ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7693, 19 July 1886, Page 6

ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE.

ST. THOMAS' CHURCH:: DEDICATION OP NEW BELL. A special service, for the purpose of dedicating the new bell, was held in St. Thomas' Church yesterday afternoon, when a very large congregation was present. It had been arranged that the Right Rev. the Bishop of Madagascar should be present as well as His Lordship the Bishop of the Diocese, but owing to the detention of the s.s. Australia the former did not arrive. The choir (thirty in number), clergy, and the Bishop entered the church singing hymn 395, and after the proper versicles and responses Psalms '29 and 150 were chanted, During the singing of hymn 297 the choir preceded the Bishop and clergy to the belfry, where his Lordship said the prayers of dedication and afterwards sounded a few strokes upon the bell. The hymn, "Lift it gently to the steeple," was then sung, and the procession returned to the chancel, the bell being meanwhile slowly ohimed. His Lordship then addressed those present. He said : " It is well that we should ask for God's blessing on the use that is to be made of our new church bell. It is by His ordering that our ears are so formed as to be pleasantly affeoted by the vibrations of its metal; and the sole purpose for which the bell has been placed where it is, is that God may be glorified by the lives of His people. one of us are so ignorant as to suppose that the bell itself, however sound and sweet-toned, will be benefited by the prayers we have now offered ; but we do believe that the bell may be used as a humble means of reminding us of God's existence and of our duty to him. The custom of riDging a bell to summon the people to public worship, is an ancient one in the Christian ohurch. It has existed for at least a thousand years. In the first days of Christianity, congregations had to meet for worship privately and by night, on account of the hostility of the heathen ; and then, of course, it was not possible to summon tbem to prayers by any musical sound. But after the conversion of Constantino, a happy change came to the position of Christian people, and they were at liberty to summon the congregation to worship as others were. We pray God to-day that a right use may be made of this bell. We pray that it may be rung only to announce gatherings-and events of whiafe God would approve. It might be thought, perhaps, that there is no fear of the bell being otherwise used, but this is not the case. In a large town in England, the oivil authorities once claimed the right to ring the church bells in honour of a great race meeting,- at which the honour of God was not at all uppermost in men's minds. The ringing of the toll will, £ trust, be a means of increasing the regularity and the punctuality of the congregation. Every work in connection with the Church should be done for God, and not for man only, So the bellringer will take pains in the performance of his duty, if be rings as for God's glory, to remind men that they have a Father in Heaven, to whom daily worship at home and in the congregation is ever due. If those who ring the bell remember this, they will take pains to be punctual in the discharge of their duty. Our new bell may almost be called the children's bell from the part they have taken in giving and collecting the funds with which it has been purchased. The success that has crowned their efforts in this undertaking will, I trust, encourage them to do their best in other works of even greater im-

portance in _ connection, with the church of the pariah. The Italian name for a bell is Campana, from the country in which bells are supposed to have been first made. It is there usual to erect bells ia & campanile or belfry, detached from the main building, as is yours here. Let none of our parents or other people bo like the bell In one respect — namely, that it calls our ohildren to enter the church, but eaters not itself. The bell is to supplement the efforts of parents and guardians in this matter, and not to be a substitute for them. May you all, dear children, have happy and encourag. ing associations connected with this bell as time goes on. May its sound remind you hereafter of days of innocence, when you accompanied your parents each Lord's Day to the bouse of God ; may it remind you of sins confessed to Him, and of resolutions of amendment formed ; and of the teachings of His Holy Word, whereby your feet may bo guided in the paths of righteousness. With the exception of the hymns, the music used was strictly Gregorian (Psalms 29 and 150 being taken to tones 5 and 8 respectively), and was heartily joined in by the congregation. The office concluded with hymn 379, and the benediction.

THE BISHOP OP MADAGASCAR

A large portion of the community were doomed to disappointment yesterday by the non-arrival of the Bishop through the delay of the steamer Australia at Napier, by which he was expected to have arrived either on Friday or Saturday. He, however, arrived la<t evening. He is to lecture to-night at a public meeting at St. Matthew's Schoolroom. In the morning, at St. Matthew's where the Bishop was expected to preach, the incumbent, after explaining his absence preached a practical sermon on Mission work, from a text taken from the Epistle for the day (Rom. viii. 19 ) •' The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God." He pointed out that the world was waiting for the completion of the kingdom, and that whilst the fields were white for harvest the labourers were few, and he urged all, if they could do no more, to pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to gather it in, making every individual creature a son of God. In the afternoon a very large number of children assembled in the church to hear the projected address of the Bishop, but the congregation were again doomed to disappointment. The Bishop of the Diocese, however, who was present, addressed tine children upon mission work, pointing out that it was carried out in various ways, instancing the medical mission in Cashmir. The usual evangelistic service was held last evening at the Theatre Royal There was a large attendance. The Rev. Thomas Spurgeon delivered an earnest and praotical address. The evangelists from C. H. Spurgeon's Pastors' College, London, Messrs. Mateer and Parker, conducted mission services at the Tabernacle yesterday. Excellent addresses were delivered by Mr. Mateer, and Mr. Parker sang a number of sacred solos, and presided at the organ. He was assisted by the choir. In the evening there could not have been leas than 1300 people present. The mission services of these gentlemen shortly close, being only to-night, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and will be held in the Tabernacle. The Sinalley mission services were continued yesterday at the Wesleyan Church, Devonport. In the morning Mrs Smalley and Mrs. Donald took part in the service, the Rev. R. H. Dews bury presiding. In the evening the Rev. Mr. Smalley preached an effective discourse There were good congregations at each service. It was announced at the Pitt-street Church on Sunday that the Rev. James Calvert might be expected to visit Auckland shortly, and that advantage would be taken of his presence to further the interests of Foreign missions. Mr. Calvert has been a Wesleyan minister 48 years. He spent many years as a missionary in Fiji, and is on his way to revisit the scene of his former labours after an absence of twenty years. The first annivesary services of the new Grafton Road Wesleyan Church were held yesterday, when there wore very large congregations at all the services. In the morning the Rev. T. Spurgeon (Baptist) occupied the pulpit, and took his text from Galatians ii. 21, "If righteousness come by the law then Christ is dead in vain." The reverend gentleman preached a very power* ful sermon. At the afternoon service the Rev. C. H. Garland, Ponsonby, presided, and took his text from the memorable words, ''For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son," &c., St. John's Epistle, ii. v. 16. The discourse was a very able and interesting one, and was listened to with marked attention. In the evening the church was again filled, and the pastor of the congregation delivered an impressive and well reasoned sermon, basing his remarks upon Deuteronomy xxix., v. 29. He made a protest against the exclusion of the Bible from the State schools, and said it cast a double duty upon the parents to train up their ohildren in its truths. The offertories for the day amounted to £15 5a 6d. The usual soiree will be held to-morrow night, followed by the public meeting, at which the addresses promise to be particularly interesting, and will be delivered by the following gentlemen—Rev. C. Worboys, "A Working Church;" Sir William Fox, "Some Needed Moral Reformsßev. C. H. Garland, "Singing in the Sanctuary and the Rev. J. S. Hill. "A Medley." Yesterday evening at St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Rev. Father Egan preached an eloquent sermon from the text, " Amen, amen, I say to you, unless your justice exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." The rev. gentleman dealt with the false and exterior piety so prevalent in the present day, aud which, he said, afforded a mark for tha attacks of the scoffer and the infidel. There was a large congregation present. The new cburoh at Maungaturoto, which has been erected to take the place of the building destroyed by fire in February of last year, was open for Divine service on Sunday last, with morning and evening services, Archdeacon Dudley officiating. Since the burning of the former church, services have been regularly held in the anteroom of the schoolhouse, Messrs. W. H. Snelling and J. B. Mason acting as lay readers in the absence of the clergyman, and the trustees of the Congregational Chnroh kindly lending their harmonium. Notwithstanding the inclement weather, fifty-four persons assembled to the morning service last Sunday, including visitors from Hakaru, Pahi, Paparoa, and the Homestead. The lessons were read by the lay readers. The organ was played by Mrs. Snelling. The music was hearty and good, and there were eighteen communicants. In the evening the congregation was small, many being kept away by the weather and the state of the roads. The collections "for building and church purposes," amounted to £3 6» 9d. The churob is a neat little structure, the main building being 36 feet in length by a width of 20 feet, porch and vestry (9 x 9) : being also provided. The workmanship is faithful throughout, and reflects the greatest credit on Mr. J. B. Mason, the builder. The donor of the site is Mr. W. H. Snelling, of Ashton, who, besides acting as lay reader and treasurer to the church, is the kind and genial host not only of the itinerating clergyman, but also of the many visitors who on special occasions pour in from tha surrounding districts. The members of the church committee are Messrs. W. Chadwin, C. Davis, F. Flemings, W. Huband, J. B. Mason, and W. H. Snelling.—^A Correspondent. J