MR G. T. SULLIVAN'S MISSION.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7380, 5 August 1889, Page 5

MR G. T. SULLIVAN'S MISSION.

CROWDED AUDIENCES. Mr G. T. Sullivan continued his evao« mission yesterday, when he assisted the Rev. \V. S. Potter at the morning and evening services in. the Primitive Methodist Church, Cambridge terrace, and also addressed a meeting in the Theatre Royal. The church was crowded on each occasion. Mr Sullivan sang a solo at each service, and pave short earnest addresses, urging the importance of the mission work and necessity of leading others to seek salvation. The meeting iv the Theatre Royal was fixed for a quarter-past eight, but three-quarters of an hour before that time a crowd began to collect on the footpath and street in front of the building. When the doors were opened there was a rush, and several ladies suffered in the crush. In about five minutes the theatre was titled in every part, and soon all standing room was occupied. A choir containing between seventy and eitfuty voices occupied the stage, and Mr H. Gorrick presided at the harmonium. After singing the hjmn272 in Moody and Sankey's Collection, the Rev. W. S. Potter, who presided, opened the meeting with prayer. Mr Sullivan then sang, " lio wipes the tear from every eye." Though he has bceu speaking so much, and also suffered recently from the effects of a cold, Mr Sullivan was in very good voice, and the theatre was much better adapted for a voice of such compass than the smaller building in which he had previously sung. He sings with clear enunciation, and wit 1 much feeling. His national accent comes out strongly in his singing. His voice haa been well traiued, and he uses it with considerable effect, especially in the solos he sang during services in the church. The .solo was very much appreciated. Mr Sullivan afterwards read a portion of Isaiah. Ho reads clearly and distinctly, every syllable sounded, and he uses a fair amount of inflection in his voice. Some noise going on at the back of the pit drew a few firm words from the Rev. W. S. Potter, and the noise at once ceased and perfect quietness among the audience continued throughout. The Rev. Mr Potter in a brief speech introduced Mr Sullivan to the meeting. Mr Sullivan said his object was not to gain notoriety of any kind, but to exalt Christ as their Saviour. He hardly knew how to begin. He had made no preparation for the meeting. He had spoken every night for the past five months, and had depended solely upon God for what he had to say. Young men scoffed at religion, and sceptics said there was no such thing as the love of Christ. He had been something of an Atheist himself, and now since he had been called by God he felt inclined to take men by the hand and help them to find the Saviour. To take part in an athletic contest a man must first train and enter, and if a man competing without entering was first in the race he did not gain the prize. Before a man ran in the human race of life he must enter properly, and ho here applied the text "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." He related, a number of anecdotes to Illustrate the necessity for being prepared to meet death, which might come at any moment. They might, he said, put off the day till it was too late. He knew nothing about the love of Christ till six months ago. Since he had realised it he had been a happy man. He knew what young men were addicted to, as he had been through life himself, but if they realised the love of Christ they wonld lie filled with new aspirations, and their whole life -would be changed. He said a young man educated in England went to America to see life and he got Into fast company. His mother heard of it and curtailed his allowance. He went to St. Louis, and whilst under the influence of drink he committed a murder. He went on to Chicago and San Francisco, but the detectives followed him, and he came on to Auckland, where he was arrested. They knew to whom he referred. The yonng man's name was Maxwell. After he wae condemned for the murder, Maxwell's parents and brother and sister came to lii.n and pleaded with him to give his heart to God. He said to them "If half the trouble that is being taken with mc now had been taken before, the murder would never have been committed." Hβ (the speaker) now came before them to urge them to give their hearts to God and not to put it off. A lady in Wellington, who "had given him the Bible he then held in his hands, had died suddenly two days after she made the gift. He referred to the great tire in Chicago, when many people los>t their lives in the'first night, and to the recent disaster at Johnstown, (some of the victims of which were known to him) as instances of how suddenly one may be brought face to face with -death. He then gave an account of his own conversion. He had been in Queensland and the hot climate had caused him to drink rather heavily, and when coming from Sydney to Auckland, on his way to Saa Francisco, he was suffering from the effects of that fearful drug. After he had been on board the vessel two or three days he did not know what he was doing and tried to jui p overboard. A man held him back and kept him quiet for the rest of the voyage. On arrival at Auckland he knocked about waiting for his luggage, which had been left behind Dy accident in Sydney. He was standing under a verandah one night, when two gentlemen came up and asked him to go into a religious meeting. He went in, bnt safe very impatiently. He was persuaded to stay, and he was surrounded by a number of ladies, who prayed earnestly for him. He looked about him, and saw that the people were earnest, and at length he found himself on his knees in prayer. Hβ thought at first it would be hard to give up his old pursuits, for he had been an expert at cards, billiards, and athletics. He did not condemn athletics, such as were good for the development of the human frame. But his whole life and being was changed and filled with the love of Christ. He spoke strongly against drink and gambling, which were, he said, the ruin of thousands of young men, and mentioned the cases of young athletes in America who had become victims to drink. In conclusion, he said, he came before them without special preparation for the work, but preached the Gospel in its simplicity. He had dodged the pistol shot and escaped death in many forms, and he was there now to tell them of Christ's love, and if he was instrumental in leading one young man to the Saviour he would consider his work had not been in vain. Mr Sullivan spoke with much force and earnestness, and was most attentively listened to throughout. During the evening a number of Sanseye hymns were sung by the choir ana audience. '. ' After a collection had been taken up, the Rev. W. Ready offered up a prayer. The audience then began to leave, bnt » large number stayed for the after meeting. The mission will be carried on every night this week, in the Primitive Methodist Church—unless found too small, when a larger building will be engaged.