the laid- (laughter).-where memories could be raided to noted Nonconformists so that it would be an inspiration to the age to come. How- ever, the extreme liberty which some chil- dren were too fond of taking in the House of God amply proved that things were not f as thev should be. He asked whether the lack of devotion which was so frequently, deplored was not the .direct result of holding 1 questionable meetings in the chapels. It • wa<s a sad defect amongst them, and it was f difficult to know how to remedy it. They I should not be satisfied without doing every- thing possible in order to prevent any meet- ing being held in the chapel except that which had the direct object of bringing men and women in contact with God (cheers). MONEY WASTED. Mr Edward Jones, Bryn'rodyn, continued the discussion, and agreed with the opener I that the holding oi questionable meetings, such as literary societies, &c., in chapels, was greatly to be deplored. He also com- plained cf the excessive decorations and or- namentations of some of their chapels, and said that hundreds of pounds were wasted in this direction upon chapels for absolutely no uee whatever. j Mr Jchn Jones, Glanadda, appealed to; the ministers that they should preach from the pulpit upon these matters oftener. The Rev W. Wynn Davies, Bangor, re- marked that it was the custom of some people to come to chapels only once on a Sunday, and he would call them as Glad- stone did, "Oncers," and he wished to pro- test against those people, and he urged them to be faithful to the Sanctuary of God (hear, hear). J Mr W.. Richards (Bangor) said that it was II rather doubtful whether the laxity on the part oi Church members was due to the; cause mentioned by the previous speakers. I He thought that the fault lay with the fact that there was a doubt in their own minds I as to the things of God. If they were to be ¡ stronger on these points, then they would prove a stronger and greater power in the country, and would not apologise to people for their existence. He thought some times that it would be necessary for the Govern- ment to legislate to compel certain people to attend chapel. He said they occasion- ally heard drunken persons singing the hymnf of the sanctuary. He was afraid that they had learnt them at the-competitive and literary meetings held in their chapels. They never heard about such meetings being held in the Church of England, and yet they looked down upon them. Whatever they said about the Church of England, she had kept np a feeling of reverence for the sanctu- ary (hear, hear), and from this they could take a good lesson (hear, hear). He had never &een a person, whatever his position might be, entering a Church without the ap- pearance of a feeling of reverence, and he always took off his hat. He thought that they must awake themselves, and keep these things alive before their eyes. The Rev D. J. Lewis, Waenfawr, re- marked that the action of some of their church members in the sanctuary was most degrading, but he asked where could they hold the literary meetings if it was not the chapel. These meetings were for the pur- pose of elevating their young people, and, therefore, it was these meetings that re- quired purifying (hear, hear). There was another matter which he thought accounted for the non-observance of the Sabboth, and that was the scepticism that prevailed in the land. They must endea,vour to convince their young people that their paths were not the right ones. Further r.emarks were made by the Revs J. T. Job, Daniel Rowlands, and the Chair- man. Mr Job Owen, Llanberis, proposed that they should take a practical step in this matter, and that a circular should be sent to all the churches advising the elders to tram the children up in these matters. The Rev O. G. Owen (Alafon) seconded, and this was carried unanimously.

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