ECCLESIASTICAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume 1327, Issue 1327, 3 September 1906, Page 3

ECCLESIASTICAL.

THE CENTRAL MISSION. - His Majesty's Theatre was well filled yesterday afternoon to hear Mr. A. J. Black's twelfth address^.the subject being "A Muohmisrepresented Man."" Mr. and Mrs. Biaok each sang a solo. The Christian, said Mr. Black, was a much-misrepresented man. The impression of the man of • the world ; to-day was that religion was for women arid children, and that when a man became a Christian he became a weakling and a milksop, or a sort of disembodied spirit. /The Ghrfstian was not a man who merely, went to church or had been through some outward form, but he was one who stood foursquare to the world and faced contempt and hardships, and even death if needs bo, for his faith one who carried his religion into hit daily employment. The world haa o right to criticise the Christian and to expect from him consistency, but it must not expect perfection, as so many did. Mr. Black announced that the Rev. Mr. McLaren, o£ , Manchester, would speak next Sunday. Mr. Black also preached yesterday morning, and in the evening delivered an evangelistic address on "Gehazi." A special anthem was rendered by the choir and onohestra. The usual Sunday services were held in the Mission Hall. * DEDICATION FESTIVAL. The first dedication festival of St Aidan's Church, Remuera, was held on Friday last, St. Aidan's Day, with a celebration of the Holy Communion in the morning and choral evensong at half-past seven. Prayers were read by the Rev. A. Fowler, the lessons by the Rev. W. Beatty, vicar of the parish, and * an instructive sermon was preached by the Rev. G. A. Carver, vicar of St. Sepulchre's. An altar cross of very beautiful design arid ; pair of brass vases, sent by Lord Eiibank, were placed in position. Another large pair of brass vases with flower holders have been: given by a parishioner. Greetings were received from and sent to the congregation of St. Aidan's Church, Karangahake. ; THEOSOPHY. At the rooms of the Auckland Theosoph!. cat Society, Mutual, Life Buildings, on Sunday evening- the weekly public lecture was do hvered by Miss A. E. Davidson under the' title of "Providence, Destiny, or the Law of Cause and Effect— V' The lecture was an exceedingly interesting one, and contrasted the various teachings mentioned in the title in a very able manner, showing the superiority from a philosophical standpoint of the teaching of the law'of cause and effect in moral and. mental phenomena. _ At the H.P.B. branch of the Theosophical Society last night Mr. W. M. Newton delivered a lecture entitled "The Ancient Mysteries, or Christianity Before Christ." The lecturer contrasted 'the.'views of modern critics of the ancient mysteries with the views of those who received beaching through mystic schools. He also compared briefly the symbolic significance of much that was common both to the Christian creeds and the formula of old mysicry religious.