ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14507, 26 April 1909, Page 8

ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH.

"AFTER THIRTY YEARS."

Yesterday the Rev. Dr Waddell colelated the conclusion of the thivticih continiiou« year of his ministry to Si. Andrew's congregation. There was a very large attendance at boMi the special services held during the day.

In the morning Dr Waddell took as his subject "After Thirty Years: a lietrospeyt and, preaching- from Konuuis vii, 24, swted that out of (Iks 150 members who had signed fcho call presented to him 30 years ago only 25 were now left, and of tno 51 atihorente onlv five remained All these lon S yoj.rs lie Jiad watched a. constant sucK-esion of lives coming and going, but m spiie of all losses t.lioy were now stronger than ever before. The * 160 members bad grown to 450, but ho sometimes wondered It a tliinr.-jd-ont church might not he a. !.„ I,r1 ,r ] ,I,oof of » minister's success than a iilltxl-up one. In later lilo it was not what, a man had accomplished, but what he iiad ii t0 iw ' um P lisll 'hat filled the horizon, and he felt deeply conscious of his failures. It might bo fuid that he had done liU Wt but there was only One in this world who o\er did His bivst. lie himself could always have done loiter, and ought always to have dene hotter. Jf the watchuiun WSjloetttl to blow tlio Iriunpit ami warn Ihe people t.hcir blued would be required at his bund, and that was what ficarchcd ai'd scorched and burned and blistered as one looked back upon the long years of the ministry, lor one with this "secret burden of blood upon his conscience there was nothing left but Christ. In the midst of our shame and confusion we thought of Wliat He had done and of the tilings that "light jet be He ended in words liko Bunyan's: "Many more of tlis dealings of (ioil witli mo I might, relate, but om. of the spoils won in battle I have dedicated t<hct?e this morning to iruu'ntaiji the Uonso of Gixl."

In the evening th? preaoher took as his subject ''After Thirty Years: a- Prospect," and based his remarks on words in tho ninth anil tenth veises of the third chapter of Kphcskins: " (,'orl who created all tilings _ . io the intent that now unto principalities and powers in tJio heavenly places might he made known through the Chti-rch tho manifold wisdom o[ God." In the subsequent address the emphasis was laid on the wonderful thought that it was by means of tho Church on earth that the principalities and powers in the unseen were to learn the manifold wisdom of God. Dealing with the i replications of this statement, tho preacher pointed out that it implied that this earth did not exhaust the possihiliies of existence, and that there was a 'unity and solidarity not only of the raw of men on eart.h, but of the wbole m;uss and universe of being. Paul more fell anyone clso had taught that it was the Church's business to declare the unsearchable riches of Christ to all -aces and nations, but liere was a far moro majestic and daring thought than tha,tnaniely, that the Church existed to educate and illuniino the vast hosts of beings in the unseen, to show tlwm frceh wonders of the gvapo of God. This was truth of the highest practical importance in even-day life, for it. rolled back the clouds of" the tniKwn and showed ns rank upon rank of regal hosts leaning out from their battlements to learn from us tlie manifold wisdom of God in these simpie, commonplace duties. If that was the mission and destiny of the Church in the future, was it not a, noble thing to be a member of it?