THE HENRY-FARQUHAR MISSION.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10702, 27 February 1911, Page 1

THE HENRY-FARQUHAR MISSION.

;., ! A i ..la : rgb crowd of. men assembled at the Opera Housb yesterday afierhodri to ■ .hear 'Die Henry's address on "Sins ttliat '. 'JSlill:. v, ■' The speaker dealt .with the \ lour great evils of drinlc, gambling, lust "ilia.infidelity, and shewed .the spulresults* of the practice of ■ these;, Evils. v.>At the _ c105e, .., lie called r-rupbn'alii thosb who ' w<Sre;pfepa,rbd to 'lake. ; ai firm stand .against; the'se -evils,: aifd; i'q their stroiigth in the. cause ; of -righteousness to rise'to _their, fetit.,-*Vlii response, tlie vast majority pf"the aneh rose, and'one cannpt'but feel; that;theiresult of'such"a; meetingvmijs't; ; b"e.,the. elevating bf the'moral'tone'bf gojmriiunity...-.-, -; ; . . ....; ./■:■ ... V- ;Lpng- before' the service cbmmeiiced nnhq'evening"the,Opera House was full, • Pepple: kept-' pburitig .in. till it was "Some ;-bf \ the audience were called up" i.tp,'fill: the vacant seats on the choir platform, and even then the doorsTiad t.o : .bb,- shiit and. numbers turned away. ;'Mr- Earquliar displayed his wisdom in " choosingt ,such rolling arid stirring Hymns as "Oh for a thousand tongues" .aiid..."Crown Him Lord of; All.": These .;:hymns set to beautiful tunes, and. sung heartily by the vast concourse of people, j 'were a fitting prelude to the powerful, address that followed.- .:< Dt Hbrirj- spoke on the subject of ."Thp Uiiforgivable Sin," and based his :j remarks bn what he. termed "one of. the maddest texts in .the Bible."- Matt. 3:29; R.F., "Whosover shall blaspheme 'against the Holy Ghost hath-never, for- ; -■giveuoss; but is guilty; of an - eternal shv," He started out by declaring tliat' •this sin is not so much an act as the culminating point of a long career of; ■'Siii against God, and then ho proceeded -to- merit ion some of- the staces through j < "n-hicli tlie spul passes in order to arrive at it. The first stage is to.ignore the Spirit of God, and the Word of God. That'-is'the simplest sin anyone can cbmniit; it is simply to neglect, tb ignore the Spirit's message, the evaiiT gel; : the gospel message. The second stage is: to resist the Spirit. That is a .graver," a~darker, a more serious, _a deeper-dyed iniquity. Yet to commit the-lesser sin "or iglio'ring is to superinduce the condition of resistance. Tho third : That is; to'provoke, tbharassj.to tantalize, to torment, to make sport of the Spirit, by.-.trifling with Him and gambling with opportunities. The fourth stage is to . lie,iiiuLb:the Spirit. Every covenant en-.tr-ired-into and broken is a lie against 'the Spirit'.. Every desire to be a, Cliristian: that' is iipf- "respdrided to is a lie agaiiisi the Spirit.'. , That is the. last .step, into "the sin .that hath _ueye'r forgiveriiess, \t is to mock and insult the Spirit,, to say No once too often. What constitutes it an eternal sin? The fact .•tliat thfe sout-Jias entered-iuto a condition chat the love of God can. never ibuch., God has been rejected, so He sent His son. He was nailed to the tree, so. the Spirit came to lead men to fepetbnce, to quicken their wills, to re"iuvigoratc their' lives. If He be tantalized and driven away, there .is no. -fourth person to come. One of two 'things, were then noted. Ejrst, that ■ thid sin was a culminating point in a long-career. Secpnd, that no man or woman jwho has the .slightest desire to be a Christian-- caii possibly have coniditte'd Itlie'iinForgivahfo sin; otherwise they would be as insensible to the promptings of God's Spirit as iron pillars. ; Third, that He limits a; certain day. In that day you must repent. "Wrien;the sun of that day setSj it sets iii blood and 'you, : afci irretrievably lost as if your feet were', already in the stocks bf hell/';'; No Mnaii; knows 'when; • that driy will .come," but "Your health, "-will-be- as good as ever;, your eye as? hright, ;yoii'r step as elastic." This may be the :day. None can prove it is not.' At .thiai point Dr Henry set himself to prove Ijy a demonstration that a man or woman not converted before twenty years of age lias lost three-fourths pf the probability of being a Christian, Jiefore thirty, five-sixths; .before forty, seven-eighths, and before ' : fif%, nihe'tenths.; In order to do so, he asked all iii the audience of. 1200. people.or more, who were converted when they were over, fifty to', rise. One man stood. Then oyer.forty audi three -stood. Then between thirty and forty, and nine stood. .■ Then between twenty and thirty and fifty-two stood. Then between twehtyr and a crowd three times as lriany'as before stood. .At this point, tho doctor made-a powerful appeal to young and old to decide for Christ, and iri response some thirty young people indicated their willingness ta do sp. Mr Farquhar sang two more solos at times when a gentle appeal was likely to do jmoi'C. good than an impassipned oue, arid oho can. readily understand the importance ,to the,preacher of hav-, iiig a sympathetic singer with him.