THE M'NEILL BURKE MISSION.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8965, 1 December 1894, Page 8

THE M'NEILL BURKE MISSION.

The Opera House, Tuam street, was again filled to overflowing last evening, when the the fourth united mission meeting was conducted by the Rev. J. McNeill and Mr J. H. Burke. It may be remarked that each of the four addresses given by Mr McNeill bad a special character. His opening address on Tuesday night was a kind of introduction as well as a setting forth of the value and importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ; the second was chiefly directed to stirring or awakening the people, and the third to showing that Jesus was waiting to be received, while last night Mr McNeill made a powerful appeal to his hearers to accept a personal Saviour. Prior to the opening of the meeting the choir sang several hymns, and subsequently Mr Burke, who was in better voice than at the commencement of the mission, sang the solos " Jesus, Saviour, pilot mc," and " Will your anchor hold," the latter being especially well rendered. The opening prayer was offered ? by the Rev. J. Dawson. Mr McNeill took for his text Revelations xxii., v. 17, "And the spirit and the bride say, come. And let him that heareth say, come. And let him that is athirst come. And whomsoever will, let him take the water of life freely." The great purpose of the text, he said, was to invite them. to come to a personal acceptance of a personal Saviour, and referred to the time between the opening of the grave and the rest in heaven, when the last gospel bell would -ring in their ears. "How vastly solemn must life be under the spell.of those two things combined—the opening of the. grave and the rest in heaven—and yet every day we live under them and no man can tell which will come upon him first." He answered them that God gave the lost invitations, and would not be mocked or trifled with for ever, and he added with solemnity, " There is a point in life which marks the destiny of men for glory or despair." He urged them not to make too much of the differences existing between the sects. Those .differences usually indicated life, for "perfect unanimity was only to be found among the dead." There were things on which they agreed which were, far greater than those wherein they differed. If all those who had been redeemed could be brought before them and asked what they had to say every voice would ring out in one silver shout, "Come, come to the Saviour." There was absolutely no difference between them on that point. Passing on to the second point in the text, he urged those who had heard the voice of Jesus to spread the light as far as they could, and said the greater number of professing Christians did not recognise their responsibilities in the matter of spreading the Gospel. Some excused themselves on the ground that they could not preach. " I don't ask you to preach," said Mr McNeill, "or want you to preach. I wish some of you, would stop it. There is too much preaching and exhorting. 4 ' The opportunities could be found while at their daily work, and with tact and wisdom they would in the proper sense be propagandists. The regular ministry was not meant to evangelise the world, but a vast volunteer band moved society on. On coming to the last point in tbe text, the taking .of the water of life, he pointed out that it was not necessary to be anxious for salvation, and no one asked them to shed tears over their Bins, for,. he added with energy and emphasis, "Jesus shed bis blood." He gave us an illustration—the case of two men who had deaided to emigrate, the one being excited and the other quite cool during the time allowed them to make up their minds. They left for their destination by the same steamer and naturally arrived together, for " the excitement of the one or the coolness of the other never told on the propeller." There was far more in that illustration, said Mr McNeill, than they Would understand on this side of eternity. In conclusion he likened the union with. Christ to a marriage ceremony.

An after-meeting was held, all but a few of the audience remaining, and Mr McNeill appealed with great earnestness and gentleness to those present to make their decision for Christ that night. The meeting was a very impressive one, and was finally closed with prayer offered by the Rev. Gordon Webster. After singing the well-known hymn "O, happy the audience dispersed.