REV. G. C. GRUBBS MISSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8882, 19 May 1892, Page 6

REV. G. C. GRUBBS MISSION.

I The Rev. Geo. Carlton Grubb, M.A., and J party, arrived yesterday by the e.g. Mana- ! pouri from Gisborne. The members of the I party with him are Mr. and Mrs. Millard ! Mr. Eubank, who have worked in the Chinese Inland Mission, and Mr. Robison. There are four other members of the party, but they are conducting evangelistic service? elsewhere. On the arrival of the Manapouri Mr. Grubb was met by Mr. W. H. Smith, of the firm of Smith and Caughey, and was driven by that gentleman to his residence, Ponsonby. It appears that Mr. Smith sent him an invitation to be his guest while in Auckland some days before he received that of Bishop Cowie, and having accepted it, he was precluded from accepting the later one, but he spent part of the day yesterday with the Bishop at Bishopscourt, Parnell. Mr. Grubb is a native of Tipperary, and 36 years of age, and was educated in Waterford, Clifton, and at Morat College, Switzerland, entered Trinity College, Dublin, and graduated in 1879. He laboured in Limerick and in Kerry till ISSo, and accepted jwsition of missioncr to the Church of Ireland Home Mission. In ISS7 he worked for the Church Missionary Society, and visited their stations in India in company with his friend Colonel Oldham, U.K. He has been twice in India, three times in Ceylon, once at the Cape, and twice in the Australasian colonies. The Grubb party conducts evangelistic services simply, and although Mr. Grubb is a Church of England clergymen, and they are held in connection with his denomination. members of other denominations are cordially invited and welcomed. There are no collections at the services, but the donations of those who desire to contribute to the mission are received. Mr. Grubb has come to the colonies at his own risk, having associated with him those whom he believes to be adapted to the work he has in hand. They started out in faith that their wants would be supplied, and their exjwetations have been fulfilled. Special donations are u?edto defray the liabilities entailed by the mission work. Occasionally the work has been helped by the Keswick Convention in England. Mr. Grubb, though a missionary for the Church of Ireland does notreceive any salary for it, his labours being wholly voluntary. It is probable that Mr. Grubb will not be able to remain in Auckland till Sunday, as originally arranged, as the party have decided to take passage by the direct steamer Coptic, for England, from Lyttelton. and which leaves that port on Wednesday or Thursday next. TIIK ISATOrHAI, MISSION' SKRVICE. The opening meeting of he mission took place last evening in the City Hall. There w.is a large attendance representative of all denominations. In the body of the hall were Bishop Cowie, Archdeacon Dudley, Clarke, Wills, Revs W. Calder, F. Larlcins, Gould, Mavnard (vicar of Wembly, England, at present travelling for his health) (Anglican), W. Lee (Wesleyan), J Guy (Primitive Methodist). Mr. Grubbconducted the service throughout, having no supporters on the platform, and led the singing, accompanying himself on the harmonium. He is a tall, well-built man, with a clear resonant voice, and is evidently endowed with much energy and enthusiasm, and the whole tenor of his address was of the most liberal and catholic character. A series of special hymns are printed for the mission services, and Mr. Grubb commenced by giving out the first, "Full Salvation," which was heartily sung, after which he engaged in prayer. Another hymn, "Jesus, Thine All-victorious Love," having been sung, Mr. Grubb read part of Ephesians iii., and followed it by giving out the hymn, "Souls of Men," etc. After the hymn was sung, Mr. Grubb took as the basis of his discourse Ephesians, iii., 19—"To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of Cod." He said his text disclosed the object of his mission in Auckland, namely, that they might know the love of Christ. If there was one thing which characterised the Church to-day it was its emptiness, and if there was one thing which God delighted to do it was to till his children. Christians did not live up to their privileges, but grovelled among the things of earth, instead of getting to the Mount of Transfiguration. The objects of the mission were, first, to .stir up Christians to live the higher life ; second, to restore backsliders ; and, third, to convert the harlot, the drunkard, and the gambler. A reporter had asked him that day what were the objects of the mission. He (the speaker) had narrated them, and the object of the mission would not have been unfulfilled if only that reporter were saved. (Laughter.) (lodbles'the press of Auckland ! One of the laws in God's statute book was—love <loci with all thine heart and thy neighbour as thyself. O'Connell had said he could drive a coach and four through any Act of Parliament, so he was afraid many Christians to day were trying to drive spiritual coaches through (.'oil's law. Men considered they were respectable, they paid their subscriptions to their places of worship or to their institutions, and they had little to mourn over, but the characteristic of the Church of the nineteenth century was its emptiness. In these days they had their B. A. and M.A.'s, and cleverness, and Government schools taught cleverness, but the hearts were cold. The verdict passed on the Laodicean Church was " Neither cold nor hot," or as in the Greek, " neither icy cold nor boiling hot," and what if the Church of to day, in that condition, were to be rejected as was that of Laodicea— spewed out of ths mouth? He believed that God would do a mighty work in Auckland during the mission, and if he had riot in the chamber of his soul and in privacy believed that, he would take up his portmanteau and leave Auckland. It would be done not by eloquence, but by the simple Gospel—not by man's word, but God's. Most of his hearers had reverence ami respect for Christ, but they must get beyond that. They must love the brethren—not their own denomination, but all who loved the Lord. He could love that Salvation Army man sitting there, with the red jersey on, or. that Halle- j lujah lass beyond him, with the peculiar bonnet. (Laughter.) Not because they were followers of General Booth, but because he believed they loved, with him, the same Saviour. When they got to glory they would not be asked, did they belong to the Salvation Army, and he did not think he would be asked if he were a Church of England man, but did he love God. He did not dream of seeing unity of the churches on earth, but he did look for unity of the spirit. For himself he could shake hands with the Baptists or with the Plymouth Brethren, for one day they would overleap the ecclesiastical boundaries. During his mission he would sink names, get together those of all denominations, and make mention only of that Name which was above every name, having the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The attitude of the different} sections of the Christian Church might be depicted as a series of pools, each containing a little shrimp, which thought its own little pool the ocean. There was the Presbyterian shrimp, the Methodist shrimp, the Baptist shrimp, and the Church of England shrimp. (Laughter.) By-and-by, as the tide rose, the shrimps would visit and know each other. (Laughter.) What was wanted was not mere platform unity, but unity of spirit—wielded together, not frozen together. He could see no reason why this should not come to pass. When the tide advanced it would wipe out their little pools, and blend them in the mighty ocean of a common Christianity. When their hearts were full of the love of God, their gratitude would well out of a full heart with "Hallelujahs," instead of a few drops being pumped out by hydraulic pressure. He was afraid there were backsliders in that audience, men who wore abandoning their first love, and trying to get joy, recreation, and amusement in the world. For himself, he went, to Christ for his amusement, as well as for his salvation. It was a mean thing to go to Christ, and then to turn to tho world for pleasure—to the theatre and dancing. Let them go to Christ for their recreation as for their salvation, instead of a poor dying world. The world soon saw whether Christians were living up either to their privileges or their professions. The speaker here related an incident related to* him by Mr. D. L. Moody, the evangelist, with whom he had been a co workor in his missions in Dublin, the moral of which was never to despair of the return of the backslider and wanderer. Twenty years ago, while a young man—and he was not patriarchal yet though bald (laughter)—he (the speaker) was brought into God's fold. At the time ho was at a college in Switzerland, getting a know- t >

ledge of French, German, and music, bub though he passionately loved the music of Beethoven and Mozart, lie got divine music then into his heart, real Salvation music, though he did not know anything about the Salvation Army then. It was a Sunday, and as he could not read Moliere's comedies, he asked a comrade to lend him a suitable book to while away the time. It seemed at first dry, but as he read on he saw at the top of the page the words, " For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever j believeth in Him should not perish, but 1 have everlasting life." Thee words set 1 him pondering, and finally brought into his soul a peace and joy which remained in it, ' and he trusted would remain in ib while life lasted. The speaker concluded with j an eloquent peroration to those who heard him, to likewise make the decision he had ; made, and enjoy the happiness ho experienced. The programme of services for to-day is : —Prayer meeting from 5.15 to 8.45 a.m., at Y.M.C.A. ; half-hour meetings for I business men in the City Hall, from 12.30 p.m. to 1 p.m. ; and from 1 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. ; Bible exposition, 3 p.m., in City Hall 4 p.m., children's service by Mr. E. C. Millard, in the Y.M.C.A. Rooms; mission services in City Hall at 7.30 p.m.