THE CHURCHES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 747, 21 February 1910, Page 6

THE CHURCHES.

DEFENCE ACT" APPROVED. ; Members of the "Wellington Highland ltiiles mustered strongly under Captain M'Diarmid and' Lieutenant Willis to at-; tend: service at St; James's Presbyterian Church, . Wellington ' South, . yesterday morning.. Chaplain-Major the Rev. "WShirer preached an appropriate sermon, taking Joshua as his subject. At tho conclusion of. the sermon he referred to. the new Defence Act which coines into operation on March 1. • The numerical strength of, the volunteers' an January 31, lie said, was, 22,400 of all ranks,- the highest total' ever reached 'in:,the history, of volunteering in New Zealand. Volunteering had never been in a. better state of efficiency. To' volunteers the introduction of', tho' new system' I 'would mean simply, a. transfer, an. automatic . change,. which would bring increased numbers, increased usefulness, and increased public safety.: The new Act . recognised the universal obligation to train for national defence. Christian Churches had an opportunity ,to ,do- .their duty, : not by standing aside ill. a critical spirit, but by lending a helping hand. Warm approval was. expressed of the previsions: of .the.'Act-in regard ,to intoxicating liquor. - - . . ,

DR. TUDOR JONES'S FAREWELL. : , The Unitarian Church in:lngestreStreet was crowded to tho doors, last night, when the Rev, Dr. -Tudor-Jones preached' his' farewell sermon. His address took 1 the form of a-vigorous, yet closely reasoned, plea for "liberal" religion; and' in the course ofi it lie referred witji satisfaction to the growth: of the Unitarian body -in Wellington., The otiier ministers of Welilington, he said, had either failed to understand the' significance 'of "liberal".' religion or had ignored it,, he would not say which. Administer would never learn wliat was' going 'on in the world ' of thought if he remained all. his, life in England,. or in any: ono country. ' The minister whose experience was limited to New Zealand,, or to New' Zealand and Australia, could never know what , was tho treirtj of free and "liberal" religion. He. must go to the old countries 0f... the world. At the. same time he wished to say, to . the credit of his congregation, that it had been one of the best lessons in his life to come from one of the old countries .to this new country. He-had learned a great deal in their midst which, would be useful to him in after days. In urging the clairiis of "liberal" religion, Dr. Tudor Jones, declared: "We have: no light to live on th'e ideas of'our ancestors." The men. of. ; the past had had to work out their theories of life, and the present generation' should do the same. God was revealing Himself now in' the samo way as He had always been. It was' a weakness-of New, Zealanders, Dr. Tudor Jones said, that they-were afraid of their emotions, afraid of feeling strongly, of plunging deeply into thoughts of things. This weakness must-bo' 1 overcome if a great nation was to l>e developed. At the conclusion of Dr. Tudor Jones's sermon tho Rev. Mr. Meadowcroft, announced by him as a representative of the great Congregational body briefly addressed the congregation. Sit.; Meadowcroft had previously preached at another service, and on its-conclusion drove to the Unitarian Church in, a-cab in time to speak after Dr., Tudor. Jones, . ', i

Harvest thanksgiving services were held' at. Trinity Methodist .Church, Newtown, and the Thorndon ': Primitive, Mothodist Chm-oli yesterday. . -