BAPTISH CHURCH

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13663, 4 September 1916, Page 2

BAPTISH CHURCH

ANNIVERSARY SERVICES. i _ Anniversary services in connection with the Baptist Church were celebrated yesterday. The Itev. J.' J, North of Cliristclmrcli, a former minister of the Church was the preacher, and there were good congregations at ail the services. '

In the morning Mr North preached on the subject of "The Behold of Faith" taking his text frojn Galatians vi, 10, In the afternoon Mr North addressed the scholars of the Sunday school, there being also present a good number of parents and friends. The title of the sermon-object-lesson was "Aweto: a bush tragedy with a moral," The preacher explained that "Aweto" was the Maori name for a caterpillar found in Hauraki forests, a specimen of tho caterpillar being exhibited. The natural evolution of the caterpillar to the butterfly was explained, and also the resultant death and decay of the catlerpillar if through misfortune it came in contact with a certain fungus in the forests, which was the natural enemy of the caterpillar, The speaker applied thc : lesson for the scholars, and said that while the natural development of life led to the beautiful and to the useful, contact with sin, which was the great enemy of men, would, if persisted in, destroy life,

In the evening there was a large congregation and Mr North spoke on the subject of "Lot's Choice." The preacher prefaced his discourse by saying that men were divisible into classes, and though many divisions had been attempted the most fruitful wa3. the division into terms of tendency. All men moved either up or down, It was more satisfactory than a division into good or bad, though ultimately that would be the great division, In the meantime men were on the way and were pitching their tents towards eitli*f/ Sodom or Jerusalem. Lot's chokl) of the tropic valley of Jordan in preference to the vigorous uplands 1 was an illuminating instance of the division of men by the terms of tendency. The preacher proceeded to poiut out that as to Lot so before every man lay the great choice, and those who followed Lot Would find as he hail found, that an empty land was before him, and the following apt quotation was given:— "To every man there oponeth A highway or a low, And every man decidcth The way his soul shall go."

M'r North, continuing, said a poor man could choose a gay life as surely as could a rich man—the one did so in pence, the other in pounds. Any man could be studious, and for sixpence a man could buy a masterpiece or "Deadwood Dick. '■!. The choice made by men lay between large alternatives. '"But the supreme question," saidthcpreaelier "is not where we are but which way we are moving."

Two reasons, said Jlr North, governedLot's choice, Firstly, the way to easy; it was the line of least ersi'stauce, Life in the valley offered relief from vigorous toil. Dead things always took such a line—a man, if lie wouid be a man dare noli! Sin was the only supremely easy thing. Would any man, asked the preacher, in such times as the present, when the nation's manhood was (oiling in the trendies, fool away force and purity in easy sin '} The second reason for the choice of Lot, was its popularity. Sodom wits the gayest place in the country, and the move towards that place suited everything but conscience. But Lot staved oft', the demands, of conscience with weakpro- , mises. Lot never meant to go to Sodom, but nevertheless he got there.' And such had been the case with men who had never intended to become drunkards, adulterers, or wasters, but they got there because they "pitched to wards Sodom."

Concluding, Mr North said the best piece of good news that had ever come to, the world was that Jesus Christ went through, the Sodom Valley On his way to Jerusalem.. 'And He still marched through the scenes of human failure, offering men healing, hope and leadership, (ill they should reach not Sodom, but Jerusalem, The anniversary will be continued on Tuesday evening when a public tea and meeting will be held in the church. The Rev. J. J. North, and other speakers will address the meeting and there will also be a programme of music,