RETURN OF THE REV. W. J. WILLIAMS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 81, 7 April 1902, Page 3

RETURN OF THE REV. W. J. WILLIAMS.

The Rev. .W. J". Williams, former minister of the Pitt-street Methodist Church, returned to Auckland yesterday morning.' after more 'than a year spent in travel on the Continent and in the Uitecl Kingdom. At the Pittstreet- Church last evening Mr" Williams preached a sermon on the last three verses in Psalm xlviii. He expressed his great joy at ouce more being privileged to face a congregation from the rostrum of that church. During the period j he had been absent his wife and' himself had been exposed to many dangers, but the prayers of Ithe coE.gireg_.tAon. for a safe and prosperous journey had been fulfilled. God had been before them like one luminous cloud, and they had not had a day's illness or met a single accident. While abroad he had gained new impressions of the condition and outlook of the Christian Church* and one walk on the wall of Zion had given him a whole bushel of ideas. He had been privileged to visit many places, and in June last he attended the Irish Conference at Cork. Ireland was spoken of as a distressful country, and in many pants of the country the people were living in rebellion, and one paper he read was full of rank rebellion. Those who bad known the late Rev. Mr Best had received Mm warmly as one who had been associated with one whom they all admired. At the United Methodist Conference in Cornwall, near his own home, he was impressed with the hopeful spirit prevailing. He attended the Wesleyan Conference at New-castle-on-Tyne, and here also noticed a hopefulness and confidence in the work, and heard brilliant testimony borne to the work of God. During the Methodist Conference in City .Road, London, he met- representatives from all parts of the world, and it was a grand sight to see these men together, and see their improved methods of grappling with the sin of the world. Never before had he attended an assembly where the evils of the present day were so much brought to light. On his travels he had seen the hideousness of evil life, and he had returned not by any means deadened in spirit, but with a firmer determination to go on with the work of God. He had beard a lot of praise about the troops sent. from New Zealand to fight for the Empire in South Africa—he had heard patriotic praise stmg everywtiere, and

-I tot of parbao^-fxtsto, but the btest p»trictt_s_a iwas to snap the fetters binding one to sin, to place one's self in the hands of God, and uphold Has work. Much had. been said in disparagement of Ithe Church, but he believed it would reach loftier heights than it had done, and' he wanted, them to think of the old nuafltyrs, and go on fighting to the end, singing of the glory of God and encouraging good work,