MR. HENRY VARLEY AT OTAHUHU.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 103, 2 May 1890, Page 4

MR. HENRY VARLEY AT OTAHUHU.

Last night Mr Henry Varley conducted an evangelistic service in the Otahuhu Public Hall. Upon the platform were Mr Ross and Mr Shalders. A choir, under the leadership. of Miss Burns, lent additional charms to a number of favourite hymns, '•■ and the audience (about 300) were attentive to a degree. Mr Varley's discourse was fragmentary, and possibly meant by that gentleman to be so j but though many went expecting to be treated with a great oration, yet evidently they were held spell-bound by the ploaeent voice, easy flow of words, and the many interesting and instructing anecdotes of certainly an able speaker. After prayer, and reading part of a chapter of St.' John (which he commented upon as he read), he remarked that some men considered they were leading very consistent and moral lives, but he wished very much for people to understand that the word " moral"' is not in the Bible--search as we will we shall not find it. Hβ would mention'that'he had been the guest of Sir William Fox, and that gentleman knew well that he, Mr Varley, would behave and act whilst there as one gentleman should,do to another, aDd there would be no fear of the silver epoons going astray. Many people called themselves moral and boasted of their Christianity, and yet cheated their customers. He had known men with whom he had had business transactions, who were not so-called religious men, who owned to no " belief," and yet he would bear testimony to their sterling honesty and nobleness of character. He denounced the accursed billiard cue, horse-racing, and the curses of this universal gambling, and the poor fools who indulged in these accursed games had helped to bring the country under that huge black cloud of depression which had so blasted her prosperity., He would give them God's Word for it—and he remarked that many people said the Bible was out of date —but if the Bible was out of date so w,as bread and butter;

Some men boasted of freethoughb, bub there was no such a thing—unless they were asleep, then their thoughts might be free, but upon awaking they would repudiate this freethought, because they would know such thoughts were false. Freethoughb, or this belief in reason, could nob make a fly, bird, flower, or a einglo blade of grass. If a man wanted a couple of fowls killed for his breakfast, he would be a long time without if he depended upon reason. No ;he would have to wring their necks. Reason or thought would nob do ib lor him. We can't help being sinners, bub we can help being unbelievers and we must remember the fact " That all have sinned and come Bhorb of the glory of God." We shall carry with -us into the future life, a recollection of all our past deeds, and the young man who had deceived and ruined a maiden through whose conduct she had taken to the streets, and had been driven to hell, that maiden, he said, shall meet him there and the God of Heaven will awake him up to the pasb. The sin of rejecting Christ is yet greater than all this. Mr Varley concluded with an earnest entreaty for those presenb to live for Chrisb, and after singing and prayer the meeting was closed.