REV. R. MKINNEY ONN ST. PATRICK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9242, 20 December 1888, Page 5

REV. R. MKINNEY ONN ST. PATRICK.

Our Mahurangi correspondent writes:—On Sunday last, the second monthly Sunday evening lecture was delivered in St. Coluraba's Presbyterian Church by the Rev. R. MeKinnoy, the subject being "St. Patrick." The rev. gentleman took for his text Hebrews xi. 3S, "Of whom the world was nob worthy," etc. The old Greek, Plato, and other old philosophers, were all laid under contribution in illustrating the life of the subject of the lecture, to whose birthplace Franco appeared to have the greatest claim, for although his place of birth wns claimed by Scotland and Ireland, the preponderance of the evidence was in favour of France. The date of his birth seemed to be the year 273, and no biography had been written till the 17th century, although very brief ones had been written previously, including one, very brief indeed, by himself, written in bad Latin, which had been found useful to critics. Prominent among those published recently was that found in the " History of the Church in Ireland," published a short time ago by the Rev. Dr. Killem, of Belfast. The saint's captivity in Ireland, his subsequent liberation through a dream or vision, were alluded to, and descanted on. His labours in Ireland, and his knowledge of the customs of tho country, and his taking advantage of the minstrelsy of the country to propagate tho Gospel, his own adventure at Tara, were all noted, and an interesting lecture was concluded by quotation of the Saint's Hymn, and those words, "There is extant a creed formulated by him. Creeds were in existence at a very early period of the Church's history, and this that I quote is the greater part of St. Patrick's : —' There is none other God, nor ever was, nor shall be hereafter, except God the Father, unbegotten, Avithout beginning, from whom is all beginning, upholding all things; and His Son, Jesus Christ, whom we acknowledge to have been always with the Father before the beginning of the world, and by Him were made things visible and invisible, : and having made man, and having overcome death, He was received into heaven unto the Father. And the Father hath given unto Him all power above every name, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and God. Whom we believe, and we look for His coming ; who is soon about to be judge of quick and dead; who will render unto every man according to his works ; whom we confess and worship—one God in the Trinity of the sacred name.' The power of God, the might of God, and the wisdom of God, which St. Patrick invoked when he went up to Tara to convert King Laughaire, were no doubt granted to the good saint, and according to some resulted in the conversion of the monarch. But this is somewhat questionable. I mean that King Laughaire really became a Christian. An exhortation to his hearers to follow in the old Saint's footsteps concluded the lecture.