Mayfield.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 6206, 29 February 1904, Page 2

Mayfield.

Presbyterian. Church Anniversary

The fourth anniversary of the opening of the Presbyterian Church at Mayfield took place yesterday, the services both morning and evening being conditcted by tha Rev. G. B. Inglis, of Ashburton.

At the morning service there was a very large attendance, tha neat and wellappointed little church being filled to overflowing, about 180, being present. The Rev. Inglis preached from the text—" And the servant said: Lord, it is done as Thou hast commanded, and yet there is room."-— Luke xiv., 22.

The evening service was scarcely so well attended, the showery weather being perhaps a deterring feature to many of the the congregation, some of whom reside at long distances. Mr Inglis preached from the text—" Wherewithal shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God ? Shall I come before him with . burnt offerings, with calves of a year old ? ly'ill the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with tens of thousands of rivers of oils ? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ? He hath shown thee, O jjnan, what is good ; and what doth the Ijord require of thee, but to do justly, and £o love mercy, and to walk humbly with they God."—Micah xv., 6, 8. It had, the preacher gaid,, been generally affirmed that jbhe passage he had just recited was perhaps jbhe greatest saying in the whole of the jQld Testament. |n fact, he thought that there was only one passage surpassing it in phe New 'ipestament, and that was the snying (d Christ, recorded \u the Gospel of St. Matt. " Come unto Me all ye chat labour and are ' heavy laden, and f will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.-' The Book of iMicafa. was oneo,f a series of controversial j books of the Old Testament, and it was because of the controversial nature of Mpaji's utterances that they w,erg begun ja'a spirit of Indignation and wrath, but jbhis, as the tiook progresses, gives way to a tone of pity, which is expressed in terms of the jnos,t. pure and nqble, religious feeling,. Tcuq religion $r»s.not 3, design made to each man's taste, but should be. a copy of a sat plan made by God. We were not groping for our God, but we had found Him. We should be obedient disciples, obedience being one of the first essentials of true worship. In the text men are extorted to do justly and to love mercy. There is no virtue ascribed to burnt offerings or costly sacrifices. God judges a man by what he does in everyday life, not by what he doea in a public place. There are two things "j:hat the text seta forth— the way to God, arid bur duty to Him. In all ages, men, feeling that they were guilty, hive sought £0 propitiate God by substitutes," sucji But it was invariably ' recognised in tjie c.nd that burnt offerings and ibhe likg w.e.r© of no avail %' &^Solye'g, ' T,hen came Christ, who was at onW a fcacrifice, a substitute, and a way to God. Christ naS light for all darkness, pardon for all sins, for for that purpose He came, Christ was appointed by God for this purpose. The Bible emphasises the fact that, so far as the cu»se of Adam extends, so far ,£963 the saving power' of Christ extend. .God i's'ao regpeetpc 6i persons. No matter who comes, he will not be turned away. The way to &od through Christ is good 1, because tho credit is all to Christ, vfhich prevents naen glorying' in their own strengfcfi. Let us count alt things ! but loss, so we find Christ who is the way to God. Now as to our.duty to $odL Tho text tells us to dp justice and love' mercy, pur fulfilment of j this command does not' dispense jffith the necessity of faith in Christ, but is generally the concomitant result of such a faith. A Christian man will try to love his neighp(jVis as himself, and when there is a good deal t]fias;"h,o apt}, aq, he delights $0 cjoit. 'm'^nife^g Chepiiris|;lifee gh'fpaefcerisfiipf mercy. ' I^e areWso maiirteS t© " Valk humbly jyith God,?' and thia isjust as neeessav>y to be observed ag the other precepts contained in the text. It is a very difficult command to keep. Walking is a practical, slow, everyday kind of pace. If everyone would" walk with God" throughout their daily work, as in His presence, the imprint of God' 3 blessing y°jji4 K e ?.? *I} tbat theydid< We mUßfc 1

be reverent and humble, and submit ourselves to God's will. We are too prone to follow our own will in all things, but if we "walk with God" we shall do Gods will only, and will be just and merciful to our fellowmeu. The speaker conctnded by appealing to his hearers to tearoh their hearts and to endeavour to walk humbly with God at all times. ... ... A tea meeting will take place at May Enid on Thursday nKXfc in connection with this anniversary, when a very hrge attendance is expected.