ST. PAUL'S CHURCH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13210, 22 June 1906, Page 6

ST. PAUL'S CHURCH.

ADDRESS TO THE CADETS.

St. Paul's Church. Symonds-strcel, was crowded to overflowing, hundreds being unable to obtain admittance. Every available seat was occupied and extra seats were placed in the aisles, but even then large numbers of people Mere standing throughout the service. The congregation included two battalions of the public schools cadets and 60 boys from St. Stephen's Native College. The service was similar to that at St. Matthew's, the office for the burial of the dead being used. The Rev. Canon Nelson read the lesson, and also intoned the service, and the Venerable Archdeacon Odder, preached the sermon. At the conclusion of the service the hymns, " Now the Labourer's Task is O'er" and " Onward, Christian Soldier?." were sung, and "The. Dead March" was played by the organist, the conclusion of all being a verse of the National Anthem.

Archdeacon ■■ Calder took for bis text, Exodus xii. 26, "What mean ye by this service." The preacher, addressing himself particularly to the boys, said there was a, religion before Christ came into the world, the religion of the Old Testament, the religion of the Jews. . Speaking of the Passover, the preacher went on to say Jewish boys were taught to say at table, "What mean re by this service," and then the head of the house, who was the priest of the family,.would answer, "To commemorate the delivery of our fathers out of the land of Egypt.'' There was a- peculiarity about the special service held that day. It was a, funeral sen-ice, while the body was not there. The service was held because he who was dead was the chief servant of the people of this country, and it- was the recognition of the beauty of service But beyond the music the'service was the same as was used for anyone, rich or poor. ..It was not, a. special service'for a'Premier or Privy Councillor,' but for a man who was baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son. and of the Holy Ghost, and first of all the service was a recognition that Cod was the Father of all men. After referring to the fact that the burial service was composed of quotations from the Bible, and that the SOlh Psalm used in it was written by Moses, the preacher went on to say that the portion commencing, " Man that is born cf a. woman hath but. a a- short time to live," had been part of the English burial service for over 1000 years. The prayer that brought all the lessons home to their ,hearts was, " That we sorrow not as these without hope." By that they urged that there might be bestowed upon them, by the merits of Christ, that wonderful pronouncement, •'Well done, thou Rood and faithful servant, enter unto the joy of the Lord." Man hold himself in the fellowship of Jesus Christ by the merits and life of the Redeemer, and they laid their blessed ones to rest in the sure and certain hops of resurrection to hie eternal. In conclusion, the archdeacon asked his hearers not to depart without praying that the lessons might enter , into, their hearts, a.nd that they might remember that it was bv the love of God and the fellowship of "the Holv Ghost that they, and their; brother now departed, hoped to enter into that eternal life.