ANGLICAN CHURCH

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1180, 1 December 1924, Page 3

ANGLICAN CHURCH

CONFIRMATION SERVICES. The annual confirmation services m connection with tlie Anglican Churches of Palmerston North and Rongotea were held yesterday, the Bishop of Wellington, the Rev. Dr. Sprott, ofliciating. At Terrace End in the morning, the vicar, Rev. Air Abbott, presented 2b candidates, when His Lordship delivered a most inspiring address. His remarks were based upon the text from I. John, 3rd chapter, Ist verse: “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the children ol God.’’ No doubt, “he reminded the candidates, during their preparation lessons they had been learning that they were the children of God. This was the great revelation or message that God had brought to them. Those to be confirmed had come there that' morning to renew their baptismal vows —made on their behalf if baptised when infants, or by themselves if baptised in later years, and lie wished to point out to them a few tilings appropriate to the occasion. The first was prayer, and they could not live as children of God ought to unless they prayed. “Prayer,” said the speaker, “is •siniply speaking to God,” and he proceeded to show that people who do not pray to God were like those in a home of which the occupants did not speak to each other. Another thing their Father wanted them to be as children of God was to bo respected and to help their brothers and sisters in this parish—in other words, live a useful, helpful and serviceable life. Such a life was that of the children of God. Jesus Christ was the perfect Son of God and He lived on earth the perfect life the children of God ought to live. The Son of God came to minister, not to he ministered unto. Minister simply meant to serve, so Christ came to render service, even to the extent of laying down His life. He came not to have people dance attendance upon Him, but to render service, and that, He told His disciples, was the lines on which to live as children of God and citizens of God’s Kingdom. The third thing was that God wanted His children to make the most of their lives—to take, a high and serious view of them. “God has bestowed on you and me the very beautiful and wonderful gifts of body and mind; He has bestowed the very wonderful and marvellous gift of life itself. The voice of our Father in Heaven speaks to us in the wonderful gifts of body and soul and mind which He bestows. The gift itself is the voice from the Father.”

The fourth thing was for them to be pure in thought, word and deed. “We live in a world full of temptations,” said the preacher in urging them tube pure in thought and deed. “There is one law of life which we ought to learn early and remember always. It is: As we think, so we are. It means this: Our path and our character are shaped by our thoughts,” said Dr. Sprott. In the study of psychology and the power of suggestion, one thing they learned was that, in their thoughts, was a tendency to lead them to do something. It was true that many thoughts never led them to do anything. In their minds at some time or another were conflicting thoughts which hindered one another so that nothing came of them. Nevertheless, there was the tendency in their thoughts to lead them to do something, and it was important to remember that. If a thought was bad, the act was bad; if the thought was good, then the act was good. They must learn the power of control over their thoughts, for they could not prevent certain thoughts coming into their heads. The value of the power of attention was stressed by the preacher who urged that this should bo learnt in life. It ought to be the great aim of the teaching in schools to train the mind to the power of attention.

The fifth thing was that their Father in Heaven wanted them as children of God to love Him. Just as a mother desired the love of her children, so did the Heavenly Father want the love of His. Many good, earnest Christian people wanted to live as their Father m Heaven desired them, yet shrank from saying they loved God. They did not feel that they did love God and it worried them. The speaker pointed out how they had no power to create a feeling; no power directly by act of the will to make themselves think anything. And this was true in regard to the feeling of love. He could not say that he would love God and by act proceed to do so. There was no use worrying about it. Did they not start at the wrong end? “God my Father inHeaven loves me” was what they should say. “He will give me great happiness and joy in life. Nobody can be entirely unhappy.” As St. John said: “Welove God because He loves us.” In conclusion Dr. Sprott said the things he had outlined were the basis of the Christian life. They could not live it perfectly at once, but there were many tilings they could do to make themselves worthy as children of God, and he urged them to be the children of God their Father wanted them to be. AT ALL SAINTS.

There were 101 candidates presented for confirmation at All Saints’ Church in the evening, the service being most impressive. Dr Sprott, in addressing the candidates, dwelt on the significance and beauty of the Communion service, stressing the spiritual responsibilities that confirmation conferred upon them. He spoke at length on the need and vuluo of prayer and urged them all to reconsecrate themselves to the service of Christ. AT RONGOTEA. Eighteen candidates were presented at Rongotea in the afternoon when the Bishop also addressed the congregation on the sacred nature of the confirmation service and the comfort and beuuty of Communion.