LORD ABERDEEN'S ADDRESS TO MEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 120, 23 May 1887, Page 5

LORD ABERDEEN'S ADDRESS TO MEN.

' nouncement that the Earl of Aber- ' nld address a meeting of men in OL_ ff a il under tiie auspices of the lie w»y . , , »MC. Association, drew a very large !?) ' y ge to that building yesterday after.j n fact, fche building, both above '_' .„_/stairs, was crowded to its utmost ■#JS -The Rev. J. S. Hill (President of xa^'^iation) occupied tlio chair, and tltf lj n the platform were occupied by it.fh_.deen, Capt. Sinclair (Private mm&SBVK W. Gittos, T. Hamer, &4%LA J- Wal!i *> and Messrs' F. ""Sand W- Brakenrig. The proceed- *_\ "are opened with devotional exercises, NSSuMi tiie'Chairman briefly introduced fScv of the afternoon. Theßarl of Aberdeen was received with lute--'^e said that somo time ago he •Pn jf tjie loss of a steamer under peculiar liffiSto.es. Something wpntwrong with •fLw propeller. The shaft was driven win, and water poured into the vessel so Sptiiafc she quickly foundered. Her jSers and crew put off in boats, and Ssome days' exposure they descried by 12 the' lights of a steamer. They R ___ lantern, but only a single fi Up°n fc'lo successful striking m .match in the open air depended I lj,esof all the people in the boats. By care the captain successfully Stho match, lib. the lantern and atSi the notice of tho steamer. 1 Tine-dent .was a homely il- • ijjtion of the importance and solemIpjf youth. Each of us had only < g youth, and it was therefore most iinI Snitthat we should nofcneglectitsgolden ' Ujrliinities.. From, an educational Sit of. view the. opportunities of youth, Xwlected, could not to. any appreciable A_t be repaired.'' There was an old adage ■:o "'.aid that young men sowed their floats. It was a comprehensive term, m nl ight not necessarily mean only that iticlipsbad. But tho people who made ,15 of this adage forgot that there was a well as a sowing time. Yet o\.\. declared that that which a man _0„ that should ho also reap. Now. he _id not wish to be understood to say flat the faults and mistakes of youth jeedffil lis with gloomy forebodings as to the future. At the same time people advanced in jearswere always ready to regret fche conMuences arising from youthful errors. After-paying a tribute of praise to the broad jad catholic platform offered by the \sm" Men's .Christian Association, the Jul wen. on to commend the principle expounded by Bishop Cowie, of the value of juditidual effort on the part of the members rf the Association to x-aise the religious lone of j the Christian life. It was a Bear duty and an honour for a Christian to be what is called "a good ran all round, "and the attainment of that feur carried God's blessing along with it. ]_ Edinburgh University, containing about 2,000 students, a remarkable religious movement characterised by earnestness and iiseitce of cant had recently ariseu under tie lead of Professor Drummond. (Applte.)"He begged the audience not to applaud, as he was apt thereby to lose the thread of his discourse. Cant was not incompatible with earnestness, but its abience, nevertheless, was a gain. He knew tie President and members of the Auckland fewi-tion desired to encourage that same feeling of earnestness and devotion to Christ. fct.was' it that hindered so many of us fewerar, from advancing in the Christian ISfe ? There wero hindrances, of course, rising from doubts to which he would . iortly allude, but there was another hindieooli.mailer kind. We were afraid of , {bite quite far enough in religion. In seekfc^rattepearl of great price wo could not liolootaugk-Then, too,sceptical doubts prrd Sfficutem assailed a great many of us, andin'thesecaseshe often wondered if many of, us .were careful enough to seek out the, answer to these doubts. Yet that should he our -first care.. Many of us were overthrQira by the first infidel tract. Last autumn two copies of a paper called "The Freethinker." fell into his hands, and he Was surjMsfed to find in it old, shallow arid frivolous objections against the Bible, as,; for instance, the citation of the inSracleof the cursing of the fig- tree as an illustration of petulanceand unworthy anger Pit Christ's part, forgetting that "it was merelyaparable. Then, too, attempts were «.tri.ridicule-old forms of expression, intffinally hideous and horrible caricatures of Biblical subjects were given. But only Mwns of superficial character would bo Watar, by S uch things. Honest Wtv-should be tenderly' and respecMy-dealt with/ He had read ttofcßy.augh began his course of atheiswlteaching from the Sunday-school, from « his teacher unwisely had him oxpepbecause ho raised difficulties. TOtiMnnfess was a great hindrance Xwe Christian - life, but another, «jjl tho most potent hindrance of <m the Christian life, was tho gratiwion. of another fleshly appetito, And Ifv'in ho other case, was purity more '.waiy rewarded than in this, apart altoper from the religious compensations. vJ M.alie that this indulgence was a Fysical necessity for the preservation of ™P. Self-denial in this respect had great "Wpensations.'" Besides, nothing made a ™Mo callo' U g anc | C o]d-hcartcd as jnS n «> in. this sin, Otlienviso we kf ot so offcen hear of seductions 1 .s" -on.. Some men flattered themim that they could drop it when Wpleased, but fchey flattered themselves ™Py...:lfc was a most selfish sin,- for jMuld only be gratified by the injury »%, % this connection Ifird Aber--2* quoted an eloquent passage from an "TO to men by Professor Drummond. Veen proceeded to gay that ho did nob j®s.» any.spirifc of censoriousmess and l-Mnteouraesa, and he freely adseme men who had failed in this _f&> perhaps under great temptation, '^ afterwards by God's, grace attain to ■•?..-.» greater degree of holiness than »W riot.-failed in actual moral i»■ it; , le lat-er at any rate had cause ' thanksgiving coupled 'with humility. Qvno, effort was too great to such a weakness "and sin indulgence. Tho text SSjf ?e. might have taken for ■ his S?J?*" contained in the Book of ije'l„sth chapter, and was a? follows :— ?W - in whose hand thy breath is, and g^tte all thy ways, hast thou notgloriu n K; .:.,.:- Thou art, weighed in. : the C 63. and. art found wanting." Lord g^en conoluded by expressing the hope his hearers might live. to God's WfeS exPerience His service as the MM F^ frecdom from the guilt and Uuil^npenceof evil, and leading more W e.to abiding peace. WaV m slisscatamicl loilcl aPPIn«s<3, %ion ° ay been sung and the bene-. ftjnJP^nounoed, the audience dispersed, 4e_^U^ an fit,*t of all reminding them of