"IS THERE NOT A CAUSE?" '

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 907, 29 August 1910, Page 6

"IS THERE NOT A CAUSE?" '

CANON IVENS AT ST. PAUL'S. : Notwithstanding the very rough weather which prevailed last night, a large congregation assembled at, St. Paul's Anglican pro-Cathedral, Mulgrave Street;, when the sermon was preached by Canon Ivens, one of the missionors who arrived from England last week. It was not tho opening of the mission, for that will not commence in AVellington till tho beginning of October; but tho subject of tho sermon was, "The .Mission: A Call froni God," uud the preacher explained the objects, scope,' and methods of the coming mission. The 'vico'r of St.. Paul's said thn prayers, and the Bishop of AVellington Wallis) read the lessons ami pronounced the - bcni'dictioUi ■ -in addition to the ordinary service for Evening Prayer a short Litany was said,, consisting of confession of sin, petitions for this mission, and thanksgiving. Canon,] veus preached a very impressive sermon,'which • was listened to with intense interest by tho congregation. .He spoke practically without notes, and made, his points clearly,' forcibly, and with great earnestness. It was a simple ana direct address. Ho stated that-it would be gross impertinence for him, after-hav-. -ing been only four days in tho Dominion, to attempt to state the special tendencies and shortcomings of its people; but there were certain great tendencies of tho, age, common, ho believed, both to the Mother Country and her daughter States. There was, for instance, what might bo called the materialistic view of things—not open hostility to religion so much, perhaps, as neglect of the higher aspects of life. People were inoro careless regarding spiritual matters. All the tendencies of modern life were not, however, badfar from it. Life was probably more interesting in many ways, and there wus' moro kindliness among men; but in the reaction- of the old puritanical' Sabbath, there was a tendency to neglect Sunday observance altogether. So, when. pcoplo asked, "AVhat it the. good of this mission?'- . "AVhy not-let us go on in the old quiet ways?" he would answer in the words of .David, "Is there not a causo?" ■ There was. need to arouse tho careless, to bring back the wanderer, to convert the sinner, and to make thoso who were professing Christians better Christians. He was convinced that more people were- hindered from accepting Christianity by the lives of those who went to church than by any other cause. It was not. so much tho actual, sins of churchgoers, as their failuro to' attain to a higher level of character, than people who made ,no profession of' Christianity. l , They must, by their lives, let the .world see that thoir religion was something very real to them. All of those present could'do -something for the coming mission, in tho first place by. forsaking their own sins and becoming bettor Christians. Then again, all could help-by their prayers. Men of science now recognised that there were powers around us, which no scienco could measure, and ■' many people knew from their own experience that God heard and answered -prayer. God was. now speaking to. them all, and calling upon them to prepare for His visitation during the coming mission. "My son, . My daughter,". God said, "give me thino heart."- Canon Ivens concluded with an earnest appeal to those present to listen and respond "to this voice of God. v It was throughout an earnest, struightfor-. ward evangelistic address. Mr. Sprott requested .all. men and women in the parish who were ready to help in preparing for the mission to meet him .at the vicarage on Thursday evening next, September 1. , ■ , ■