British rind Colonial Temperance Congress.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 202, 28 August 1886, Page 5

British rind Colonial Temperance Congress.

[from oun i.Ont>ofi porresfondekt.]

This interesting congress was infllif. rSfcti on Monday evening by a special service and sermon in Westminster Abboy, the preacher being Dr. Temple, the Bishop of London. Its meetings will be continued throughout the week. C_ Tuesday the dologates were entertained at the Crystal Palace, Dr. Richardson presiding. Yesterday' the business meetings commenced at Princes Hall, Piccadilly, the Bishop of London delivering his presidential address, and Dr. Buller, Mr Motheson, and others discoursing on tbo temperance question in Malta and Inditi. T. day Cardinal Manning occupies the chair", flncl papers will be road on temperance in New Zenlaind by Mr John W. Jago, in New South Wales by Mr N. T Collins, and Victoria by Mr John Y=s!e. The seivice in tho Abbey on Monday evening foil rather flat owing to the bad weather and indifferent attendance. A Bpecial hymn waa sung to tho tune of " Pembroke." After the hymn, "Praise the Lord, ye hoavenß odoro Him," the Bishop of London preached from the 6th chapter of St - aul a Epiatlo to the Galatians and the second verso- "Boar ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the low of Chriat." Hia lordship said that was the principle of>H temperance societies. It wasof courao the principle Which undorlioa a Christian a life, for it wa. (jt tbs very eseencs of our membership one oratioih*r in the mystical body of Chriat that wo should boftr one another s burdens. Tho text might bo Understood to apply to all the varioua burdens we hftd to bear in life, but the particular burden of which tho apoitle was thinking in that verae was plain onough—it waa the burden of sin, The burden was sometimes tco much for'human strength to bear, even though a man's heart be touched by the love of God That sympathy which joined heart to heart in thought and hand to hand in work waa one of the most precious modes of fulfilling the law of Christ. The bearing of one another's burdens was to be an act of syrh'pothy of the heart, and that sympathy grew in inteasity os it grew in extent. It wa« more powerful the more there were to join in it. As they traced the history of this cause, and observed how year after year men took up this effort of freeing their fellow men from o 'great bondage, they would see that the very increase of numbers, had increased thoir fervour, and men were more in earnest in proportion as there were more to join them m being earnest. If eometimoa intemperate language had been used on either side, that had been swallowed up in tho deeper, stronger current of feeling-the desire in men a souls to set their fflilow men free.from that of all bondages the wdr*t. s«c" waß the ch*''acter of the work which fcmperaftce societies were doing now. It might Ye ghat they might come, as other great movement, had come, to the time when they would be so poDular that men would join them in pretence* Without joining .them in reality. It might be in tho distant future when their work was three parts done that men might be ashamed to stand aloof from them, and that those who co joined would be a weaknesa and not added force. It mi^bt be In Courso of timo that the extent of tho'movoment might tako away its hfo and vigour, but that timo was far off. Now they could see on all hands that the movement was not only widening, but deepening as it flowed—this current of desire to help their fellow-men and te cast off the chains wi-h which thoy are bound—and those who took it up with littlo enthusiasm at the beginning were becoming mere enthusiastic as time went on, because they felt more deeply tho neod of every exertion they could make, and because they were infected by tho power which came from the everawelling numbers of those who wero Joining them. They were infected by fervour which wae in so many hearts, and which spoke through so many voices. They welcomed fresh adherents, new forces coming from unexpected quarters, W hat encouragement it was to see thoee littlo tokens : wherever one went. How their hearts were touched by littlo trifles which were observable-the glass of milk which had taken the place of a glaea of beer ; the water which wbb now used instead of spirits J the glass of water whore wine was once abundant j the cheering word that ovory now nnd then dropped from some chance acquaintance. The man who cared for this cause was perpetually cheered now, becauee, go whore he will, be would find, if he knew it not before, hi 3 comrades wero all around him; in every rank of socioty ho found tbem-in every congregation of Christians, In every gathering of citizens. The temperance Cause was gaining ground, covering the whole English race. Wherever our language was spoken, their principles wero maintained with increasing strength. Whenever the English flag flies, there was the protest against tbe great English sin. It was too often forgotten that tho first preaching of the Gospel was a great moral movement. Of all tho marks to which we could point as showing that religion waa not dead amongst us, there was none which spoke so forcibly as the endeavour to help men lo cast away the fetters of their sins and to live more moral and wholesome lives ? and no movement seemed to bear upon it more surely the plain marks of the impulse of God the Holy Ghost than the endeavour made by temperance socioties to heal this terrible diseaseto make men more worthy of tbe namo of men and children of God. How could they love one another if they were indifferent to such a matter as this? Thia terrible burden waa so ovorpowering in its weight, it crushed so many thousands who were innocent, and so many thousands who if they were guilty, were guilty because they were weak. Was there.any other burden which co loudly called to them for help, and by helping in this cause they would fulfil their Saviour's law.—At the close of the sermon Handel's " Hallelujahj' chorus was sung, and tho Benediction was pronounced by the Bishop of London.