MESSAGE TO OLD COLONISTS AND YOUNG NEW ZEALANDERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9011, 17 October 1892, Page 6

MESSAGE TO OLD COLONISTS AND YOUNG NEW ZEALANDERS.

SERMON BY THE REV. GEORGE MacMURRAY. AT St. Mary's Cathedral Church, Parnell, last evening the Rev. Geo. Maomurray, the incumbent, delivered an address haying a bearing on the recent celebration of the jubilee of the old colonists who arrived by the ships Duchess of Argyle and Jane Gilford, and as usual the Chureh was filled to its utmost seating capacity. The Rev. gentleman took for his text, Genesis i, 28, "And God blessed them and God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply and, replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and over every thing that moveth upon the earth;" also, Matthew vi., 33, "Bub seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Mr. Mac Murray said that during the past week the jubilee of the arrival of two vessels with some of the earliest colonists for New Zealand had been celebrated. He wondered how many of them had realised the meaning of the text which he had chosen. That spoke of three things— the mission God gave to them ; the power He gave to accomplish it; and the blessing added to it. First, there was the mission "replenish the earth and subdue it"in other words colonise it. Fifty years ago immigration began to flow into those islands under the Southern Cross in obedience to the Divine instruction to replenish the earth and subdue it, and so the work done by the early colonists had a distinctly religous aspect. The great colonising nation of ancient history was the Roman Empire, and all students must see the beneficial effects to the human race which followed their colonisation. The British nation was the great successor of the Romans in colonising the world, and to-day their Empire spread over a vast portion of the earth. A large portion of North America belonged to Great Britain, and another portion of it, although not now belonging to Great Britain belonged to the British race; portions of Central and Southern Africa, India, and those islands under the Southern Cross were to a large extent under the dominion of the British race. It seemed a remarkable fact that the difficulties in colonising the empire only resulted in its consolidation and extension, and let them thank God that in carrying out this work they were carrying out the mission which God gave to their race.. He also gave them the power to accomplish it. Let them look back to the prehistoric remains of animals and men found in caves in England, where they found the remains of wild animals and men, and then picture to themselves what existed in those times in Britain. It was over-run with fierce animals and side by side with them was a being not endowed like them with great strength, or clothed with furs to shield them from the cold, nor furnished with talons or other natural weapons, and as they thought of the struggle for existence which then existed, was it not wonderful that the survival of fittest resulted in the survival of man. But the explanation was that man was endowed with mind ; God gave man the power to accomplish His mission. He was able to design weapons first of flint, then of bronze, and afterwards of iron, by which he was able to subdue these wild and fierce animals, and strip them of their fur to clothe himself, and then as age after age passed he showed his power and dominion over the animals by making the horse and the elephant and the camel his carriers, he made the wind and the streams do his work, and later by a combination of water and fire he obtained steam to work his machinery, and the mightiest wonder was that he enchained the lightning and made it carry his messages, propel his cars, and light his streets. All these triumphs of art and science were the result of this God-given power. When the early colonists arrived in New Zealand fifty years ago they found fern wastes where they now saw green and fertile pastures and gardens, happy homesteads and joyous children, all accomplished by the power given by God to man to perform nis mission to replenish the earth and subdue it. It was truly a religious work, and the power was great, it was the gift of God, and as they recognised this they must recognise the potential spirituality of all their secular life. Then, when God gave the mission and the power to accomplish it He gave a blessing. The old colonists when they were hewing the forests and cultivating the wastes had the blessing of God to rest on their labours, for it is the blessing of the Lord " that maketh rich" and brought about so happy a result. He asked them to notice that this mission, power, and blessing, were given to man, when he was unstained by sin, and how differently would history have read had that state continued, but subsequently it was accompanied by bloodshed and violence, simply because man lost the proportion of things, and thought the possession of the created, was of greater importance than the will of the' Creator. But when the God-man came on earth, he'told them, " Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." This work of colonisation suggested two thoughts. The first was, as the scripture said, "One soweth, and another reapeth." In Australia Hargraves and Esmond discovered gold which was the means of largely colonising that continent, but although great wealth was within their reach, they failed to reap it. They began, but others came in and carried away the results. He knew not how it was in New Zealand, but it was probably the same, and that those who did the most work did not reap the most benefit. But wealth was not the measure of the success of their lives. They had often heard it said of a man when he died that he died worth say a quarter of a million. No he was not worth that, he was only worth what he could take with him God's peace to his soul, therefore the true blessing to the colonist is not merely the money or the land he may acquire, for just as he got it into his grasp he had to leave it behind him, but if his work was perfect he achieved a permanent success which he could take with him beyond the grave. Then the second thought was this : When man was engaged in the mission to replenish the earth and subdue it, if not actuated by the proper spirit he became not the master but the slave of the world. He pictured the anxiety of mind of those bent on acquiring wealth, and said the world bad become his master. They thought they were winning the world, but they lost themselves. But not only the wealthy but the poor were affected by this race for wealth. Let them go into some of the factories in the old country. They would see there thousands with stunted bodies, faces pallid and wan, minds feeble and souls soiled, simply because man, in obtaining dominion of the world, failed first to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, a nd so became the slave, not the master, as God designed. He had been told that even in New Zealand sweating was not unknown ; but, if so, men were forgetting to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and they should see to it that righteousness as opposed to injustice should characterise their conduct, and the joy of doing their Father's will and helping their fellow-men would give them the fullest satisfaction ; and then this nation now growing under the Southern Cross would achieve a great and glorious destiny. They were connected with Great Britain, were the heirs of its glory, the sharers of its destiny, and were bound not to bring disgrace on its name. They were heirs of the glory of Britain. And who in New Zealand did not feel a glow of pride as they read of the Armada, of Waterloo, and of Quebec. They wore bound to Britain by the strongest ties of kinship, binding them to one another, and could not fail to take the liveliest interest in the progress of the Empire. Yes, .the Church had a message to old colonists and young New Zealanders. They had not only to found an extension of the empire, but the extension of the kingdom of God. They were bound by the ties of citizenship to this Kingdom, and were sharers in its glory, and here was something which ought to thrill their souls more than their contion with the British nation. 'f heold colonists had well fulfilled their mission. They had no doubt made mistakes but they did good work and God gave them His blessing, but so sure as God gave that mission to man after the creation, just as surely did Christ give to man the mission to spread the Gospel, •■ and He not only gave them the mission, He gave them the power to accomplish it, nor did He forget to attach a bless--3 ing, after which He was received up into

Heaven. The first mission was to replenish the earth and subdue it and the second was to extend the kingdom of God, and the power granted was more mighty, and the blessing greater than even that which God gave with the first mission. May they enter on this great mission and he prayed the Lord to give this land abundant bless-