RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 128, 30 May 1914, Page 14

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

A GREAT FEAST. i PREPARED FOP, irCMAXITY. j

Piles-tor PvllsspTl gave nn interesting sermon on tbe text. "And in this moun- j tain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat thing's," (Isa. xxv. Rl. He said: — Throughout the S-riptures the word "mountain" is used as ihe symbol for a kingdom. Earthly governments are re-pre-scnted as mountains and hills, while tie" Lord's government is represented ns '.■in. established "tn the lop ni ihe mountains." It is this mountain, or, kingdom of Cod, which is referred to ! ";:i our text. It hei- nut yet been established in thp earth, and hence its blessed work has not yet been realised. We still properly pray: "Tin- will be done on earth, a? it is ,l,>ne- in heaven." True, a beginning has been mace. For . more ihnn eighteen centuries since the j Holy Spirit was 1.c.-iowod at. Pentecost j the Church litis hern in process of selection: and the Church is sometimes I called the Kin.dnm. because iis members, when gloril'ed. wiil constitute ilie| Kingdom class— the Pride—who will! share with Ihe Heavenly Bridegroom the Kingdom honours and services for tiie| world. I It is true, ill-,,, that our I_ord is j exalted a Prince and a Sa. iutir: and that | he declared at His resurrection. "AH j power is given unto Mc in Heaven and on earth." Vet He also, in 11 Ik last mes. | sage to thp Church, distinctly pointed ' oeit that the time for tnkin. possession 1 . of His Kingdom was future: and that the i time would surely come wnen He- would take His great power and reign: for the l time to reign would then hare cornel (Rev. Ni. 177 More than this, l!..- siivn* of tii» times. ! read in the light, of tiie Wnnl of Clod, seem clearly to indicate that the time i= at hand for the setting up of Christ's ' Kingdom. How glad we nil should he! What rejoicing it should oaitsp to the whole world of mankind to know that the reign of sin'iunl death is nearine its , conclusion': that S.itan. the Prince of this world, will shortly le lioilhd for ii thous- ; and years: and that soon the whole earth" wiil 'l.c full ..i the knowledge of Hie "leirv of Coil as the waters cover tiie great deep" 1 Hah. ii. ID A FEAST 1\" Tins .Mill XTAIN". The bar? announcement of the Kingdom of God would strike men variously in proportion as the character of the Kin.dorn might he understood or misunderstood. Thus to many ihe mention that '.he Kingdom of God 7s nigh would carry the thou.ht of "a wreck of matter and a crash of worlds." Not Oll'y our "Second Advent" friends believe, but the creeds of practically all denomination's of Christians recite, that our Lord's second advent will signify to mankind th" en d of probation, the end of liope, ; and usher in to all except the elect lew a sreat burning day. Far too long we have allowed these traditions of men to becloud our judgment: to come between our hearts and the great blessings set forth i- Cod's Word. It is very- proper that those who are living in alienation from Cod, in wilful sin, should realise that tlic establishment of His Kingdom will mean a rcit.n of Righteousness, which will bo strictly opposed to their pernicious ways —opposed to every form of immorality, of injustice and iniquity. of trickery, sham, and false pretence. Hut surely Christians who are seeking to live in harmony with the Divine law of Love have every reason to Ion? for the coming of (lie Lord's Kingdom as the most desirable thins to be imagined. Indeed, it is thus described in Bible lunguatre: '"The desire of all nations shall conic" (Hag. ii. 7). True. the Kingdom of the Heaveiifl "ill he introduced, the S.Tiptures tell us. by "a time of trouble such as never was" bote,rv and never will be afterwards; a time of trouble which will involve every far; of the world: a time of trouble from which there will be n,i escape ox-,-.'p-„ for those who have mudc the Bord. i yen Dip 'lltist High, their refuge and habitation (Tsa. \. i. PI. But even that trouble the Lord purposes shall cnnslitnie a channel of blessing to mankind, by preparing their hearts for the message of Divine Love nnd Cracc, centre.l ill Christ and his redeeming work at Cah-nry. Turning from the ignorance, stiperstitiiin. and terrors of the Dark Ages. Ivt us look to th" inspired Word of Cod. through the Apostles and Prophets. The Scriptures fell n- that Cod has prepared a great feus! for humanity: they intimate figuratively that mankind has been starving for the mix-sage of Divine grace, famir.lie.l for !a-k of the Word of Cod. A few have feat-led upon the good things of out Father's Word and plan, but the great imaes of mankind tee not. neither do they understand or receive the grace of Cod, under present conditions. How glad we are that "all the deaf ears shall be unstopped" (Tsa. xxv. .'ci; and that the whole world' will tints be prepared f.rr the true knowledge of Cod. whose loving kindness and tender ■mercies will undoubtedly have a soften- j ing and mellowing effi-et upon hard henries. BLESSED THE HUNGRY. There are many hungry nodies in tbe world. Many whose bodies arp well nourished have famished hearts, which cry out for lotp and sympathy. He who reads the hearts, who knowis what is in them, lines prepared this feast, which will surely satisfy every righteous desir.-. Those who have already feasted at t ! ie bountiful table spread for tiie Church can approximate to some extent j what will he spread before the world j in tiiis great feast foretold throue_.li th-.' j Prophet. There will .l.c several 'differ- ! ences. however, be! ween our present feast and that fnr the world. The present feast is merely one of promises which must Ire partaken of hy faith. The feast described in our text will be a very actual one. 'Hie reality j of th. blessings of Kostitution— of | health, of strpngth, mental, moral, and physical —will lii there bountifully supplied to all who appreciate them, and \ •they may partake of the feast freely. | Again, the [.resent feast id a spiritual one. relating to a Heavenly glory and ■honour—fhings not Keen as yet. except by the eye of faith. Pur. .he feast for the wirhl will coi„_t of earthly bountiees ami blessings, -most tangible iv kind as well as excellent in quality. 1-furcd'y no language that we could nee would fnlly and properly set forth the riches of God's grace provided for the world of mankind, undvr the ministration of His Kingdom. The earth shall yield her increase, streams shall forth in the deserts, the wildertess shall efal(Vfnrii ns t'ne n-se. the »V.;tary place sail! V mad.'.lad. 'Te.i. XTXr.i. T.ie Lor,!, after ieseribing through Cc r-vnhrr the 'ets- of messing*, po-t-ay. -"c dnstnict':,,., of injurious '■■■ mankind. sn\;-v. - \--i It, will de- , Sixy in :': : ,- 'moui:-...'.!-,' ;;ee f M cc of the

covering caest over all people—the veil that is E-pread over all nations" (verse 7). This is the Teil of ijrnoTanoe and superstition which hinders mankind from seeing that the Creator is their friend, that righteousness and truth are •o therr advantage, that the ways *»f the Lord are righteous altogether. Tiie sunlight of the new Dispensation wiH scatter the darkness mil itrivirance: leitinjr into th-e hearts of mankind "the light of the knowledge of Die glory of God." as it shim's "in the face of jesus Christ our Lord." What a wonderful ciuinge: and how glad mankind will be. not only to have that feast prepared, but also to be rid of the darkness which would hinder them from coming to a knowledge of {he Lord and His Cracc.

CHURCH NEWS ATTD _OT_S.

Tin- olT'.'rt.rries a. all Anglican Churebvis in the Auckland diooeise tomorrow will, at the request of Bishop Avcrill, be devoted to the nil-sion fund. I/aat year the mission was only just able to pay its way. On that occasion the total olfcrinas were ..1.41)1. 4/8. Cbrifttchiirch heading the list with .C-MlO 2/3. while Auckland was second with .Cil'.ii 1-1. . Wellington third with .'.'On 0 ii. and Dunedin femrth wilh £71 This mission is. now carrying ou work in thirty inlands in tiie Pacdic. ii ml L'l.luG -1 S is. roughly, about a "Southern Crot-s." the Auckland Sunday School L'nion tit the last .meeting of'the Oneral Committee, viz., llernp Bay Anglican; 11-otpa North, (itamniea; Roiokar,- Road, Kltli.tm a-.nil Pukeli. Pay of Islands. The sole teacher of tlir,' Sunday Stdiool at Puketi riel.s twenty miliv. there and back, every Sunday afternoon. Tl.e Eov. .1. D. .loncts, M.A.. H.C.. of Bournemouth, who :k a eonnni-ssion -from the CnngTcg-.it ional l'nion of Kngland and Wales, is expeited lo arrive in Auckland on .Dine 7th. He will bo tendered a welcome nl Ait. Kden Congregational Church, and during hi.s sojourn in Auckland' will address two imvlingM in BcTesford Street Church, The Rev. -lones recently accomplished a good work in England by raising something like a quarter «if a million for a fund to ensure a living tdipend for CongTPgaiion.il ministers in the Old Country. The Auckland Sunday .School l'nion has heartily endorsed the application of the DpTiinport Methodist. -Sunday School for a diploma of honour for iMr. Henry "Wilding. Mr. 'Wilding coimmciicpd his career ns a teacher in thp Coneregational Sunday .School. Arundel, Sussex, in tire year ISOL In 18t>7 he btarted and conducted a school of over t>o in his own h-ouHe at Woolwich. In IStiO he el.ecame secretary of the Congr-.-ga-tiotieil .Sunday School. Old Kent Jload. London, a school with a roll of 1.500 scholars. Later he worked in schools ,at Buckingham and at Clifton Downs, Bristol. His New Zealand record includvs Waipukurau Anglican. Bcresforel Street Congregational. Pitt. Street Methodist. Arch Hill Mcthodiist. One hunsra Methodist, and. finally, Devonport Methodist. Tho following notice appears in the 'vWaltham Cross Parish Magazine" for 1 April:—"The vicar finds it necessary to (Till attention to a custom which seems to be growing more common, that the brid-eismaids and others in the bridal parly should have no hats or headcovering of any kind, or else something which, by no stretch of imagination, could bo regarded as a covering for the •hf-d. Tiie el-orgy will decline to solpmnise the marriatre service unless the scriptural rule is observed, that in Cod's house nil women should have their hctiiii. oowred.'' The Auckland Sunday School l'nion is promoting n mid-wintpr conference of workers, to be held late in June or early iii duly. Mr. Payne, now resident at Caxrobrid-jre. and a noted blackboard exponent, is to be inrvited to give an address on the use of chalks, and', later, to give lessons to thesp desirous of becoming .more familiar with the art. The Rev. .T. A. V. IMa.pp. vicar of St. Mark's, Hamilton Square, in the course of a sermon at St. Paul's, argued tho demoniacal possession was not switched on to a side track after thp Xew Testament days. He claimed that men and women were still obsessed by evil agents. Tlipre wer t . curses upon people and places and things. Thos P people who were guilty of witchcraft, who indulged in spiritualism, table-turning, planchette rapping, and the whole jargon and paraphernalia of their ovstPeTn. He claimed it was still possible fo r the spirits of pvil to get into touch with human souls and takp possession of them. Sixteen years ago Air. C. JT. Bottrill was appointed by the Auckland Sunday School Union to the charge vt" the International Bible Reading Association. Shortly afterwards he l>ecame official visitor of the .l'nion. In this capacity on a Tecent eSunday lie made his one thoustandth visit. To commemorate the event the S.S. Union has presented him with a suitably inscribed gold medal. Mr. Bottrill has he-en pnthusiastic in hiej arduous but voluntary labour, and j has made hosts of friends in many parts of t'ne province and Ibeyond. In his journeyings ibv bicycle, .boat, and train he has travelled over 12,000 miles. He hag delivered about 000 addresses, and 1 atrjgh t. several hundred of Sunday School classes. Being unable, for business and heal Ih rea_sons. to trawl as far as he did formerly. Mr. Bottrill coneflDes his attention to schools within the suburban area. The late -Pcv. 'A. P. Fdgan. who was head of the Central Mission in Melbourne, was founder of many valuable I organisations fo r the alleviation of sufi fering. and the moral uplifting of people !in the crowded parts of that city. A well known Methodist minister of Poplar. London. I_pv. W. R. Lax, is ex-pectid 1o visit Australia shortly in search of health. Besides eheing v preae'licr of gTeat force, lie is described as an interesting platform sr.-eaker. I The American "Go-to-Ohurch"campaign" | has resulted in increasing the attendj anees at various places of worehip in I the country. Plans are now being made | to extend the scheme to cities that have , not yet observed it- It is proposed to j select the Sundav.s nearest to Decoration, j Labour. Thanksgiving, nnd "Washington's birthday as go-to-t-hurc.lt dayd. ■A new Union Church was opened a lew weeks ago in Hutton. neiiar Brentwood. in Essex. The building cost ,€3,500, and is capable of seating 333 people. ]t is to serve Congregationalism and Baptists in the villages of -Hutton and S'heniield. in this connection it is worth to. me.mbering that for some years Baptists and Congregationalists -worshipped together in the same building at Thames. At tne opening ceremony of the church in Essex the ceremony was performed by Mts. Edrnondson (president of the Conjvregational "Women's Lc.ajupi. Dr. Chas. Krown I ex-president of the Paptis' I l'nion c preached, nnd the r,ev. M. Harrii son C-hnlmers. of the Essex Congr«"«I tioni.l Union, delivered an address.