BAPTIST CHURCH.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12850, 8 July 1907, Page 6

BAPTIST CHURCH.

SEMI-JUBILEE CELEBRATION.-^ The celebration of the 25th sary of the opening of the BiptUti Church building in Oxford terrace wm| begun yesterday. The special service]; were well attended, and latiefactorfj collections were taken up, indicating j that the sum which it is desired to rail*; for tho purpose of reducing the debt] on the property is likely to lie obtainetj during the week. 1 The Rev. 11. S. Gray, pastor o! church, at the morning .«m evening services. Hie Subject in tip] morning was "The 80-dedication «tj the House of God" (I Kings, viii, m and ix. 3), and he drew a parallel M*j tweon the temple of Solomon and Unbuilding in which they were worship pine that day. Both were built as %' sacrifice to God, and were hallowed Vfe Him, but believer* to-day had HH greater privileges than the men <§j those old times. t >S In tho afternoon the choir or tats East Belt Methodist Church gwr«J> 1 musical service. Mr A. F. Carey ptm sided, Mr W. Horsley was and Miss Coleman was organist. *M "For every house is builded by soMtf man; but he that built all things M| God" (Hebrews iii., 4) was the textlljj the evening discourse. The mims'Ut,! eaid that, 60 or 60. years ngo, ma«f« men were saying that tho great nraA in which we all world-** not built but just happen^—"a low tuitous concourse of atoms. Most eft those men were dead, and tMfjjg had few successors. It was no»j accepted as a scientific, as w«f as a theological v axiom, thlfj all that wae builded must have DMfs builded by someone, for there *'« ftj3 effect without a cause. J** , ? rt S!2s ture wae on expression of thought- ™»| Tay bridge was the outcome of tHjj mind of an engineer. The Oploeeeuejf wns an expreseion of the hiewry «g Rome. Tho homes of the people to-t day—and he wished) every man »«,* able io form his home to hi» ej'"' I **! ing—were full of indication* of <*•££: ecter, of culture, or of want of <aj*| ture. So, too, the buiJdifte m wHtW they were that evening was only, *i shell of the church. God would W be tliere on the morrow as H*'*si that day, but only in the «»«"•<•*••; that He was everywhere. Tee W*| Church consisted of the believe»;w| J«us. It was buikled 1 by Chnst m»S spH. There wae laid , upon Jts nwmbMM the solemn responsibility of Mine »; expression of hie thought end «h»ft* acter. They were saved thw tl«| might express Jesus. That wa* gospel. No other building* could ©w*i| pare with the chiirohce in their impe'Sf ance to the nation. They etood W.% virtue, righteousness, truth, and p«W# ity. He dkl not forget the shames *fl tho Churoh—its echieme, ite h«resiei,| its sin, its blood—but the JibertftS oqueJity and fraternity which tevoHHS tjonists had proclaimed m ram wU| boing iichieved by the Church, beoauiiv it taught that the brotherhood of nU* sprang from tho fatherhood of God.,'| The church was effectivery decoraw* j. and Miss Packer acted as organ!*? during the morning and evoning ••*» An "old-time" tea meeting Iβ to held on Tuesday evening, followed hf»j, meeting, at which the Rev. J. C., tin. prreidont of tho Baptist Union m, New Zealand, will be the .pnneiPHj speaker. Thrro will ho music by tMi combined choirs of three local churches.