ECCLESIASTICAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10278, 2 November 1896, Page 6

ECCLESIASTICAL.

At the various Anglican churches yesterday special collections were made on behalf of the Country Clergy Fund. Preaching ab; St. -Matthew'! in 'i'the morning, the' Primate said 'the name >of the fund was somewhat misleading, lb should perhaps be called;.a fund to assist the'country districts in securing for themselves the ministrations of resident clergymen. It ; was not to provide gifts to the clergy. Speaking of the devotion and hard work of the country clergy, the Primate mentioned that one of them was in charge of a district covering some 600 square miles. Yet they did not fear their work, but would ask him as Primate to send them where there was the greatest need. The following were the offerings of the various city churches St. Paul's, £25; St. Mary's, £23 lis; St, Sepulchre's, £22 10s 3d ; All Saints, £20. - At St. Paul's, Symonds-street, yesterday, ; special services were held to commemorate the first anniversary of the consecration* of , tho new church. Holy communion was celebrated,at eight a.m. The eleven o'clock, service was fully choral, and the Ven. Archdeacon Clarke preached a very thoughtful sermon on\ St. Matthow xvi,,*26, In the course of his remarks he referred to the country clergy fund, and said that in certain districts with which he was acquainted the Maoris were better.provided., for by the native clergy than the Europeans' were. In the evening the festival service was taken by the vicar, Canon \ C. M. Nelson. Ho gave a most interesting discourse, taking as his text I. Corinthians, xii. 9. He said that when the question of re-building old St. Paul's was first mooted, a good deal had been said and written about there boing no necessity for the church, and ib had even been proposed to split; parish up into three parts, apportioning one each to St. Mary's, St. Sepulchre's, and St. Matthew's parishes. He thought their church's right to live was amply prrfved by the very successful year they had had, and the largo congregations every Sunday spoke for themselves. The choir sang the anthem ' Blessed are They ' (Tours), and as an offertory solo Mr. R. Norman gavs 'Uosanna in Excelsis' (St. Quentin). Mr. J. T, Knight presided at the organ. Tho congregations during the day were very pood, and the amount collected towards the country clergy fund was £25. Yesterday being All Saints' Day tho Primate gave an appropriate address at St. Matthew's Church in the morning on Christian brothorhood and communion. He said when they spoke of the Anglican communion they did not use the term in an exclusive sense. Thoy meanb those Churches that we're in full communion and fellowship with the Church of England, but of course they also had fellowship and communion with all Christian people throughout the world. They had no au. thority for saying that there was no salvation outside the Church of England, or churches in communion with her, and it would be puerile to say that no one belonged to the Church of Christ or could have salvation unless they recognised the authority of some particular man—bishop, or archbishop -whoever he might be. The Church of Christ was a universal brotherhood, and all Christian people throughout the world were members of one church—for Christ did not found two churches. There were at one in regard to essentials ; they believed in one Cod, the same Lord Jesus Christ, and the same Holy Spirit. Yesterday Home Mission sermons were, preached in Pitt-street Wesleynn Methodist Church, in the morning by the Rev. W. Gittos, from Luke xvi., 15* 'Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.' The Rev. W. Morley preached in the evening from St. John 1., 41, 'He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.' Both sermons dealt largely with the necessities and importance of Homo Mission work. There were good congregations. The collections of the day amounted to £15 2s. The annual public meeting will be hold on Wednesday evening, when addresses will be given by the Kevs. W. Morley, H. R. Dewabury, and A. Peters. The Three King's College students will sing some Maori songs. Special collections will be taken up for the Home Mission fund. The Sunday-school anniversary services in connection with the Mount Eden Congregational Church wore held yesterday. The interior of the church building was brightly and tastefully decorated with flowers and evergreens, and the Sunday-school scholars occupied a raised gallery above the pulpitThe Rev. W. A. Sinclair officiated at the forenoon service, and the Rev. B. L. Thomas preached in the evening. In the afternoon tho Rev, W. Mitchell addressed the young folks, exhorting them to grow up in the paths of righteousness and virtue, and to remember in their childhood the law. of obedience. Special hymns were rendered by tho children, accompanied by a strong orchestra, the whole boing under the conductorship of Mr. Trigg. Mr. Hooton presided at the organ. Solos and ducts wore contributed by Mrs. Hunter and the Misses N. Smith, B. Head, and Peterson. Tho children's tea and entertainment will be held on Wednosdayevoniug, commencing at 6 o'clock. The usual evangelistic address ab the City Hall last night was given by the Rev. A. Dewdnoy (President of .the Wow Zealand Baptist Union), from John iii., 36— ' He that believeth on the Son hath overlasting life'— from which he delivered au earnest discourse. Mr. Tho?. Buddie (hon. secretary Y.M.C.A.) presided. Miss Alice Rimmer sang two sacred solos—'Come unto Me,' and ' The Home Over There.' NEW ZEALAND BAPI-wT ONION. The ministerial and lay Southern delegates arrived on Saturday, to attend the session of the New Zealand Baptist Union, which is held this year in Auckland. Yesterday, a number of the clergy occupied the pulpits of the Baptist city and suburban churches, - and also the pulpits of sister denominations. The firsb meeting— a young people's nri*. sionary meeting— connection with the Union, took place yesterday afternoon, in the Ponsonby Baptist Church. The church was tastefully decorated. At the back of the rostrum were the. emblems of Faith, Hope and Charity—a cross, an anchor, and heart. Tho cross was composed of yellow daisies, the anchor of azaleas, intertwined with bamboo leaves, and. the hearb of .pink geraniums, and on' either, flank were hanging baskets of ferns. In the front of the rostrum were arum lilies, basket of ferns, and pungas. Ab the opposite end of the church was the shield,, with the monogram of the C.E. Society of the Church, the first.established iii Auckland, in gold on a maroon ground. When the meeting commenced ab three o'clock the church was packed to the doors, there being nob only the Sunday School 'scholars of the Ponsonby Baptist Church '■■ bub also those of St. John's Wesleyan Church, which joined in a united missionary service. The Rev. Thomas Bray presided as chairman. The church choir were present, and Mr. Utting officiated as organist. The Rev. A. Poters, of Wanganui, gave the firsb address, in which he showed the children how they could interest them-, selves in tho mission , work in many ways, and give material help. They had done nobly during the past year 'in their contributions, and he hoped they would do as well noxfcyear and in the future. The Rev. Charles Dallaston, of Wellington, gave an address in which he made an aorostio of the word 'India,' using each letter as .a peg on which to hang his thoughts. India . was not only important to them as being I a valuable portion of the British Empire, but it was interesting to the denomination, especially from the number of missionaries they had there, and needful they should sustain them. The answer, on their part should be a ready response to the appeal for help. The service throughout was of an interesting character. To-night there will bo a young people's meeting in the Ponsonby Baptist Church. Mr. Speddin'g.will preside. ,■ The speakers will be the Rev. \V. Sinclair, president of the Auckland Christian Endeavour Union, on , ' Our Historical Inheritance'; Rev. Alfred. North (Dunedin), on 'Conviction and Loyalty Thereto,' and the Rev. Randolph S. Gray (Nelson), on.' Decision for Christ.' -';.:; * . -' ■'