THE RELIGIOUS WORLD

Evening Star, Issue 10808, 17 December 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE RELIGIOUS WORLD

DUNEDIN CITY MISSION

At the monthly meeting of committee held on Wednesday last, Mr William Hutchison (in absence of Mr Thomson) in the chair, the following were the chief items of business transacted:

Mr Rosevear (hon. treasurer) reported the following donations, etc., for the past month : Knox Church, £4 4s 7d ; " Mother's Gratitude," 20s; Kokonga, ss; C.T., 10s; Friends of ihe Children, £5; A Widow's Offering. 10s : A Member of Committee, £5 ; Russell street Hall, 25s 6d; Friends of the Mission, £3 ; Friend, ss. : The Missionary reported that his visits had included aged, po'or, sick, dying people iu differui, t parts of the City. In some cases no ministw <- missionary calls except himself, and his visits, the reading of Scripture, and prayer are greatly appreciated. Many of the people are over seventy, and eighty, and even ninety, and are not able to go to any church or chapel. In very few cases is there extreme poverty, and scarcely any persons are completely overlooked or neglected.

The Sunday evening service at Russell street Mission Hall continues to be most en couraging. Large numbers attend, and kind words often reach the missionary as to real good being done amongst the old and the young. Since last meeting of Committee we gave to the young people who have helped in the singing at Russell street a complimentary tea, and to their parents and friends a ma«ic lantern and musical entertainment. Through the liberality of sympathisers, no charge fell upon our mission funds.

In addition to the daily visitation already mentioned, the State school Bible classes, and Sunday services, he had assisted in services, etc. j at Kew, Mornington, Kaikorai, Baptist Church, and the Church of Christ, Stuart street, Dunedin. The Bible classes (third session) in' State schools were closed with large attendances : High street, 184 ; Union street, 122 ; Albany street, 135; George street, 117; Arthur street, 142. In all cases the school committees were represented, and grateful thanks accorded the City Mission and' its agent for Bible instruction. Many warm friendships have been formed, and the voting people showed their appreciation by nice useful gifts to the missiohary. For the year High street gave an average attendance ot 153, Albany street 120, Arthur street 113, George street 101, and Union street 93. These figures show a weekly average of 580, and for every working day 116. In addition to thousands of leaflets, booklets, periodicals, Testaments, Bibles, etc., I was in a position, through the help of friends, to give away nearly 1,000 pretty Christmas and prize cards amongst mv young friends. The work has been very delightful. Once again the Committee and their agent express their sincere thanks to all kind helpers.

A BEAUTIFUL PRAYER,

Our London correspondent writes : A Sydney lady wrote me some little time ago asking for a copy of the beautiful family praver Robert Lcuis Stevenson used at Vailiilfi. I had quoted it in my ' Literary Notes' some months previously, but could not at Ihe moment recall the date. It is now given below, and will be found in a little volume called * Great Souls at Prayer,' just published by James Bowden. The book also contains some of the finest prayers of James Martineau, Jeremv Taylor, and the Saints. I

am bound, however, to say I think Stevenson's far the finest of them all: "We beseech Thee, Lord, to behold ns with favor, folk of many families and nations gathered together in the peace of this roof, weak men and women subsisting under'the covert of Thy patience. He patient still; suffer us yet a while longer, with our broken purpose of good, with our idle endeavors against evil—suffer us a while longer to endure and. (if it may be) help us to do better. Bless to us our extraordinary mercies; if the day come when these must be taken, brace us to play the man under affliction. Be with our friends, be with ourselves. Go or each of ns to rest; if any awake, temper to them the dark hours of watching ; and whqu the day dawns return to us, our Sun aitd Comforter, and call us up with morning faces and with morning hearts—eager to laboreager to be happy, also strong to resist, patient to endure, resolute to persevere. Amen." BISHOP CREIGHTON ON THE RESURRECTION. About a thousand doctors, in their robes, attended a service at St. Paul's, London, on October 19, at the invitation of the Guild of St. Luke the Physician. The Bishop of London was the preacher. He contended that the true view of the human body was overlooked for many ages. The body was despised as something essentially degraded, because men were ignorant of its real powers, functions, and connection with their permanent self. The conception of self, the conception even of soul and spirit, could not be realised apart from the body. There was a time when science rather mocked at the possibility of a resurrection of the mortal frame; but that, the bishop thought, was changed. At least he had heard of a great biologist saying that if there was a resurrection it must be a resurrection of the body. It was impossible to conceive of the body and spirit existing without one another. That being so, what a marvellous prospect was open to the medical man. He might say that the marks of his skill were stamped on certain human frames, to be carried by them into eternity. This might seem imaginative, but the doctor who took such a view would feel a higher sense of responsibility. The Archbishop of York says that there never was a time in the history of the Church of England when more good sermons were preached, in the best sense of the word, than at the present day.