ECCLESIASTICAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11057, 8 May 1899, Page 3

ECCLESIASTICAL.

*-^— SERMON BY THE BISHOP OP WELLINGTON'. At St. Peter's Church, Onehunga. last night, | i t!io Bishop of Wellington (the Right Rev. i j F. Wallis, D.D.] preached an interesting ami : instructive sermon, the church being crowded. j Taking as his text Psalm exxvi. 5, the Bishop | pointed out how joy and sorrow were blended together in the lives of men. There was ; much sorrow in the life of St. Paul, and yet he could speak about rejoicing in tribulation. There was a great deal that was sorrowful, too, in the life of Christ. In the Sermon on the Mount Our Lord taught that sorrow was a necessary feature in the lives of those who belonged to His Kingdom. Men should sorrow about other people's sins. If ' a man first pull out the beam in his own eye lie would see clearly to pull out the mote in his neighbour's eye. It was not merely weeping, but sowing in tears that was required. It was not sufficient to write to the newspapers, but they should be constantly engaged in doing something to bring about the coming of the Kingdom of Christ, praying that their colony might be cleansed from the prevailing sins of the day. If men wept for the sins of others they should sorrow much more for their own sins. Had they been more faithful other men might not have gone wrong. For every time they looked at others' sins they should look ten times at their own. In the midst of sorrow they had a joy that they would not have experienced had all gone well with them. ■When they had sympathy with a man and tried to relieve his distress, they were brought nearer to him, and learned to love him, and were not so lonely in the world themselves. When men reflected on their own sins and shortcomings they began to realise what Christ was to them, and learned something of tho infinite love of God, and something of the joy of the Christian who had sown in tears and reaped in joy. The sermon, which was delivered in a very earnest and impressive manner, was listened to with tho greatest attention.

SPECIAL SERMONS AT ONEHUNGA. Last night the Rev. S. Lawry, pastor of the Onehunga Wesleyan Church, preached a special sermon on " Heaven." Belief in heavon assumed the reality of life after death. One of the world's greatest needs to-day was a living faith in tho reality of eternal things. Faith in heaven might not solvo all tho problems of life, which wero racking the brains and breaking the hearts ol so many, but such a faith taught that the end of God s discipline is not material prosperity, nor present enjoyment, but the perfecting of character after the likeness of Jesus Christ. Heaven is being peopled by countless numoors from among all nations. This fact was a standing reproof to the national view of Judaism, and was in marked contrast to the narrow theological vision of many profession saints of to-day. In every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness was accepted of Him. Heaven 'was the crowning reward of spirtual victories, and the way to heaven was by the way of the Cros=nor merely Christ's cross, but our own also. Heaven was open to all, and sin was the only barrier. A sermon was preached by the Rev. W. Finlay Wilson, 8.A., at the Onehunga Congregational Church last evening. The subject ivas "Hell, What and Where « it?" Hell, he said was (ho immutable law of cause and effect, and if not in this life, then in tho future slate of existonce, man must inevitably reap the- result of his sowing. Nothing in a man's life cou.d bo 'lost of destroyed. No physical change was needed to consign a soul to hell, for hell was not a locality, a material lako of fire and brimstone, as numbers still believed and taught, but a state of being— temper of mind and heart, which too many men carried in their bosoms in this life, and took with them when they died. To the intelligent student of tho subject, the law of Divine retribution became as wellestablished as any other known law of God. By much of the enlightened Christian sentiment of the age, however, the very idea of retributive punishment was scouted, and this, tho preacher claimed, was produced by the natural recoil of the moral sense—which was rapidly outgrowing ignorant, barbaric superstition—from the frightful and unworthy 'distortions of the doctrine once taught in nearly all tho churches. The moment of death did not fix unalterably man's destiny. To affirm such were to limit God's power and purpose concerning us. Divine justice was not to bo satisfied by the infliction of eternal tortures upon (lie disobedient, or even upon the criminally wicked. There was a truer and nobler satisfaction, and no soul would l.e punished, much less destroyed, for anger or revenge, or to satisfy the caprice of a wise, merciful, and ioving Father. Iv -y principle of right, and liw of God; every di tate of human reason, demanded that ei.l should receive its just recompense of reward, but it was equally clear, in new of the unchange- i ablcness of Divine love, that the penalty to ; be meted out will not be divorced from : compassion, but will be for correction and discipline, and ultimately to accomplish tho Creator's beneficent design concerning us. God had mercifully veiled from man the precise nature of tho harvest, and had made him capable to escape the hell already created by entering, even in this world, the true and blissful heaven, and that was to he dnno by renouncing sin, in loving righteousness and truth, and living a pure and holy life, taking as tho ground of comfort and hope, faith ill tho Lord Jesus Christ.

ST. JOHN'S WESLEYAN CHURCH. Tlio anniversary services of St. John's Wcsleyan Church, Fonsonby, were held yesterday. Tho new pastoi (the Rev. W. Ready) preached in the morning from 11. Kings xviii. part of verse 4, "The breaking in pieces of the brazen serpent." The solo " How Amiable are Thy Tabernacles" was taken by Miss Allen. In the afternoon the Rev. J. G. Chapman conducted the service, and took as the basis of his discnurse the passage in Judges xx. 16. his subject being " The Christian Ideal." Miss Rimmer rendered the solo, " Remember Thy Creator." The evening servico was taken by Mr. Ready, whoso text was Mark i. part of verse 45, " And they came to him from every quarter." He said that some people were speaking of the docadence of Christianity, but the statement was not based on fact. Thcro never was a lime when there wero more men and women in tho world ready to die for tho Nazarene, " the son of the carpenter." Most people considered gold greatness, and worshipped it as their god, but here was a man who was great and yot poor. Gold could not make a man groat, for you could pile gold on a donkey, and it would remain a donkey still. Jay Gould died worth a fortune, which, piled in a column of sovereigns, was 73 miles high, would take 75 railway waggons to transport it, and put into £5 notes, laid side by sido, would extend from Moscow to London, yot he was not rich enough to buy the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens, and when he died the universal press of his country expressed thankfulness that he had passed away. If they thought Christianity was dying away before Agnosticism, he would give them an "object lesson" from Dunodin. The Rationalists and Freethinkers had built a hall there; it got into financial troubles, and had to be sold. The ex-treasurer was now carrying round tho plate in a Dunedin Episcopalian Church; one of the lecturers was attending a Methodist class meeting, and another lecturer was lecturing in England on " How T Passed from Atheism to Christianity." Christianity was drawing to itself all the powers of art and song, and of theology. Instead of "jarring sects," the sign of the times was Chrisitian union. In Britain the Baptist, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Methodist Churches had practically agreed upon a common platform and common creed. Mr. Ferriday sang "He Will Abundantly Pardon," and Miss Rimmer " I Know That My Redeemer Liveth." Mr. Horsley officiated as organist. The collections of the day amounted to £16 8s Id, or nearly £5 over the previous year. There were large congregations at the morning and afternoon services, and in the evening seals had to be placed up the aisles. Tho annual festival will take place on Wednesday evening, when the new pastor (Mr. Ready) will he welcomed. At the after public meeting a sacred concert has been arranged, in which the St. John's Church choir and that of Pitt-street will take part.

GRAFTON ROAD WESLEYAN CHURCH. At the Grafton Road Wesleyan Church last evening an interesting sermon was preached by the Rev. H. R. Dowsbury on "Stability." The preacher, taking as his text Romans xvi. 25, said that stability was an essential quality. He that endured to the end would be saved, not he who began well, with a flourish of trumpets, but the man who fell at his post was the conqueror. How was this steadfastness to bo obtained? Steadfastness was a power granted by God, as was assured only to long as a man walked hand and hand with God. In eloquent words the preacher described .the sovereign, invisible power ot God, a power that alone was able to make a man steadfast. The working of God's providence was as manifest to-day as in the olden time. The Christian of to-day should not be carried away by the clack of tongues, and deluded into the belief that Christianity was effete, and the Bible i mere product of superstition, enthusiasm, and priestcraft. In order to arm themselves against infidelity, the reverend gentleman appealed to the young men of his congregation to read Dr. Sanday on " Inspiration," Dr. Sayce on " Higher Criticism," Dr. Dale's " Living Christ and the Gospels," and

Dr. Beet's " Credentials of the Gospels," and urged those present- to be strong in their beliefs in the cardinal truths of Christianity, the deity of Christ, and the Atonement. Olio strone point of faith was of more value than infinite speculation which vanished at the touch of death. There were large audiences at both services, and in the evening the choir rendered the anthem, " Incline Thine Ear." DEVONPORT PRESBYTERIAN ANNIVERSARY. Anniversary services were held yesterday at the Devonpnrt Presbyterian Church, there being good attendances at all the services. Jhe Lev. Hugh Kelly, M.A., of Knox Uiirch, conducted the eleven a.m. service, and preached in the evening to an overflowing congregation. The afternoon service for children was conducted by the Rev B. L. Thomas, a solo being given by Mr. Ferri(lay. Mrs. Hales and Mr. Abel Rowe also contributed solos, and the choir, under theconductorship of Mr. Lees, sang several beautiful anthems. NEW ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AT DRIVING CREEK. The old building which has done service for 38 years as Roman Catholic Church at Driving Creel; has long since become too small for the requirements of the congregation. The necessity for a new church was thus recognised. To this end a movement was initiated some time ago, and the efforts of the promoters, backed by the goodwill and generosity of the people, have borne fruit. The building, which is a neat structure 45ft by 23ft, with a porch Bft by Bft, is now elected, and arrangements have been made for its formal opening. Owing to the absence of Bishop Le.nihan, who is on a visit to Rome, the ceremony will be undertaken by the Very Rev. Mom. Paul, of Onelmnga, and the Very Rev. Dean O'Reilly, of St. Patrick's. It may be mentioned that Father O'Reilly was located in Coromandel some 27 years ago, and was in charge of the parish 'or seven years. Old Coromandclites will, therefore, have an opportunity of hearing and seeing an old friend. The ceremony will begin at eleven a.m. on May 21. One very pleasing feature is that the new church will be opened entirely free of debt. Father Egan and the Building Committee aro to be congratulated on the success of their efforts in thus providing a suitable* building for Roman Calholio worshippers in Driving Creek.

LECTURE BY MISS EDGER. Thero was a fair audience in the Choral Hall last night, when Miss Lilian Edger delivered her second lecture, the subject being "Jesus of Nazareth and the Christ." The lecturer treated her subject from the Theosnphical standpoint, and claimed that the Christ Spirit, identified in the Christian religion with Jesus of Nazareth, was in reality a universal principle, an aspect of God, treated of by all religions, and explainable on scientific lines in the building and preserving of all the various forms in existence; that aspect of deity, which, looked upon as a Trinity of Creator, Preserver, and Regenerator, is the saving element of love. The Christ is the love of God. On evolutionary lines, tho lecturer traced the growth of consciousness in the various living forms, culminating in man as reason and conscience; then on different lines developing and expanding, and by the law of love leading to unselfishness, altruism, and self-sacrifice, the expression of the Christ spirit, examples of the highest point which such development in man on earth can reach being found in such teachers and saviours as Krishna, Gautama Buddha, and Jesus Christ. THE CITY HALL. The usual evangelistic service was held last evening at the City Hall. There was a good atendanco. Mr. Brakenrig presided. Tho address was given by the Rev. R. Ferguson, his subject being "Lend a Hand, and Never Despair."