THE INSTALLATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1147, 7 June 1911, Page 6

THE INSTALLATION.

AN INTERESTING SERVICE

THE BISHOP'S SERMON. Tho installation of the new Bishop of Wellington (tho Right li.ev. T. H. Sprott) was'marked by a'solemn and impressive service in St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral last evening. There was a crowded congregation. When the procession of Bishops and clergy had reached the choir, the newly-consecrated Bishop uttered, in ringing '.tones, the form ol words in which ho claimed the episcopal seat. The certificate of consecration was then read by tho Chancellor of the Diocese (Mr. T. I'. Martin). The Bishop made the promises prescribed- for the -occasion, and'was enthroned by the Commissary (Archdeacon Fancourt), who also placed the pastoral staff in his hands'. This completed tho installation. . .

Tho prayers which followed were intoned by the Rev. E.'.J. Sola, of- Bulls. The first lesson, was read by Archdeacon Jacob, and the second by Archdeacon Harper (St. Peter's, Wellington). The musical portion of the. service was directed by Mr. Robert Parker, arid the duties of organist were shared by Dr. Kington I'yffe and Mr. Lawrenco Watkins. Tho choirs of the three city churches were combined for the occasion, and were joined by a few members of suburban choirs.' ~ . , .

Bishop Sprott'preached from the words, "Love the brotherhood" (1 Peter, 11, 17). He said he wished to toll, his friends how. grateful' , he-Was for thV'mauy messages, of goodwill and assurances of prayer on his behalf which ho had received during tho last few days. He was realising, as never before, how great was the office in which.'he had been installed—grtat in its responsibilities, ;its difficulties, its opportunities. He was also beginning to realise how bravely his three predecessors had met those difficulties, how nobly they had discharged thdso responsibilities, how wisely they had risen to those opportunities. He could..not hope to rival them. ' It would-be'enough if ho conld do his work, as faithfully and honestly as they did theirs; and for this he would need tho prayers of Christian people. Ho did not propose, to -put before them at present.any programme of diocesan work. Ho must know the diocese better before he could embark, or ask his people to embark, on any new scheme. Indeed, he thought there was no great urgency in that regard, because he had received the diocese so well equipped from his predecessor that his immediate task must, be to maintain, if he could, 'the-work that was already going on rather than to inaugurate anything new. SPIRIT OF BROTHERHOOD. { no would prefer to speak on what he :fcll:'more and more should bo kept.in •view in all the organisation and work of tho Church, namely tho strengthening of the common feeling and spirit of brotherhood among tho working and worshipping member? of the Church. . He w.a-s not hinting at any disunion in the diocese. To do so would be to suggest what was oniphatically not true. Not the kiist of the services dono him by his predecessor was that he had passed on' |to him: a united diocese. Tho usual varieties of churchmanship were to be found here, but had never hardened into parties. • The spirit of brotherhood was especially needed in view of the circumstances that surrounded' the Church everywhere to-day. The Christian ideal of life no longer remained Unchallenged. There had long been scepticism as to the Christian revelation, but.the.Church now had also to-face scepticis'm as to t'ho morality taught in that revelation. He referred to materialistic Socialism—a very different thing from the Socialism that was confessedly dnr.wn from Chtistianity-to tho glorification of strife and contempt for Christian morality which were taught by Nietzsche, and to the revival of pagan ideals of life. There was some-truth in all these teachings, but 'they were false and were in sharp antagonism to the Christian ideal, which insisted that man was made for God and could not rest finally except in God, and that human hopes and interests could not be confined to this world. In order to withstand the drift towards such theories as he had referred to, it was imperative that those who held tho Christian ideal should be closely drawn together in the spirit of brotherhood. In the early Church, the Bishops were specially. charged with tho maintenance of this social unity, and it was that which brought the episcopal office, which, he believed had existed from the first, into the prominence it had ever since retained. He did not think that in the present circumstances of the Church there was any moro urgent task for a ißishop than just to help to deepen tho feeling of brotherhood among the Chris,tian people. In this work he asked the prayers and help of his parish priests and the lay members of the Church. •The'concluding prayer was said by the Acling-Primato and the benediction was pronounced by Bishop Sprott.

I This morning there will bo a celebration of the Holy Communion at 8.30 o'clock at St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral," after which' the new Bishop will entertain tho clergy at breakfast, at the Hotel Cecil. Following upon that will bo an addTess by the Bishop to the clergy in tho Pro-Cathedral at 10.30 o'clock.