A DAY OF PLAYER

Evening Star, Issue 16625, 7 January 1918, Page 7

A DAY OF PLAYER

THE KING'S PROCLAMATION. , f In accordance' with the proclamation isli.ed' by His' Majesty the King, the churches in Dunedin and suburbs observed yesterday as a day of special prayer and thanksgiving. ■ FIRST. At First Church tho King's proclama,tioa was read at both services, and' the ,'National Anthem was sung morning" and ■ evening. The hymns chosen were appropriate, , and special intercessions were offered. At the morning service the Rev. Graham H. Balfour book for his text; "Father, gtforify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying : I have both glorified it. and will glorify it again. The people therefore that stood by and heard it said that it thundered, others oo'o-.™ fl ? gd spake *° mm " (John *"•' 28-29). In concluding his address the preacher, Said : We are to look beyond the secular to the' divine meaning of this struggle. We thank God for .the principles that governed our nation when it entered the war. Le.t us see to. it that we maintain them right through to the end. "e Manic, God ' for our present position, notwithstanding reverses and disappointment. We thank Him, too, for the spirit of service and sacrifice among so many of our people. At the same time, we have to, acknowledge that there has been' and is nnich amiss. The latest totalisator figures are an ugly revelation. And many nre still saying of Him who is the supreme gift of God: "We will not have this man to reign over us."- God punishes, but in wrath Ho remembers'mercy. He chastens His .people for their profit. He is summoning .us "-to-day to a better life and 'higher tasks. Let us not despise -the summons. . There was a very large congregation in the evening, when Mr Balfour preached on the subject 'How to Face the Future.' <■ ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL.

The special services of intercession began :-'.'.at 8 a.m., when Canon Nevill took the Celebration. The roll of honor was recited, and also the roll of the fallen, and special collects of intercession were used. At 11 the_ service began with the King's Proclamation, morning prayer, ■ with special collects and psalms. The anthem 'Arm,: Arm, Ye Brave,' from * Judas Maccabams,' was finely rendered by Mr W. J., Oaten. There was an excellent congregation for the holidays, a"nd somo members of the council were present. The Primate preached from 2 Kings xviii., 1-4. His Lordship said the lesson to be learned from tho present struggle was that the exclusive pursuit of sectional .inteTets, whether on the scale of nations or of classes, was contrary to the highest good and prone to result in ■ruin : to the separated circle . itself. The , interests of humanity was a greater thing than the interests of a nation or a class. Mankind wanted a lifting up to a wider ■ view thaji could be got in the limited circle of merely earthly irrrcrandings, and, •being drawn iip to God, man wa-s drawn out of his narrow circle of separations into the warm area of love, in which there was neither Jew nor Greek, barbarian nor -Scythian, bond nor free—an area in which local objects and restrictive motives gave place to the interweaving of alii the attributes of God and man and the harmonies of angels_ in a regenerated world. TheTe were special collects and an appropriate anthem. 'Arm. "Arm, Ye Brave' was sung by Mr W. T. Oaten, with fine effect. There was a very large congregation, and at the end -of the service the National Anthem was sung. In the evening Canon Nevill, preaching from Luke ii., 21 ("His name was called .' Jesus."), said that King George had called his people-to pray/ior the success of their efforts, but it was prayer to the God of when the Kaiser invoked the " old German God," but never spoke a word of Christ at all. All through the war the Germans had done their worst to destroy the emblems of Christianity, the great cathedrals past, and even the Pope himself had" been driven to protest against their attacks on the cathedrals of Italy. eW were fighting for Christianity to-day, and what Christ meant. Before the war German professors—and English professors, too, like Cheyne, who professed to admire Germans—had in their

own estimation destroyed the Bible alto- | gether; had "simply turned it into a bundle of useless- records without any spiritual meaning or. purpose. Was that all, then, that they had destroyed? No; it meant far more than this, tl meant that if their Bible was destroyed, the peace and purity of their home life went with it; there was no sanction for peace, for purity, for the faithfulness of a man to his wife, for the moral cleanness of, a young man, for anything. One of the proofs of this was the fact that in Germany before the war the churches were empty, because the socalled scientific study of the Bible had turned the people into heathens. TRINITY.

The subject chosen by the Rev. TV. Arthur Hay at Trinity . Church was ' Isaiah's Commission,' which, the preacher said, contained a, most unpalatable message. If we ha<i not the spiritual capacity to understand what God was saving and meaning to-day, we might hope" for nothing save disaster. The message was to the nation. The critical burden of the prophet's cry was the relation of the nation to God, morally and spiritually, and to consider our national attitude to God and divine things. The message of the past four years was to the masses—four

years of judgment for previous life of easy tolerant attitude to spiritual aspects. ' Still there was the unspiritual temper on the' part of the people. Our period had been marked by an ominous loosening of moral and religious bonds in society in all grades. We had not yet really related all tliis steange work to God, but reckoned it was the result of a period of softening and slackening of moral tissues. The promise of survival and revival was to those with ■uplifted gaze to God. An inspiring serviceconcuded with the singing of 'O God, Our Help in Ages Past,' and the National Anthem. HANOVER BAPTIST. At the Hanover Street Baptist ChuTch the King's message was read by the Rev. Afred North, a former pastor of the church. After emphasising the special fitness of the message at the present time, llt North, referred to the fact that many people were somewhat surprised that the day was set apart as one of prayer and thanksgiving only, and not also as a day of humiliation. He stated that, however great might be our national sins and weaknesses, yet so far as our entrance into this war and our conduct towards our. enemies in the prosecution of the war. were concerned, we had no need at all . for humiliation. It was a matter of conscience and honor, freedom and life, : and for that reason we might' with all confidence endorse this message. If we were - on God's sido, the issue was assured, and indications were not wanting that an overruling power had intervened and stayed the overwhelming forces of the enemy .in the eurly days of the war. THE.SYNAGOGUE. The Rov. M. Diamond's text was from Psalm xciv., 14-15:. "For the Lord will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake his inheritance. But judgment shall return to righteousness, and air the upright in heart shall follow it." Referring to the German indifference at the suffering of their victims, Mr Diamond pointed out the absurdity of the often repeated German aim to save the world.' Those who torture the bodies or souls of their fellow-men are enemies of Heaven, . and not the sons of God. They may grow rich and mighty, but all that is ephemeral. Tho end of ill-gotten gains is invariably disappointment and sorrow, It is unfortunately true that the .innocent-often suffer because of the guilty, but their godly life and their faith in a righteous and just God chser and strengthen them in their temporary trials. They bend, but do not break—nay, they become more elastic and fit to resist sudden storms. At the conclusion of his address Mr Diamond read,the. follow- - ing prayer:-—"Almighty God, grant, we implore Thee," that the coming year may see the end of this fearful struggle, which saps the vitality of the ■ human race and brings untold suffering to millions of Thy ■ earthly children, who fear Thy name and strive to understand and abide by that which is true and eternal. We recognise how shallow.is our wisdom, and how far from rignteous are our lives.) Thou alone art able to foresee the future and the end

of all things. Grant us heart* •of flesh i that we may love who are created in Thy holy image, and give us true understanding, so that all peoples may adjust by it their differences, which Vill enable them to live side by side in mutual fraternal regard." MORAY PLACE CHURCH. In the morning the National Anthem was sung, tho King's proclamation was read, and prayer offered for King and country. In the evoning national hymns were sung, short passages of Scripture read, and prayers offered, all having reference to the various departments of interest in the great struggle for honor and freedom and right, our Army and Navy, airmen and sailors, our young men at the front, and those responsible for ordering the affairs of the nation. Tho preacher (Rev. W. S. Fernie) took for his text Lev. xviii., 17, showing the noed for persistent, believing prayer. CHURCH OF CHRIST. The request of His Majesty tho King was read in tho Tabernacle, and the Empire's need of the Divine power and help was presented in the course of the prayers at both services. During the morning Mr S- G. Griffith said : We must face the fact that, while might was might, right was mightier, and th#t that individual or that nation was stronger which had the inightv power of omnipotent God. Nations had risen up and been turned down just In proportion as they had been true or false to the ideals of truth and justice, and he thought tjjat even now, while the war cloud hovered very low and darkly over our heads, we had every reason to enter mto the optimism of the. Prime, Minister of the British realm, who hopefully of the issues that were now before us. SALVATION ARMY. In the morning and evening intercessory services were conducted by Adjutant Smith and Ensign Birks. These were devotional m character, and were engaged in by large numbers of the soldiers and congregation. The special meeting.at night was well attended. . Tho senior local officers led the congregation in prayer, followed by the audience unitedly joining in repeating the Lord's Prayer. Sergeant Frank Raper. who arrived home on Tuesday invalided from France, was present, and addressed the meeting. Junior Sergeant-major Hughson read the Bible lesson and addressed the meeting on the necessity of having faith ln God, enlarging upon""" the fact that after all the ability, wisdom, and courage of our naval and military operations, as a first and last resource, on account of our belief in the righteousness of our cause, we could appeal to God as the "God of Battles," and have confidence in His bringing in the day of lasting peace for the nations. The proclamation of the King for the intercessory Sunday was read, as also tho appeal from the Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister of Internal Affairs. ST. ANDREW'S. At St. Andrew's Church both services were conducted by Dr Rutherford WaddeH, M.A., who preached in the morning on ' The Secret of Power,' and in the evening on 'The Method of Its Realisation.' The King's call to national prayer was read, and the hymns and prayers had special reference to the . present crisis and national dependence upon the help and mercy of God. ■ ST. MATTHEW'S. At all services, which were very largely attended, the specially-authorised prayers, etc., were used. The Holy Eucharist at 11 was the special intercession service, that heing. (as the mission to New Zealand in 1910 taught), the Church's great prayer meeting. The preacher was the Rev. Canon Curzon-Siggers, M.A. KNOX. The Rev. R, Evan Davies was the preacher at Knox- Church at both morning and evening services. „ Dr Dunlop and Mr G. 3VI. Thomson assisted in the devotional exercises. The King's proclamation was | read ,and appropriate hymns were sung, each service! concluding with the National Anthem. ALL SAINTS'. At All Saints' Church, after the opening hymn, the King's proclamation was read, the congregation standing, and then followed the National Anthem. The service of prayer and intercession used had beon authorised by the Primate for the churches of the Dunedin diocese. The preacher was the Yery Rev. the Dean, his text being " And I saw Heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and" in righteousness he doth judge and make/war." METHODIST CENTRAL MISSION. Special war intercessory services were held at the Methodist Central Mission in the Octagon Ha»l. In the morning the text was taken from Psalm, cvii.. 28. the subject being ' Prayer as an Ally,' and in the evening from Exodus xiv., 15": "Speak unto the people that' they go forward." The preacher was the Rev. C. Eaton. HOLY CROSS, ST. KILDA.

Special war intercession services were held in the Holy Cross Church, St. Kilda. Holy Communion was celebrated at 8 a.m., and there v.-as a choral celebration at 11 o'clock, there being a large number of communicants "at both services. In the evening the special form of prayer authorised by the Most Reverend the Primate was used. There was a very large congregation, extra seating accommodation having to be provided. Included in the congregation were the majority of the St. Kilda councillors. The vicar, the Rev. A. Wingfield, gave an impressive and suitable address on the lessons to be learned from the war. ROSLTN PRESBYTERIAN.

There were large congregations at Roslyn Presbyterian Church, and the building was tastefully decorated with flowers and the New Zealand flag. The preacher was the Rev. W. Gray Dixon.